I started this a few days ago talking about the biting wind, well it hasn’t gone away and the wind chill factor has been very apparent. Bit of a shock after last week. But gardens still grow and work must be done so a good place to be was in the greenhouse.
Potted a week ago.
Filled with enthusiasm after seeing how much the first potted up dahlia had grown in a week, I planted up a load more and even divided some clumps for the first time ever. I’m hoping for lots of dahlias in the borders and some for the edible planters too.
With things doing well, and the first rather early french bean, all that was required was a bit of watering and then outdoor jobs to be tackled.
The thistles are back!
With the damp soil and warm sun, everything is growing and that includes the weeds. Having let the rose beds get completely out of hand last year and the thistles seed, big mistake, I am determined not to do the same again. This is one week’s regrowth, a season of regular hoeing beckons. I have also started the annual battle with ground elder this week and admired the tenacity of bindweed as it’s tendrils emerge from the ground.
Bindweed tendrils
In the pub vegetable garden, the purple sprouting broccoli is finally sprouting and I got to work sowing the seeds which I ran out of time for last week. In the leaf bed, spinach, rainbow beet (roots deemed not tasty enough) and rocket. In the roots bed, the cloche survived Warming up but the radishes were chomped by slugs. Nothing up yet but more radishes, baby leeks and spring onions sown. In the herb bed sweet fennel, flat leaved parsley and chervil.
In the foraging bed, the wild garlic is up for a small crop this first year.
The weather forecast for the weekend is good so I am hoping to get out in my own garden, more seed news to follow but meanwhile look at these peonies!
It’s beginning to feel like spring this week although I am refusing to use the past tense of spring word this year, it’s too obvious! The blossom is out and the trees are positively humming as the bees make the most of the warm weather.
With my early sowings in the greenhouse doing well, radishes, brukale, cavalo, cornflowers, beetroot and pak choi all up, it is time to start thinking about the outside beds. I am planning do more direct sowing this year to try and reduce the amount of crazy watering and loss of plants when they don’t get watered. On the other hand, I like starting things off under cover as protection from slugs/rabbits/pigeons/frost (but mostly slugs) so I can only wait and see how it goes.
I also managed a row of rainbow carrots and another of beetroot cylindrica before I ran out of time. The rest will have to wait until next week. If we had a little bit of rain to go with this warm weather it would be perfect!
