Rain!

Gardening is off the menu today. Time to catch up on some blogging and ironing.

My two water butts are empty so I'm hoping for plenty of rain to fill them up.

 

It was a busy weekend, working on two gardens. I got the kids to help with our friend's garden, Chris dug over the veg plot and earned himself a couple of blisters and Leah dug a large hole and managed to help uproot a bramble bush, both worked really hard and I was dead proud. We returned home to a roast dinner with huge appetites.

 

I'd spent a few hours working on our garden, removing the last of the broccoli and kale.

Both beds have now been given a good dose of fish blood and bone dug in and they are ready to go when it's time to start planting out.

 

 

I've set up this makeshift cage for strawberry corn and the pots in front are ready for tomatoes.

I am raring to go but making every effort to be cautious. It is not easy. 

 

 
 
 
 

 

I have an abundance of plants that are now a very viable size for outdoor life.

I am putting many of them, mainly toms and peppers outside to harden off during the day.

My plan is to soon have them out at night but under the large cloche that is currently over the other bed. This will be great as it can get frustrating carrying the plants to and fro.

With one eye on the weather, I'm thinking maybe another week and I might see about leaving out at night.

  

 
 
 

 

I'm now hardening off this bed by leaving the cloche open at night but I'm pretty sure everything is hardy enough.

In the far left we have peas and then broad beans.

The rest of the bed is filled with a half hearted attempt at sowing some radish, beetroot and carrot just to alleviate the need to sow. Having said that, we've had a good few radish that have been welcome.

And of course, there are some garlic.

 

 

This area at the bottom of the garden has turned into a bit of a fruit corner.

We have the 3 variety apple tree, blueberry and jostaberry all in their second year and the new addition of the pinkberry. The other side of the step is a bargain redcurrant bush from Aldi which I'm not holding out much hope for as it's taken a few batterings from Chris's football.

 

 

 Apple blossom is such a beautiful thing!

 

 

This grow house, I love. Not to pour scorn of plastic grow houses (they have served me well and I respect them for that) but this feels a bit more proper. We'll never fit a greenhouse in our garden so this is really as good as it's going to get.

 

It is gradually being emptied of perennials as I find homes for them and they are being replaced with gradually more edibles which is exciting.

I have a mixed sprinkling of lettuces for microgreens (the kids have taken to them this year and Leah likes to cut them) and a tray of peas just for the shoots.

 

Here was a plant that caught our eye at the garden centre. Could be interesting.

 

I have to confess, I have been pushing boundaries a bit.

I sowed a lot of seeds early.

A couple of tomatoes went very leggy and failed.

I sowed some squashes and courgettes far too soon and then planted them out, having said that they did lure out the slugs which was helpful.

But, on the bright side, I have a good number of very viable tomatoes from the first and second sowings I made. The chili and pepper plants are all good.

 

 

This jalapeno in the kitchen is doing amazingly well and already has flowers forming. I have one a similar size so I've pinched that one out and I'm leaving this one as is at the moment to compare how they fare.

 

 

I also did an early sowing and placing out of asparagus pea and I've found that by covering it with an old glass worktop protector and a bit of horticultural fleece at night they have survived.

 

Well, I think that's a very thorough update for now.

Can't put it off any longer, the ironing awaits.

 

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