Kitchen Garden Forum

Took delivery of geranium plantlets yesterday - all potted up and ready for summer (but still in the greenhouse). I'm watching the frost forecasts now - and covering them with a nice newspaper duvet on cold nights. And Monty inspired me to finally get round to pruning the roses today - it felt quite mild down here in the south. First day it's felt comfortable to be outside - no biting wind today. At last I feel I've achieved something in the garden for the first time this year.

Jobs for this weekend: pruning our long rose hedge (rosa rugosa) and also our three huge buddleia bushes. I'll want the buddleia cuttings as pea sticks soon!

I've got 2 snowflakes on my phone weather forecast - next Thursday & Friday! This end of the country it will probably be 2 flakes total, but thought that with the other 2 Beast from the East reports & got it wrong big time! This is sowing time, not snowing time! I think Mother Nature has dementia - she is very old after all!

I forked over my vegetable patch and climbing bean and tomato border earlier this afternoon and noticed that anno domini has made it a longer and more exhausting act of labour than it was last season. But at least the biting wind had disappeared and it was quite pleasant to be outdoors. The soil didnt feel very warm though so I think any sowing will have to wait awhile.

Lovely day. Finally dug my potato bed but wet and lumpy, I'm hoping it will dry enough to break it down before the next lot. Also weeded and limed the late brassica bed, I'll rake the lime in during the first bonus hour of the year. Seedlings coming on well, potted up far too many as usual, 40 sweet and chilli peppers and 50 tomatoes, got a friend who has bought two second hand greenhouses that he is hoping to combine into a 20'x12' lean to against his garage so I may have a home for them.

Rejoices the heart to see such an immaculately dug vegetable garden, all ready to go, and nicely protected from the wind by the surrounding wall. Plenty of space for some good crop rotation too. Well done Geoff! The photos make it all look nice and easy but we all know the effort which goes into getting a plot into that state.

Hi Geoff!

You site is so lovely & looks so tranquil - not to mention so neat & tidy. Lots of hard work gone into getting it that way.

Looks good, Geoff! Another sunny dry day forecast for the north tomorrow - before the cold returns .....

I have sown the first summer brassicas (cauliflower, kohlrabi and tenderstem broccoli) in the greenhouse. Those seeds already sown in the greenhouse (beetroot, radish, mixed cut-and-come again lettuce, peas, broad beans, herbs, leeks, tomatoes) are coming on well and the sweet and chilli peppers are about 8cm high and still inside.

Out in the garden at 7pm pruning a rather overgrown clematis. How nice to be out there at this time and it,s still daylight.
I do think it’s partly psychological that you feel yiu’ve Run out of energy once it gets dark.
I was just wandering round the garden, spotted the clematis and realised it was a job which needed doing and the next moment I,d just grabbed the secateurs and was pruning away. Wouldn,t have been able to do that yesterday evening. What a difference 24 hours makes!

Of course for the birds and other wildlife it makes no difference. It’s only daft humans who fiddle with the clocks and allow their actions to be influenced accordingly !

fanatstic looking plot there Geoff!! we had some newcomers have a look around our plot yesterday, I was a bit embarrassed, as it is not quite as beautiful as yours I did manage to finally get the garlic in though, thank goodness!

Thanks for your kind comments. Another lovely day, pity we know it isn't going to last, I could get used to this. Feel sorry for the big bumble bees that were on the heathers today.
Another successful day, assembled the new carrot and parsley cage that had been cluttering up the garage since I made it some months ago. Cloche inside is to warm the soil for some parsley that I am growing in modules. Limed the bit alongside for swede and parsnip. Also managed to partly break down yesterday's potato bed dig but the soil felt very cold so I sheeted it over with polythene rather than planting the potatoes.

Lovely pictures Geoff looks nice and tidy just as mine should be but it's the opposite ,Everyone are planting potatoes on our allotment but I can't help thinking they are taking a risk I will leave mine until after Easter ,I've sown the ones I put inside our pollytunnel in plastic sacks and large potts

That looks a very useful structure Geoff, and being big enough to contain a cloche inside as well should soon hopefully get the soil warmed up. I should think the carrot fly will have a hard job getting their way into that !

Beautiful down at lottie today & got lots done & for a wee while the thermometer said 14 degrees. The most exciting thing - ants were out & bees were buzzing around plum Beauty which is in full flower & has been for a few weeks, & came through unscathed from the snow, frosts & bitter wind! Fingers crossed for a crop that I can get to eat first this year.

I see our local farmers are planting seed potatoes, so I nipped out and prepped my area ready for mine to go in during the coming week if the weathers kind.