Springtime bits and bobs

[Primrose]

Managed to get 600 hundred shallots planted yesterday, and by the heck does my back know it this morning.

You've certainly got staying power. I planted just 100 onion sets and that was bad enough! I made the mistake a week ago of planting them first in individual cells, then a week later decided I'd get them planted out anyway and cover them with cloches for a couple of weeks. Howeve,r the cellular trays I had were so flimsy that they fell apart as I was trying to get onion and compost out all in one go, and the whole process took me twice as long as it would normally have done. Won't bother doing that one again, not for onions anyway!

[PLUMPUDDING]

Is anyone going to the Edible Garden show which starts on Friday? We're planning on going, and maybe calling at Ryton Gardens if there is time.

I've also just booked our tickets for Harrogate Spring Show which is one of my favourites.

I'm going to write my shopping list now.

[Monika]

A gorgeous day here today with sunshine all day and a light westerly wind. I planted some chitted potatoes (Kestrel, Anya and Nadine) into large ex-sheep feed buckets, some to eat and some, hopefully, to grow into prize specimens for our village show in September!

Also pruned the climbing roses and gave them and all flowering bushes a food feed. The sweet peas, early broad beans and eating peas in roottrainers are now outside but, as frost is forecast again tonight, I have covered them with fleece.

I agree about the Harrogate Show, Plumpudding. We are planning to go, too (not least to have a chat at the KG stand!) but we don't usually make up our mind until nearer the day, in case the weather is absolutely lousy.

[PLUMPUDDING]

Went to the Edible garden show and there was lots to see, but I'd got most of the things on sale. I think it would be more use for a new veg grower. There were some good bargains to be had if you wanted apricots, peaches and the like and blueberries. Microscopic tomatoes in tiny pots for 60p were amusing, but OK if you only wanted one of each variety just to try.

There were a few interesting talks and I enjoyed James Wong recomending more exotic plants with good flavour and healthy properties, although I don't think he's a gardener as a lot of what he was suggesting would need a lot warmer and longer growing season than is easily achieved in this country - especially "up North". They would probably grow, but not likely to have much if any fruit.

I have actually done what he suggested with the sweet potatoes and have one growing in a jam jar of water on the windowsill. I started it off two weeks ago and it has filled the jar with roots and is sending little wine coloured shoots out now.

Then we went to Ryton Gardens - Garden Organic - HDRA as was. Its ages since we last went and they've changed a lot. They were still doing quite a lot of work on some new sections. The thing I noticed most was how it has changed since I first started going there when it was much more open - like things planted in a field, and now they've all matured and been added to and its now looking like a proper garden rather than a series of display areas. They've also got the larger shop/Webbs garden centre bit and the posh educational interactive vegetable kingdom and seed saving side. I'm going to make a point of going again this summer when everything is in full growth.

[Primrose]

The cost difference between sowing your own and buying seedlings from a garden centre. Noticed in a garden centre this morning they were selling strips of 10 leeks or 10 Kavalo Nero seedlings for £2.99. When I think how many seeds there are in a packet, even allowing for the cost of compost, that just shows how much you can save by sowing your own.

And unfortunately for them, they'd left all their little tomato seedlings out in the open last night and the whole darned lot had been completely killed by frost !

[alan refail]

And unfortunately for them, they'd left all their little tomato seedlings out in the open last night and the whole darned lot had been completely killed by frost !

Naughty Primrose! Do I detect the slightest hint of Schadenfreude?

[Primrose]

Came down to breakfast this morning and found three mallards on our lawn - two drakes and a female. I'm sure they were the same three which came and stayed with us last year as they were wandering all around the bird table looking for seed, and making a beeline for our mini pond. I've had to cover with expandable willow fencing, to stop them stirring up all the frogspawn and destroying it.

And the bluetits are nesting in one of the fence boxes adjoining the vegetable patch. I'll have to try and be more sensitive about the amount of time I spend near there as I don't want to disturb them.

[Malk]

Evening all, you're all making me jealous.
Thought spring was on it's way, but we got another 4 inches of snow yesterday, so guess I need to wait a bit longer. We are getting above 0C now midday, but it's still as low as -10C at night.

Looks like we're staying for another year, so need to find out where I can get some seeds or seedlings. Want to get the boys involved this year.

[peter]

The south, top of slope, shaded end of my allotment still had frost on the manure mulch at five pm Saturday.

[DiG]

What a beautiful spring day here in Wales and just for good measure some brand new arrivals at our back gate! Still wet behind the ears!

I had to rescue the little white one as it rolled down the bank behind them into the garden. I got a head butt from 'mum' for my trouble.

[Monika]

How lovely, DIG, black and white lambs! Are they Black Welsh Mountain sheep or Herdwicks? But the white lamb? Interesting.

I planted the first broad beans (Witkiem Manita) and peas (Cavalier) today under cloches today, sown about four weeks ago in roottrainers, hoping the mice won't find them and dig them up again.

I have also soaked some parsnips Javelin on damp paper (the Johnboy-way) as well as beetroot Monika, all to be sown in roottrainers at the end of the week.

First potatoes (Rooster, Anya, Kestrel and Nadine, just a few each) are going in tomorrow on the allotment but will be covered with old fleece, no good to keep out carrot root fly any more, but good enough to keep the frost off the potatoes! Eeeh, it's all go now!

[DiG]

Hi Monika, they are Hebrideans. It isn't obvious from the photo but the white lamb has black patches on its face. They are quite small animals and the ewes are very good mothers but I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of the ram (Hamish); the horns are evil!. We are hosting them for our neighbour and they pay us 'rent' for the grazing in the form of meat at the end of the year. It is the best lamb I have ever tasted and you can't really get fewer food miles than that short of rearing your own.

I have spent a very productive day in the vegetable and herb garden. I have planted my first early potatoes and my first rows of broad beans. I have also prepared the other raised beds for more seed planting in the next day or two. It looks as if it going to be quite settled here this week. I am having to restock the herb garden as I lost my bay tree and the rosemary and sage over winter. They couldn't take a joke at -17C!

Diane.

[Monika]

Thank you, Diane. Hebrideans, how interesting. Hey are are often used on nature reserves to keep down the scrub and grass. I wish we could do the same at our local reserve but animal movement regulations seem so complicated now that we don't want to become involved in that.

Another lovely spring day, ending with a gorgeous red sunset! Got lots of gardening done and it's so tempting to sow things, but, no doubt, there will be a sting in the tail before long!

[Johnboy]

Hi Diane,
Sheep are the best lawnmower of all! I always borrow a few and will do so in the next couple of weeks to keep the grass down in the Paddock/Orchard. Also borrow the Tups until they have eaten the grass and a little later on return them when their own pasture will have replenished.
JB.

[PLUMPUDDING]

Changing the subject, I was reading the April mag and noticed that in the article about planting potatoes the photo shows them in strips spaced alternately threes and fours all the way along in holes. I was wondering how far apart the potatoes are as you can't really tell from the picture. Are they about 1 ft?

I'm doing the usual and growing them in single rows planted quite deeply, but might try something different next year. I'm always wary of using mulches with the number of slugs we have here. Don't want to create a slug nest.

Also I'm growing slips from a shop bought sweet potato in a jamjar. How long do the shoots need to be before you detatch them?

And the post has just come with May's Kitchen Garden mag. Will have to hurry and finish the April one now.