Kitchen Garden Forum

Time to leave the cold behind and think spring thoughts

The wild ducks returned to our field over the weekend - same three as last year. They turn up at morning and evening feed times. It's finally stopped raining with good weather promised, warmer too. The daffodils are coming out by the river. The propagators are ready for the big switch-on. Tomato and pepper seeds itching in their packets .......

Now what's the magic word you have to say to ensure a real summer?

Not very Spring like here today, grey, overcast and bitterly cold.

But i can feel the sap starting to rise.

Gorgeous day here today, wall to wall sunshine after a frosty morning and more frost forecast for tonight. Went to see one of our lads today at Clapham (North Yorkshire, not London!) and the grounds where he is gardener were covered in thousands of snowdrops and winter aconite. Very pretty in the sunshine.

Big gardening day planned for tomorrow: getting the vegetable garden ready at home (the allotment is still too wet underfoot) with paths and cloches, sow some broad beans and peas in roottrainers for planting out under the cloches, pricking out sweet peppers and chillies, sowing some reasonably hardy herbs in the greenhouse, splitting chives etc etc. And the main job: getting rid of creeping buttercups!

If you like trees try these photos

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/g ... r-woodland

We tried to dig out an acer tree that had got too big for its place. We promised it to a good friend who made a place for it. But unfortunately it was not possible to dig it out as the roots were too large. It has been there for about fifteen years. We need the space for lots of other plants we want to grow this year. Such a shame. I will miss our tree.

Hi Geoff,
What a wonderful shot of a male Sparrow Hawk! The colours in that shot are very true to life.
JB.

As I was driving back from the plot lunchtime, I was driving alongside a sparrowhawk for a while. Beautiful bird isn't it

I'm itching to get going again this year. Have a long 'To Do' list for this weekend, including 'organising the shed' ready for sowing (as I don't have a greenhouse or coldframe).

Now I just need to save up quite a few loo roll tubes! Oh, and place an order for pea planter sacks.

Just had a quick look at the April issue of the K.G.Magazine, and i must say it looks as if it's going to make for good reading.

I always like Lucy Halliday's write ups, they are always informative and very well written.
And as an added bonus, she has got a very cheeky grin.

So all in all, keep the good work up, K.G Team, you do a very good job of making the magazine interesting each month.

Beautiful day in Cumbria today. Motorbike ride this morning (no tourists yet!) then the afternoon scarifying the back lawn. Never seen so much dead grass come off. Never mind, it'll grow better for it.

Ian

Evening Ian, i sold a motobike on Ebay today, a Ducati 250 Monza.!
So no more riding that one.

oldherbaceous wrote:Evening Ian, i sold a motobike on Ebay today, a Ducati 250 Monza.!
So no more riding that one.

I think you may need your biggest wheelbarrow when you go to the Bank

The sides have been extended in anticipation, P.J.

Ducati seem to be valued a bit higher than price offered for my Skoda.!!. ..perhaps I should have pushed my BSA Bantam to the garage instead of offering them the Skoda. ....



Clive.

Should give you an extra £600 towards it Clive.