A few weeks ago I started to prepare the veg baths and noticed that one was full of old roots which I suspected were left over from peas and sweet peas grown by the previous owners. I thought I'd empty the bath, try to remove the roots while aerating and fertilising the compost at the same time. I did about half of it last month (turns out that removing the compost using a little trowel is really time consuming) and decided it was time to get back to it. This was not a quick task, it took me half a day and nearly finished off my back. Still, it was worthwhile as onion planting could commence.
Our onion sets arrived last month and we have been waiting patiently for the best conditions for planting. A total of 3 packets of onions and one of shallots. We have been planting onions for years with varying degrees of success. One of the problems is that I can never remember from one year to the next what process produced the best harvest. Another issue is the conflicting information on planting; the onion packets say 5' apart but the leaflet from the company say 2'-4' apart. Sounds like a bit of guess work to me!!
So, combining all the advice given I planted Centurion and Sturon 3' apart and Hercules 4' apart. The shallot bulbs were a lot bigger than the onion ones (strange because I always thought that shallots were small) so they were planted at 4' apart and I managed to fit them in between the 2 rows of garlic. M came up with the bright idea of planting a couple of zigzag rows which meant I could fit more into the baths and so in all I planted 166 onions. I have loads left over too so I'm going to put them in cells in the greenhouse for planting out later. I still have some onions grown from seed in the autumn and overwintered in the greenhouse. If they all grow it looks like we be able to assist if there is a national onion shortage!
M made me some chicken wire covers for the baths to keep the birds from pulling the onions out. They aren't particularly pleasing to the eye but they are functional at least they only need to be on until the bulbs are established. A couple of the baths are still empty as I wanted to keep them for carrots and salad, they were really successful last year, some of the best carrots and radish we have ever tasted.
It looks like this little chappie has been living under the Wendy house and decided to venture out into the yard. After an initial inquisitive sniff Jess and Finn left him alone to enjoy the sunshine.
We think our woods are quite young in tree terms, they are now only about 12 years old and they cover about 10 acres, planted on old farmland. The trees themselves are well established but we have always marvelled at the lack of saplings ie none. That is until we spotted this tiny tree, now all we have to do is avoid stamping on it until it's a bit bigger and easier to see.
We've always loved proper woodlands with wild flowers and naturalising plants, like the ones we have enjoyed exploring with Jess and Finn over the past 10 years. Last year I spent a lot of time (3 days and 2 full wheelbarrows) lifting and dividing snowdrops which was a great success and provided a lovely show of white flowers. Unfortunately I missed the opportunity to photograph them at their best so I'll have to wait until next year for that. Thankfully M managed to get this snap of some of the last blooms.
I also planted lots of bluebells, there is something wonderful about a bluebell wood at the end of spring and start of summer. The bluebells were planted 'in the green' last year, too late for flowers but hopefully they will bloom this year. After lots of searching I spotted these tiny little bluebell shoots, I'm so glad they survived the winter and look forward to seeing them flower.
I just couldn't resist this cute piggy plant pot although M did have to dissuade me from buying a chicken and sheep too. I planted it up the very same day with some bluebell bulbs and pansies.
While I was pottering about playing with compost and planting things M was doing proper man work. The bridge across the far side of the midden had rotted and become particularly precarious to cross. Just a couple of hours later we had a new bridge with (thankfully) a handrail.
When we first arrived we tried to name different areas of the woods so we could understand each other when discussing plants and trees. This grass path runs through the woods, lined by conifers and deciduous trees it had been planted with lots of daffodils and so is now known as Daffodil Walk. We have added some perennials down the middle which we have had to protect from the rabbits and deer. They are still really small but as they haven't yet had a full season to establish, I think they will start to flourish this year. The daffodils are just beginning to open but there are lots of buds which is promising.
The Woodland Trust are on a mission to plant 64 million trees in 10 years and as part of their campaign they were giving away free tree seeds.
Ours arrived this week and as usual I had no patience and I just couldn't wait to get them planted. It looks like we have a selection of Rowan, Holly, Dog Rose and Alder Buckthorn although it was difficult to tell which seeds were which.
So I guess we'll have to wait and see what grows (if anything) and then try to identify them later.
We finally got the chance to plant our fruit trees in the orchard. The original trees were somewhat haphazardly planted and so we have been attempting to plant our trees in lines. This serves 2 purposes, 1: it accommodates my need for symmetry and slight OCD tendencies and 2: M says it's easier to mow around!! Yesterday we successfully planted 5 apple trees ( Braeburn, Crawley Beauty, Court Pendu Plat, Spartan and Grenadier), a Cherry (Cherokee), a Damson (Farleigh) and my lone Walnut. We made the decision to remove 4 very poorly looking (and out of line) specimens and relocated them to the woods.
One final photo of our most recent arrivals - the frogs have returned. M thinks he counted about 20 so far but they've only been here for about 4 days so we think there will be loads more. They are making a racket and have already produced lots of frog spawn, hopefully some will survive to become tadpoles and frogs.
We've had such a wonderful time outside soaking up the fresh air and sunshine. There is something really satisfying about having spent a day doing physical work in the garden, having showers and dinner, some tv (it's the final instalment of The Replacement tonight- very exciting) in front of the fire and then falling into bed exhausted. I hope you are enjoying the changing seasons wherever you are.
No comments:
Post a Comment