An Early Taste of Spring

We have had the most wonderful end to the winter with a little sampler of what's to come in the spring months ahead. This February had the highest temperatures in many years and we loved it.

Taking advantage of the earlier sunrises we were able to enjoy plenty of beautiful walks by the sea and at times we were the only people there.

 

During last autumn I sowed some Red Campion seeds in a little seed tray. By January they were just big enough to prick out and pot up into tiny little cells, this was an extremely arduous task but resulted in about 150 little plants. This month I finally potted them up into my smallest pots so give them a chance to grow on. Surprisingly they thrived and if the good weather continues it won't be long before they go outside.

  

The warm days and increased daylight tricked the bulbs into some early growth and the appearance of emerging Erythronium Pagodas soon developed into a mass of leaves.

 

I was thrilled to see the return of our wild garlic. It didn't do brilliantly last year as some got munched and the rest were battered by the weather which left just one with flowers. The mild month has produced strong growth with some flower buds already visible.

  

Last year was the first season for the numerous wood anemones we planted and although we had some leaves appear we had very few flowers. I was overjoyed to see many more plants poking through in the planted areas where they hadn't previously been obvious. I was even more excited to see lots of tiny little white flowers. If this progress is anything to go by then they should improve year on year.

After the success of the Joan of Arc Crocus last year we planted even more in the autumn to improve the display. With the early mild weather they were beginning to emerge and there were even a few blooms opening in the sunshine.

They are the most gorgeous large, pure white flower which tend to last longer than the little wispy flowers we had in the garden.

Another success story was the return of some winter aconites. We had a few plants last year but only a couple of flowers so I was delighted to see these cheery little plants trying hard to beat the weeds.

The white Camellia appeared to have survived the winter will only a couple of discoloured leaves. It was planted last year just before the dry summer so didn't have the best start in life but perhaps we'll see some growth this year.

Last year we planted lots of anemone which we bought at the end of season sale. It was wonderful to see some tiny little flowers appear in the sunshine. it was also a reminder of where we had planted them as the grass had grown and covered everything over.

We had a major daffodil planting session in the autumn to increase the daffodil population in daffodil walk. It was a thrill to see that the early touch of spring had brought them to life and we could see the leaves and flower buds emerging through the grass. What a lovely start to spring we have had.

Planting Out and Planting Up

All the wood chipping we have done recently in the woods has revealed quite a few large areas which are clear of grass and weeds. These are the places where we really want to try to create some spring colour we can enjoy before the deciduous trees begin to explode into leaf.

We started with a few bargain wild primroses (ie a bit pot bound and not flowering) along with bunches of bluebells and grape hyacinths relocated from the garden to try to naturalise this little spot. I'm not sure they'll all flower this year but next year they should be established and produce a beautiful spring display.

These are the acorns I collected before we moved house about 18 months ago. They look a bit mossy as they've been in these pots since the autumn but are now ready to go to their permanent homes. I know they are really slow growing but they seem to be doing well so far and I hope they will thrive and eventually grow into sturdy trees.

The seeds have been germinating and starting to grow well and the time has come to start pricking out and potting up. Above is a picture of the second lot of seedlings in the smallest pots I use. These were a little fiddly at first, some look so small and delicate that I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed that they survive.

These little flower seedlings were the first lot in the tiny pots, I grew them on for a couple of weeks before potting up to these slightly larger and deeper pots, they're starting to look almost like proper plants. Pondering over these pictures makes me wonder where on earth we're going to position all these flowers if they manage to grow into full size plants. I may have got a little bit carried away with the seed sowing - oops. I keep telling M that it's ok because lots of them will be going in the cut flower bed!

I've never grow Nasturtiums before so I decided to try by making 2 sowings about 2 weeks apart. They didn't all germinate but there are 8 from the first sowing and 5 from the second. The small ones are 2 weeks old with the larger ones about 4 weeks old.

I have 22 tomato plants so far but have been really disappointed that my Sungold and Gardeners' Delight didn't germinate and so only have one of each of them. The angle of the sun is giving them a rather washed out appearance but despite my poor photography skills they are pretty healthy. I have done a second sowing of Sungold and Gardeners' Delight so we'll have to wait and see how they do. Likewise the jalapeno and sweet pepper seeds have suffered from erratic germination so I'm not sure how many of these we'll have this year.

I'm not quite sure why I've taken this at a rather strange angle but this is our collection of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower growing on a bit before being planted outside.

This is my lemon tree, well actually my second lemon tree as the first one only lasted a couple of years before giving up the ghost. This one was beginning to head the same way (with no leaves or fruit) until last year when it took up residence in the corner of the greenhouse. Fresh compost and a better watering regime seems to have saved it and I'm delighted to see new leaves starting to unfurl already. You never know we may even get some fruit again.

I always enjoy this part of the year as the seedlings are growing and the greenhouse is gradually filling up before the risk of frost passes and they can be moved/planted outside. The peas and beans are getting quite tall (middle shelf right) and it won't be long until they go to the raised veg bed. That may be a few weeks yet as we are in a period of sunny days combined with very cold nights. As always it is the anticipation of summer, a kaleidoscope of colour in the garden accompanied by a harvest of fresh fruit and veg which drives us on to make the most of each and every day.

Playing Catch Up Pt2

Still playing catch up, I'm taking you back to the last couple of weeks of March and after the snow, the sun returned. I forgot to mention in the last post (Pt1) about the latest instalment in the orchard. We made an order last year for a mix of fruit trees to fill up the orchard, they arrived in the middle of March and we managed to get them in the ground about 10 days before the snow. So, fingers crossed, they will survive. If you fancy a look there is a guide to the orchard in the Plans tab at the top of the page.

The bright dry days (not a very exciting photo) were perfect to get on with some planting and sowing but more about that in a minute.

Despite the beautiful weather lifting our spirits we had a very sad day when we had to say farewell to Morag, our little brown hen. She was the friendliest of our 3 chickens, always keen to say hello, feed from your hand and she didn't mind Jess and Finn at all. Following illness we decided that she should not have to suffer any longer and M took care of her. Unfortunately I was not so brave and said my goodbyes before he took her away. They say if you have livestock then you'll have dead stock but to be honest that doesn't really make it any easier.

Surprisingly, Maisie and Wilma don't seem to be at all bothered by the disappearance of their friend. It was best to keep busy and so we returned to some planting and sowing making the most of the sun.

The garlic and onions survived the snow under their temporary compost bags and it was time to break out the salad and carrot seeds. We inherited these plastic cloches from the previous owners, they are great as they fit the baths quite well and allow an early sowing of salad when there is still a risk of frost. So that's 2 types of Radish (French Breakfast & Mooli), mixed Rocket, Red Sorrel and 3 types of lettuce (Salad Frilly, Mixed Leaf and Little Gem). Having had such great success with our carrots last year we have sown Flyaway and Nandor in the baths. The height of the container is thought to prevent carrot fly, we had no sign of carrot fly last year so hopefully it's true.

One of the major disappointments has been our daffodils, despite planting loads the flower display has been rubbish to say the least. We have an abundance of slugs and snails and they seem to love the foliage and flower heads and so we have had a less than 50% success rate. Hopefully the hedgehogs are still around and will soon get stuck into the slugs and snails for us. We may even see if we can go and get some more hedgehogs from the rescue centre.

 

More Rhododendron plants to add to our collection, having learnt our lesson last year we opted for the cheaper alternatives again and got some chicken wire in place to protect them from the rabbits and deer.

 

We already have a couple of small holly plants and as they are evergreen they are a great addition to the woods. So, another trip to the supermarket and hey presto 2 new Holly plants, only £2 each, another bargain.

One of the first signs of spring in the woods is the arrival of catkins on the willow. Once they have opened out they sparkle in the sunshine and are truly beautiful, however, I'm not sure my limited photography skills really do them justice.

When we first arrived here we thought we had lots of dead/nearly dead trees but at the start of spring they produce little bright green pines with cerise flowers, we think they're European Larch. Although they are not my favourite trees, they do look ok at this time of year.

Yay, it's potato planting time, this is not a phrase I ever imagined saying! Having lost nearly half our crop to wire worms and wasps last year we decided to vary our planting and hedge our bets to try to produce a decent crop. So M has built 3 stacking potato planters, one for Charlotte, one for Cara and the last for the Casablanca. Unfortunately at present they look a little like tiny graves but when the next stack is on top we can earth up the spuds without disturbing them.

Having had some seed potatoes left over well a lot left over actually, we planted some in plastic tubs and the rest into the ground. It's hard to believe this whole bed is dedicated to potatoes. Oops, it's a good job we like spuds.

I have always concentrated on growing fruit and veg with the occasional flower seeds, if there was room. At the end of last season I bought lots of flower seeds in the sale and picked flowers I liked the look of with a mix of annuals and perennials for use as cut flowers, in borders or in baskets. I can't list them all (I got a bit carried away) but during the last week of March I sowed 30 varieties in a mixture of cells and seed trays. I will let you know more about the successes and failures during the summer.

While in the mood for sowing I got my tomatoes (9 varieties), peppers, Jalapenos, Cucamelon (I have no idea what this will be like), Gherkins (another new trial), sweetcorn and runner beans into propagators.

March ended with some more planting of willow, a mix of large weeping willows, scarlet willow and a few more Poplar setts. I thought I'd finish off with a picture of the orchard taking shape although there's not much blossom or green growth about just yet. The polytunnel area has been marked out to the right of the veg beds but we need a day or 2 with no wind to erect it. (Obligatory dog in the photo - again) Well, we're nearly up to date, only one more Catch up I promise.

Planning ahead

Just a little post to share my new resolve to become more organised. With cold days and the inevitable waiting around for workmen (only repair and servicing work this time) we have had numerous inside days and this has been the ideal opportunity to catch up on some administration. I've also been trying to finish off some cross-stitch but that is slow going so you'll have to wait for a photo.

For the past couple of years I have kept a diary, not a full blown account of my life but just a simple record of what we have been up to. My memory can be pretty rubbish at times and so I find it's really useful to be able to look back and see what happened when.

I received this beautiful Country Living diary for my birthday and as I had already ordered my Dairy Diary I decided that this one would become my planning journal. I'm hoping to create some form of order in my fruit and veg planting by combining what worked well last year with a new batch of seeds and their associated sowing advice.

   

Hardy Annuals

Half Hardy Annuals

  

Hardy Perennial             Half Hardy Perennial

So, as a starter, out came all the flower seeds. I couldn't believe I had so many, some were used last year and the rest were bought in the sales at the end of the summer. It probably sounds a bit nerdy but I have diligently put together a database of all the flower seeds we have which includes planting and flowering dates along with positioning (baskets, pots, rockeries etc) and a brief description. I'm hoping that I can, in the comfort and warmth of the lounge, sort through the seed requirements and find out what I should be sowing and when.

So all I need to do now is sort out my seed store, make a few more labels and then sort through the fruit and veg seeds. 

  

Seed Potatoes Onion Sets

As I was in the midst of my database world these beauties arrived. I had almost forgotten that we ordered them last year. So another job for this week is to get the potatoes chitting, ready for planting out in late March or April - weather dependant of course. The seed potatoes are Casablanca - Extra Early, Charlotte - Second Early and Cara - Main Crop. The Onion Sets are Hercules, Centurion and Sturon, along with some Golden Gourmet shallots. I don't think we planted these onions last year but we have chosen them as they are recommended as good storers.

The potatoes are now laid out with eyes upward in a light dry cool area where, hopefully, in a couple of weeks they will start to show signs of shoots emerging. M has been busy building some potato planters in the hope that this year we won't lose quite so many to the slugs and wasps.

One last job we managed to complete was finally covering the rest of the big veg beds on black plastic. This should warm the soil up and prevent it from becoming too water logged before we can start planting out in the spring.

We've had some wonderful early morning frosty walks around our local park, Jess and Finn love the woods and the lake and of course meeting lots of other dogs to play with.

M and I both got Fitbit activity trackers for Christmas and so each morning walk has the advantage of adding to our steps for the day while we enjoy the lovely views.

A few wet days has turned the pig enclosure pretty muddy but Ginger and Spot don't seem to mind too much. The days are now starting to lengthen and we are enjoying the extra daylight to get out and about. Even the chickens are starting to lay again and we're averaging a total of 2 eggs a day. Spring is just around the corner - we can't wait.