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Jen

Sorrel...

Tiny baby sorrel leaves were subject to my scissors this afternoon. It was cold and damp so I just gave a few of my plants a quick haircut. This was then turned into a pesto (just the leaves, parmesan, olive oil and a bit of garlic). Lovely sauce for pasta with salmon and tomatoes. Great so have something fresh out of the garden.

We've had four days of wonderful warm sunny weather but it's flipped again and it's now freezing cold. Yesterday (it was 19 degrees!), the onion sets went into their new bed - fingers crossed we get a decent crop this year.  Aiming to get the potato bed weeded and dug over for planting in a couple of weeks. Last night the second polytunnel arrived so maybe by the end of next week it will have joined the first one.

Polytunnel progress...

OK this thing is growing hands and feet. I've ordered a second one which should arrive in about a week's time.  So far I've cleared the earth dug it over and dumped about a cubic metre of well rotted manure on the beds (the difficult bit). For my situation BIG lesson learned for poly tunnel number two - mark out your paths and leave the turf on them.  I'm now having to backfill paths.

So, a good day's work to dig and about an hour and a half to erect the polytunnel. Still to get it in the exact position and dig in the cover.  But now prepping for the arrival of the second one - paths marked out this time!

This morning it's like summer here and the metal tubing is roasting hot (no anti-hot tape with this cheapie). But, I did have some pipe insulation (that grey foamy stuff) - the 22mm size works a treat so the metal is now cooler and cushioned. I've only done over the roof area but think I might do all the metal that touches the cover - 10 euros to do the lot.

Back to digging....

Petit Polytunnel

An impulse buy I must admit but when I saw it in the shop I just had to have it.  I know everyone says buy the biggest you can afford but I've gone for a small one 3 X 3 Metres.  I'm going to have 600 cm beds around the sides and a one metre bed in the middle.  This will allow me two paths of 400 cm either side of the metre bed. 400 cm is a standard paving slab hence the size of the paths. I was going to start next week but a bit of late afternoon sun yesterday and I made a start.  I've got the area marked out and have started to remove the turf.



Hopefully by the end of today all the turf will be gone and I might even get some muck dug in. We went back to the shop to buy another one but they were sold out so I've ordered a 2nd one online.  They will sit side by side.  I'm thinking one for potting on etc and the other for summer crops peppers, chillies, tomatoes and aubergines followed by winter salad stuff.  I'm planning on edging the paths with strawberries. Then next year swap over - use one for growing, give the other a good feed and a rest and use it for potting etc. Well that's the plan!

 

Stuck Indoors...ahhh

Really did think I'd get a bit of gardening done last week but no such luck.  The rain in relentless and when it does stop I've been trying to get my 5K runs in. Next week's looking good so time to break eggs with sticks if that sun starts to shine. In the meantime the basil has germinated.  I've never grown basil indoors before and am now wondering what to do with it. Should I thin out in the tray and pot on later or do something with it now? The stick in the white pot is lemon grass which I'm hoping will show some signs of life not sure if it's dead or not!

Besides the basil the only other seeds to germinate so far have been the tomatoes. They are looking a bit spindly but I'm turning them a few times a day in the hope they'll grow stronger seeking that non existent sunshine. All the tomato seeds have germinated the empty modules have sweet pepper in them which has yet to sprout.

And back to snow...

I did manage to get out yesterday for a couple of hours so all the soft fruit that needed cutting down is done and a tiny wee bit of the veggie plot has been weeded but today the snow returned so it was a bit of indoor work.  This is what I've sown - two types of tomatoes one is Ferline the other Lupita (cherry type) both are F1's and are supposedly blight resistant - watch this space! Then three types of sweet pepper including a long variety called Rokita, some Basil and five varieties of chili peppers one of which looks very much like a cherry tomato. I tried to grow Kilian (that's the orange one) last year but the seeds failed to germinate maybe better luck this time. Oh, and some aubergine - absolutely the last time I am going to try these - hmmm I think I said that last year! My plan is to grow them in seriously manured ground to see if that suits them any better than my rather feeble veggie plot soil.

Finally. we're on the cranes migratory route and two days ago they started flying North a sure sign spring is on its way.

Made it!

We've had a couple of days of dry warmish weather so a chance to get outside. What a FANTASTIC feeling to be able to work in the garden I feel totally reinvigorated. Anyways, last year I took the turf off an 18 metre strip to create a separate onion bed. I'd already dug in ash but it needed barrow loads (18 in total) of manure.  I dug about a metre at a time, removed the soil tipped a wheelbarrow of manure then back filled. My back's a bit nippy but I'm done, I made it just as the weather broke and the rain started. Hens, of course, were as always a tremendous help - not!




The finished job all ready for the onion sets in a couple of weeks time. The buddleia cuttings on the left have all taken, about 300 hundred of them in total but no sign of life from the asparagus which are sitting under a thick mulch of leaf mould and manure with netting over the lot to keep henny pennies at bay. Now with onions to be grown in their new bed that leaves more room down at the veggie plot so thought I'd get some more seed potatoes. I've stuck my neck out and bought Yona it's a late variety but supposedly naturally blight and drought resistant, we shall see. That might be me indoors for a little while as the north wind doth blow....

Sunny and 12 degrees....

What a change in the weather, today was glorious so after I'd been out to buy my seed potatoes and onion sets I got stuck into the new onion bed. Some stones and lots of roots removed and so far two bin loads of wood ash dug in. Tomorrow promises to be lovely as well so I'm aiming to get the onion bed completely dug over and to add some very well rotted manure. I'm hoping this will work OK as the soil really needs some additional hummus given it's a bit like - well- sand!  I know you are not supposed to plant onions into newly manure ground but I'm going to wait a couple of weeks AND keep my fingers crossed. My neighbours plant their onions in newly manured ground with good results so I'm going to give it a go.


While I was out digging hubbie popped all the seed potatoes into the trays so they can get on with their chitting thing. He even put little labels on the front so I know what's in the trays. I've stuck with Dolwens which have always performed well for me both in the growing and the storing.  I've also bought some Charlottes to try and am considering nipping back to the shop to buy some of a variety called Yona a multipurpose potato that is resistant to blight. The onions will have to sit there patiently for a couple of weeks. What a great feeling to be out in the sun getting something done in the garden.

Well, it's not raining anymore...

No rain but the snow has arrived and the temperature has tumbled. We've got at least another week of very cold weather then hopefully it's on the up. So frustrating not being able to work in the garden so I'm working on my family history instead. Soon I should be able to get out though and start digging! I've got masses of well rotted manure to dig in plus a few bin loads of ash to go on the garlic and onion bed. The snowdrops are pushing up but not with much enthusiasm maybe a few day of bright days will help.



I did venture up to the hut at the top of the garden and look out my seed trays. They're now all washed and in place waiting for me to sow some seeds. As soon as it's warm enough to open the shutters I'll get sowing, maybe next week. This week the seed potatoes and onion sets arrive in the shops so a wee bit of shopping will be on the cards. Hope it's gardening weather where you are!

Guess what!

It's still raining. Just thankful it has not come down as snow else I'd be buried under the white stuff. The poor hens look like drowned rats - but are liking the extra rations of sunflower kernels I'm giving them out of pity! Did venture out at lunchtime to see if there were any pickings to be had and once trimmed was left with this little lot - a wee cabbage, kale, perpetual spinach, tiny swedes and tiny turnips. Those were combined with some of our carrots and store bought leeks to produce 14 portions of veggie soup - 12 of which are now in the freezer. That really is it for the veggie patch until the new season. In the basement I've still got golden nugget and butternut squashes left and tray of (almost) past their sell by date potatoes.

Can someone turn the water off!

It has been raining here non stop for days.  We had one sunny day where I tried to do a bit of weeding but the ground is so sodden every single weed I pulled had about five pounds of soil attached to its roots.  The garden is looking so sad, the grass got away from us in the autumn so now it's looking downright awful and Mr Mole is having a field day. The picture below is to remind me to get on top of the grass before winter!



 

Really looking forward to some warm dry weather so I can get some outside work done.  The good news it I've managed to get all the indoor stuff on my list done! Hope the weather is better where you are...roll on springtime.