Jobs for May

Now spring is well an truly upon us and the greenhouse is filling up with little plants, here is a list of jobs for May:

• Sow more salad leaves
• Net strawberries and get some hay to protect from ground
• Keep an eye on broadbeans and pinch out when first beans appear
• Turn compost heap
• Find a suitable pot/place for cucumbers
• Water, water, water - especially if this weather continues!
  

Back in the garden

Things are hotting up in the garden. The new green house is up and the raised beds are in place, covered in fleece and ready for the growing year ahead.

Planted 1st March 2008:

Broad Beans (in the greenhouse)
Mixed salad leaves (in the greenhouse)
Onion sets (in the raised beds)

Want to get the radishes and tumbling toms in the greenhouse as well but that may have to wait until next weekend!

Back in Blighty

Hola! Back from holiday in Majorca and yes, it is still raining. My tomato plants have completely given up and I have had to pull them all up. Luckily friends and family still have some spare so I have rigged up my green house and hoped for the best!

The rocket I planted before I went away is doing well. May have some for my lunch... I also spotted down the lane that the blackberry bushes are starting to fruit. Will keep a close eye on them as I really want to make some cassis since seeing a recipe for it here.

Hopefully the local children will keep their hands off them and I will be enjoying Kir Royale on Christmas Day!

and more rain...

...the rain is due to continue until Friday.  The seeds on the deck are now becoming waterlogged, will have to get them in, if it ever stops!

Going to get started tonight by sketching the design for the back garden and decide which plants will go where.  So back to the drawing board quite literally until the rain stops.

In a brief break in the downpour I managed to get outside to inspect my tomato plants.  They desperately need tying to the canes as all the rain is making them grow at strange angles.  A couple of the plants are beginning to flower, so the rain can't be too bad!

Rain

Rain, rain, rain and more rain...when will it ever stop? The garden needs me!

One month in...

We have been in our new home for one month today! We are settled in now despite being really skint after buying new double glazing yesterday.

We managed to survive the freak weather this week relatively unscathed. Only our back garden flooded which was small fry compared to the houses on the main street. I am desperate to start work on the garden but with rain forecast for the next week it is becoming less likely anything will be done this year.

The tomato plants I put in on the first week are doing well despite the bad weather and I am pinching out the new shoots like Christine showed us! Our raspberries and strawberries are doing less well. They had quite a few fruits on them last week but these have all been washed away with the rain.

During a rare spell of dry weather last weekend I planted some seeds, late I know but I wanted to do some gardening. I planted:

• Sunflowers
• Sweet Peas
• Rocket
• Scented Stock

These are all in seed trays on the decking. There are a few signs of life from some of the seeds but I am worried about them becoming water logged with all the rain which is forecast for next week. May have to move them inside until we get a bit of sun.

Will take pictures when it has stopped raining.