Tonight it's the flowers and blossom !

I thought, if I blogged in categories, it might be easier to manage, so tonight we hit some blooms !

I sadly neglected to take many pics of the spring bulbs, but here's some pics of things just arriving now.



The blueberries, as previously mentioned are really looking lovely. The pink is the
Sunshine Blue, the cream is the Chandler.



























The Cox's Orange Pippen has a lovely bud. Having read all the horror stories about growing this variety, I just hope I get a decent amount of blossom, not so worried about the fruit ! :-)








Now my thinking is that bluebells should be blue ! Otherwise it just ain't right .... but must admit these pink ones do look lovely but the blue ones are still better.











The forget-me-nots (that were sown last year) are a spectacular blue, which my camera just doesn't capture. They're quite vivid. Have sown some more this year, hoping to fill the corner.








The honeysuckle is really looking healthy, I just hope it stays that way with none of the mildew that it had last year. Certainly doesn't seem to have suffered any from a good old haircut.



The broad beans just about creep into the bloom category ! The aquathingies at the back were sown last autumn and the small ones at the front are Green Windsor (I think, can't find the packet atm). I grew those last year and was pleasantly surprised, so this year I've grown a few more !


I planted out a whole tray of Naughty Marietta marigolds along the front edge of the middle border and side bed and have got quite a few calendula in the ground now. I just hope the frost stays away long enough to let them settle in.

My good friend rdm55 from work and A4A kindly gave me two boxes of fuschias over the weekend. He is growing them to exhibit this year and has given me some of his babies. I just hope I can do them justice. I loved his shade shed, which was basically a shed with netting instead of walls/roof and his garden and the neighbours was to die for. I think it was actually big enough for a football pitch !

Right, that's the blooms done ! Tomorrow - the veg !

Tomato Audit

I know I've still not covered the weekend yet, but counted the toms tonight, so thought I'd chat about them first.

A few of them had gone a little pale and yellow, probably running out of goodness in their wee cramped pots. The advice from the GYO peeps was a magnesium sulphate foliar feed.

Having asked the question (where do I get it), trotted off up to the pharmacy at lunch time and purchased a 200g tub of Epsom salts for the bargain price of £1.29. If this works, it will be the bestest £1.29 I've spent so far this season !

None of them are in a really bad way, but more than a few looked as if they could do with a pick me up. I'm just not ready to put them in their black buckets yet. The g/h isn't ready, I'm not 100% convinced the auto vent is opening and closing as it should and I've still got far too many other things in there to be able to move the toms in permanently.

One of the problems I've encountered was sowing some varieties direct into milk bottle pots ! They've grown like mad, but now they're running out of steam in the original compost and some are so tall (hmmmmm the poor Tigerellas are somewhat leggy) and the only way to plant them deep would be to stick them in the black buckets now.

The overnight temps in the g/h have been around 40-50oF and I'm not convinced that's warm enough to leave them in the g/h overnight. I'd be devastated if I lost ANY even though this was the actual count. One is still a rogue, but think it's been identified as a Tres Cantos.

Tigerella - 6 - Poor leggy creatures, really are very lanky - Some from Liska, some from a new pack - sadly didn't label which was which. The best will be Liska's naturally. :-P
Pineapple - 6 - My most specialist babies this year as they are Supersprout's
Legend - 4 - don't know where these came from but I had a whole pack so I may have bought them ! :-O
Gartenperle - 5 (still to be potted up and they're not looking good atm)- left over from last year's packet
Cream Sausage - 5 - from my Mummy - Mum thought they had "Banana" in their name, but Supersprout and I thought that Cream Sausage was a closer match.
Muchamiel - 3 - from the lovely Biscombe
Tres Cantos - 4 (including the rogue)- Biscombe again
Black cherry - 2 - ain't got the foggiest, so if anyone's reading this that sent them to me - many many thanks and please put your hand up so I know ! lol
Gardeners Delight - 8 - cover of a mag packet
Harbinger - 6 - lord only knows
Ferline - 3 - Lishka
Marmande - 2 - Lishka
Golden Sunrise - 2 - Lishka (i think)

What I'm going to do with them all, I haven't got a scooby doo and I've made a new season's resolution to carefully note anything that anyone sends me lol

Anyway, enough of the gabbing, here's some pics of the jungle.

















































While I was uploading the pics there, I suddenly remembered that on Saturday I sowed some San Marzano Lungo (a plum type), Santium (an early bush - which is handy as i've sown them so late lol), and Tomato Tumbling Tom (one for the hanging basket). How could I forget !

I'll make a note to remember how the foliar feed goes and let you know.

And oh how I love running my fingers through the leaves and sniffing! ahhhhhhhhh - perfume !

Cheerio and good luck to everyone with their toms.

Glasgow Botanic Gardens, Kibble Palace, Glasgow

The OH read that there was an orchid exhibition at the Kibble Palace and thought I'd like to see it, so we toddled off up there yesterday for a peek.

I wanted to blog up the whole of the weekend now, but I think I'm about to fall asleep over the keyboard, so I'll just post the pics of yesterday and tell you the story about the auto vent tomorrow ! :-P

The orchids were fantastic. Such exotic flowers, strange colours and detailed markings. Anyway, hope you like the pics ! They say enough for themselves without me butting in.

See ya tomorrow !

Right, what happened at the weekend ?

How time flies when you're having fun (but back to work). I've been meaning to update this for days now, but the fresh air of the weekend and then the mugginess of the office has wiped me out for the past few nights.

So .... what did I do, let's put the tape on fast forward and see if we can't get through everything in five paragraphs or less ! (some hope lmao).

In no particular order :

Thursday afternoon, they let us run away at lunch time, so with the sun in the sky and a shovel in my hand, I made a concerted attempt at breaking up the borders trying to make the cricket balls of clay more like marbles. Lot's of people suggest smashing with a rake but I can get to grips with this approach. Instead, I just a chopping action from the back to the front of the bed, with the spade turned towards me bringing all the balls that won't break immediately to the front of the bed, where I pick them up off the path and throw them to the back. Repeat process until fine tilth ! lmao. Did this a couple of times at the side bed and then cheated and threw two bags of multipurpose compost on top where I'm going to sow some poppies and other wild flowers and annuals. On Monday, I planted out some marigolds, probably too early so out came the cloches. I used the entire stock in the shed so have gone on the scrounge for more !

The sun went in of course on Friday and was quite cloudy and chilly, but I got some Meteor Peas, Hestia Dwarf runners, Courgettes Defender, Astia, Black Beauty and All Green Bush (the Astia and All Green Bush have romped away and are through and out of the propogator already), and sowed another couple of short rows of Chantenay Red Cored Carrots in the bath. THEN I spotted that the Early Nantes in the bath are just coming through now !

Saturday (according to the diary but I actually don't remember it) the sun shone all day ! Did lot's more digging in the side bed and central border. Also worked on the front border and sowed: candy tufts, love in the mist, forget-me-nots, lemon zest calendula and some Lasy Daisy asters free with one of the mags. So that's the front bed done. Also planted out Mum's Acanthus Mollis which I hope will prove to be as purple as I've seen pics of. The grass needs a cut but all i had time for was to dig up some dandelions. Just hope the rain holds off till the weekend and I'll do it then.

Sunday returned to cloudy and chilly. So I satisfied myself by sowing three different varieties of Morning Glory, all of them purple or black: Purple Haze, Star of Yelta (from Georgie), Knowlians Black (from another v. kind A4Aer who's name slips my memory ! :-( ) the pictures on the packs look stunning, and I can wait for them to flower ....... but a long while away yet.

Sowed some more Lemon Zest Calendula in trays for the back garden, Brachycome and Limnanthes douglassi (still can't get to grips with these botantical names - so Swan River Daisy and Poached Egg Plants) from Trixibelle (I think - oops). I WILL have bees and butterflies this summer ! I WILL !






The lily house is going mad ! I've done nothing for these poor plants at all cept the occasional bit of water, but inside and out of the g/h they are just sprouting like mad. At least I have the g/hs to protect them this year when we have the odd mad hurricane !



The fruit garden is coming along and I've stuck some netting up over the blueberries(and currently a dead currant stick and the rosemary bush). The ends are still open so I hope it will allow the bees but discourage the birdies from getting in there. When I'm outside, I'll lift it up totally to allow the buzzing ones greater access. Must admit I'm impressed with the buds on the blueberries. Both varieties (Chandler and Sunshine Blue) have plenty of buds, one a pinkish tinge, the other blueish. The gooseberries are showing lots of green growth too, so no doubt I'll swap the rosemary for them at some stage. The only reason the rosemary is under there is to stop the perspex panels flying out when it's windy !! The arch in front of the fruit cage is destined to be for the sweetpeas. Both Lishka and I reckon this should provide some lovely natural shading for the g/h!

Right onto the toms ! They're bloody everywhere ! I've discovered during the week that Supersprout's Pineapple Toms are a potato leaved variety (which made me even more confused that usual), but everything is just going bonkers ! I tried to pot some up today (the pineapples being most important this year - Supersprout would never forgive me if I didn't get a decent crop). Actually I don't think she'd mind at all, she's not the type ! but it's important to me to raise her babies as she would like. Whatever else I give away, I won't be parting with my pineapples.

Biscomb's Muchamiel and Tres Cantos are going great guns. Quite a change from the sunny shores of Spain to the grey old west of Scotland, but I live in hope that I can replicate a bit of the med north of the Wall.

The skidded Tigerellas have recovered and are growing well. I'm running out of big pots fast, so have no idea what I'm going to pot up the aubergines or the rest of the toms in to be honest.

God forbid I should actually have to go and buy some bigger pots ! That really would go against the grain.

Right I think that's enough for tonight. Will try and get up to date tomorrow.

In between the panic, this is great fun but so much still to do ! No news about the lottie yet. No word from the secretary either ! Bad show if you ask me. I still haven't written it off totally, but I'm not at all sure that my wrists would stand up to a full lottie ! I've already decided that next year, onions will be surplus to requirements. My over wintered ones really haven't taken off as I hoped, and they're so damn cheap that it seems silly to give over masses of land space to them (although there is still the front lawn to dig up ;-P).

We'll just wait and see. If the plot offered looks like a wilderness, I'll think twice, if however it's beautifully manicured and well worked then it would be churlish to refuse. In the meantime Kay Pee's Plot is keeping me nice and busy thank you very much, and there are alway more pots to be sown.


Lishka's runty garlic is putting on a considered performance. i slung in a couple of Red Baron onions just to share the space.

Cut my first crop of salad leaves today, and had them with a few radishes and some bland old supermarket toms together with some grilled salmon for tea. Just the simple act of going out and carefully cutting just enough for something you're going to eat then and there, makes the whole escapade worthwhile.


Oh lordy ! nearly forgot the most important bit ...... the A4A gals carrit trials. Here is the treasured bucket ! No cheating now eh girls ??

Right, enough blethering. What I've missed tonight, no doubt I'll catch up before the next episode starts.

Moral of the week: never under estimate the amount of compost or pots that you'll need !!

T'ra fellow plottees !

xx

Time to roll my sleeves up

and get started !

Not long back from a week away leaving my babies home alone ! Everything survived, if a bit on the leggy side. It was glorious weather apparently while we were away. The bird bath was nearly empty when we returned.

All the vulnerables now to the twice daily march to/from the spare room/greenhouse but it's rather cloudy and chilly this morning, so they're sitting down by the patio doors waiting for the sun to shine before they go out to play.

Just noticed wee buds on some of my more advanced calendulas (in the g/h) and have plenty more coming on.

The gifts of home made fuschias that I took to Mum, Mamalion and Nan went down well and I still have plenty left for me.

All the Naughty Marietta marigolds are doing fine, nice sturdy little plants, but the Jolly Jesters and Mum's "brown" ones are still a bit wibbly. I'm keeping watering to a minimum and hope they'll take off once the heat is turned on !

Spent all yesterday afternoon, uncovering the borders next door and giving it a good old dig, smashing clay lumps, forking and raking. The ground almost looks friable now although my "breadcrumb" fine tilth resemble golf balls and marbles ! It really does need some improving.

The onion sets in planted a couple of weeks ago seem to have taken ok, but my overwintered ones look like they're really struggling.

Salad leaves now in a raised bed are really starting to grow. Won't be long before I can have the first cutting, and some radishes will be ready by then as well. Parmex carrots in the g/h pot are looking good, but the Early Nantes in the bath have yet to germinate.

Both types of broad beans are going great guns. Lots of blooms on the aquathingies. Now I just need a bee !

The blueberry bushes are budding well, but the raspberry canes still look like sticks ! One of the Ribena sticks has growth but not the other one (but I suppose that was planted later).

All the spring bulbs and flowering nicely, mostly in the front border. A lovely show of chinodoxa. I can see loads of new buds on one of the jasmin's from where i'm sitting which i'm pleased about as it looked quite weather ravaged over the winter. the standard hardy fuschia has plenty of green (that was the one i nearly drowned last year so i'm pleased there were no lasting damage).

The sparrows are pulling apart a hanging basket liner for nesting and this morning a blue tit looked at the bird box, but only briefly. I do hope we get some to stay.

Mr and Mrs Robin however have disappeared since our holiday. Perhaps they're in a huff with us for leaving them to their own devices.

Today I will mainly be sowing: Courgettes (All Green bush, Astia, Defender, Black Beauty), Chantenay Red Cored carrits, Hestia runner beans, Tomatoes: Santiam, San Marzano Lungo, Tumbling Tom Red) and I think I'll put sow some peas direct as the first lot of Twinkle don't look to be taking very well.

Got some Morning Glory's soaking so will sow them tomorrow.

The sky is clearing .... slowly .... so one last cuppa and then I'm off outside !

Have a good sowing weekend. Hope the sun shines for you all.

The big yellow thing was back yesterday !

And a lovely day it was too. I actually managed to throw off the fleece for a while. Never thought I'd hear myself say this, but we could actually do with some rain. Not with the accompanying gale force winds, but some nice warmish water if you wouldn't mind, please !

However, taking advantage of the sun, I got lots done.

Went to pick up the spesheel glass for the greenhouse vent, leaving the OH behind working out how to install the louvres. Came home to hear "it doesn't fit". Fuzzem fuzzem ! So we installed the new vent first cos we were SURE that would fit (were we?)but it did ! Had a grand opening ceremony to celebrate ! Then got down to the louvres. How can they NOT fit, it was a standard accessory kit for a standard greenhouse. OH was right though and there's a gap under the louvres of about 4". Definitely WASN'T going to go and order another bit of glass, so cut up a polycarb sheet (which is now drying off over the radiator to get rid of the condensation before we tape up the edges and install in place.

Sowed some Early Nantes in the bath, (Parmix in the g/h are coming on a treat - I've only had to thin a few as I sowed sparingly). Surrounded bath carrots with red baron onions that were sprouting well but seem a bit soft - hope it's nothing fatal ! Covered bath in fleece.

Transplanted some lettuce leaves from the g/h to an outside bed as they were looking a bit scorched. Same with some of the icicle radishes. Think it was too hot for them inside so now they're under fleece. Little Gems sown 18/3 have just popped through but no sign of the borage, sparkler 3 radish or bronze fennel which were all sown on the same day.

Mum had said that my brother's selfseeded candytufts were already a good few inches high down south, so I stuck some in the edge of the "under the hedge" border.

Threw some more peas in pots (sugar snap, meteor, twinkle). With a bit of luck i can plant them out after my journey darn sarf. The ones in the ground already are looking a bit scraggy. The meteor are definitely doing better than the twinkle.

Decided to plant out my senecio greyii cuttings to one of the neighbours beds so in future years it will be established and no need from me to do anything ! I've had a tub of aquilegia, sown last year, but never came to naught, but has sprouted again this year, so stuck that in a border too. Erected one of the rose arches in neighbours border just outside g/h No. 2. Am planning on running the sweetpeas up there to act as some shading. Need to feed the garlic I think. there is still yellowing edges to the leaves. it could of course still be the cold.

stuck some nasturtium seeds round the edge of the water barrel planter. too soon probably, so if they grow, they grow, if they don't - still got tonnes left from last year.

A pair of blue-tits are visited the garden regularly now but still no sign of action towards the bird box which is hidden round the side of the shed next to the hedge. I don't think the birdies can find it ! lol

I've decided to spend my birthday cash on two autovents for the big g/h which I could really do with installing before my trip, but that's not going to happen, so need to think about putting up some shading. The really vulnerables will come in and go on the spare bed, but there is still a lot of stuff I won't have room for indoors and I don't want it all burned to death while I'm away. Perhaps I'll tackle that today ..... after the homework which I'm going to have to do now.

Happy Spring people !

The sun is out and the sky is blue

and I've turned off the heaters in the g/hs. Didn't know what to do yesterday so left the heater in the big g/h on as the forecast was for rain and cloud and other nastiness. The max temp recorded when I got back from work was 110o !

Much watering was needed but doesn't look as if I've cooked much so today I'm leaving the babies to their own devices. If they get cold, they'll just have to snuggle up.

Have a good one fellow growers.

Tee hee hee. No. 3 on the "list"

This is just ridiculous. More torrential rain and blowing a gale ........ again !

So I cheer myself up by looking at the poor daffs in the front garden that are taking a battering.

I started today by washing the inside of the big greenhouse and finished it just in time to move everything in before the rain started.

We did have a wee bit of very bright sun for about an hour and then the heavens opened !

Still I managed to get all the grow bags inside to "warm up". That'll be a joke if it snows on Monday lol but I suppose they'd still be warmer inside that out.

Rearranged both greenhouse occupants and spent the rest of the day pricking out calendula, tomatoes and chillis ! There are literally DOZENS of the things !

Went up to the glass merchants and ordered my vent pane, then went to the stables who ........ no longer sell straw !! ffs ! was pointed in the direction of the park manager to see if he sold it, but same answer there ! tut tut !

While looking for him though, I found a bit of the park that was just filled with Great Tits, Blue Tits and Chaffinches so I stayed a while there and watched them. Back home all the Dunnocks and Sparrows were (in great numbers) battling against the wind trying to get to the feeders before being blown into the hedge.

I'm sitting looking at the fleece over the broad beans and peas hanging on for dear life. I REALLY don't want to have to go out and put more clips on, so I hope it holds.

Exciting bit of the day though was popping into the allotments on the way to the stables and finding that I am THIRD on the list !!! It's gonna be this season !!!!! The OH was less than thrilled with the good news lol.

Am shattered now though so am going to have a quiet read of Andi Clevely just to get into practice !! I'm already planning what else to start sowing so that I can get something in the ground this season. I know I'm being a bit premature, but don't want to be caught short when I get the email to come and collect the keys. Even if If it's in a state, I'll still manage to get at least one bed dug, so will need something to go in the ground pretty damn smartish ! At least I'll have enough calendula but will I be brave enough to put my climbing beans in at the lottie ! Suppose I'd better wait for the word go before I get too excited though !

Finally, a fond farewell to our Supersprout who was laid to rest on Thursday. We are so lucky to have "known" her and will be remembering her fondly and often.

Hang on to your hats people, it's a wild one out there this weekend.

Amaryllis - a year to the day - almost!

Just found last year's pics which said 13/3. This is today !

Today Part 2

Potted up a tray of brown marigolds and there were over 30 ! I'm running out of 3" pots FAST.

Weeded the strawb bed and found loads of Red Baron onions starting to sprout. I think I read somewhere that they were good companions (I hope) and I've got another 70 Red Barons to find a home for. I found loads of worms in that bed so I was very careful not to chop any up !

The over wintered onions really aren't putting on the spurt that I had hoped they would. The garlic in that bed really are doing well, but the onions are still looking a bit straggly. If they don't come to much by the time I get back from London, early April, I'll bung the new ones in there to fill in the gaps.

Had a good old clear out of the shed which had exploded again ! MORE washing of pots and trays (does it never end ?), took some of the insulation off the g/hs and LO ! there was light ! Am trying to move everything from the big one to the little one so I can give the big one a good scrub. Trouble is, I refilled the staging with the marigolds ! lol

Green Windsor broad beans are starting to poke through, as are the beetroot sown last weekend. Put loads of the calendula and pots of lilies in the resurrected cold frame but must keep an eye out for the slugs in there. Mr Sluggy has already got at my sage which was in the g/h. Wee swine ! Will read more tonight about pruning the fruit bushes and do that tomorrow.

I've grown two Potentilla "Monarchs Velvet" from seed and they look fairly hardy now so I'm going to put them in tomorrow, fleece at the ready in case it gets too cold when they've only just gone in.

I'm supposed to be doing some homework for work this weekend, but playing in the garden is a much nicer way to spend a day !

Hope you all had fun !

Happenings this week

Really blustery (but dry so far) morning here. Just sitting here watching the birdies try and land on the feeders without being blown into the hedge !

This week, I threw caution to the wind and sowed another tray of calendula (two cvs but no idea what !) and another tray of Mum's brown marigolds.

All the toms are up and some might be potted on when I get outside.



The third pic down are the survivors of last weekend's disaster with the Tigerella toms. They seemed to have coped quit well through their ordeal.


The cucumbers (in the bedroom) are massive and looking really healthy, but I'm now worried about growth checks. (pics to come but the OH is still asleep and how mad would it be if it was to wake up to find me taking pics of the cukes !).

The poor old peas and broad beans that are in the ground were taking a right old
battering from the weather this week, so during a dry-ish spell after work last night, I erected a more solid frame from old g/h staging poles and joints and covered the whole thing with fleece, held in place by a million pegs and mini-clips. From where I'm sitting, the rather elaborate construction seems to have held firm overnight.

I think I forgot to tell you that I sowed a tray of Wolan F1 beet, and Moulin rouge beet last weekend, but left them in the heated g/h rather than try and germinate them inside (running out of space fast). Nothing has appeared yet, but when I had a peek under the cover of the Musselburgh pot, they had all germinated ! So cover off !

My one Busy Lizzie cutting taken from last year has been blooming for a couple of weeks now ! A lovely cerise colour. I snipped off a few buds this morning to try and conserve it's strength and beef up a bit before I plant it out ! I have a feeling it may remain a house plant !!!

My Amaryllis continues apace and is very nearly ready to bloom. I think it is a little bit later this year, according to the dates on previous pics.

The latest sowing of sweetpeas are up and will give them a few more days of being protected in the house before I move them to the g/h.

I read that I should be pruning some fruit bushes just now, so will try and do that today as well as having a weed of the strawberry bed. I found a crocus and snowdrop in there, and then loads more shoots appeared. I certainly don't remember planting a whole load of bulbs so will have a prod and poke around today and give it a bit of a clean up. Might even pot up a couple of strawb plants to bring into the g/h for an early start !

My trays of lobelia are doing better than the petunias which largely appear to have succumbed to damping off. Don't know why I bother with the wee fiddly seeds as I'm never very good at getting them off the ground. Perhaps next year I'll just bite the bullet and go for plug plants rather than trying to grow from seed.

Things are definitely happening all over the garden now and it's such fun to discover something new has appeared. There are quite a few main daffs out in the front garden and my Gardeners World tulips are up and through. Just hope they're not eaten at the base of the stems like one or two were last year.

Right, I must away and go out to play.

Have fun !

A heavy night on Friday !

And boy was I suffering on Saturday ! Still, I managed to get outside and clear the cobwebs in the afternoon.

Planted out my autumn sown BBs (which was rather silly as I've now looked at the forecast for the next few days and strong winds have been predicted). However, poking my nose through the curtains reveal my fleece windbreak structure still standing ! I'll go and have a closer examination when I'm dressed !

In my stupor on Saturday morning, I skidded 8 baby Tigerella toms and a couple of Aubs across the carpet ! I managed to rescue some, but have sown some replacements just incase the shock is too much for them.

My miniature daffs are coming out and I've even spotted some Muscari poking through as well as the outdoor big hyacinths.

Some Icicle radishes went in and my sowing of salad leaves in the g/h are coming along a treat. The pot of carrot Parmex are just starting to germinate and everything else is just going great guns. The calendulas that I started ages ago are quite huge now, but I'm scared to put them outside yet. Their leaves certainly are quite stinky so one or two will definitely be going in the bath and perhaps a couple in pots in the g/h to protect the toms.

I raided Lidls on Thursday and bought 15 growbags, two rolls of weed suppressant fabric and some lawn shears. Yesterday's trip to B&Q was for the carrot bath. 1 1/2 bags of multipurpose with JI, and a bag of sharp sand were all turned in together, broken up the lumps and laid over a good depth of polystyrene chips for drainage. That's all been watered and now covered until next weekend at least. I'll get the old soil thermometer in there before I take a chance. Going to do little and often and sow "sparingly" this year !

The Red Barons that I dropped on the g/h floor last week don't seem to have suffered too much, and everything is sprouting nicely. I was going to put a ring of them round the edge of the carrot bath as a belt and braces measure against the evil fly. Where the rest of them are going is anyone's guess. I've heard that Red Baron are prone to bolting though so must ask my trusty friend at work when is the best time to put them in the ground.

Buds are appearing everywhere, blueberries, goosgogs, blackcurrants ..... all are looking hopeful.

Back to the g/h, Mum's Bears Breeches which were sown last year are doing well, as are the various cuttings of things taken at New Year. It was very cold and damp over the weekend so I left the heaters on all day just to keep everything at about 40-50o.

The trays of Naughty Mariettas should really be potted on. That's a job for midweek or next weekend depending on what time I get back from work this week.

A pot of chives inside have sprouted but were covered with greenfly, so I gave them a good squish and spray ! They were one of the pots just slung at the back with "ignore" marked on them, so I'm happy that they've come up !

Oh nearly forgot the Harbinger and Gartenperle toms ! How could I ??? and I potted on a variety of chillis. Exactly what I'm going to do with ten tonne of chillis at the end of the season, is anyone's guess! Con carne anyone ????

Ah happy days !

xxx

Supersprout RIP

Yesterday was an extremely sad day for my extended virtual gardening family.

We lost our very dear friend Sarah, Supersprout.

She gave so much to everyone, her humour, her wisdom and advice, her seeds and her Jerusalem Artichokes ! Most of the gardens and plots in the UK will have a little bit of Sarah growing this season.

All our thoughts are with Sarah's son Will at this terribly sad time.

Just when you thought spring was on it's way

It starts blowing a gale, throwing it down and temperature drops like a stone.
Before work I had to repair the fleece that had blown off the peas over night (it's them peas again what does it, i swear). The slidy window in the battered g/h needed repairing and one of the lids has blown off the cold frame again !

So put the broadbeans back inside to give them a bit of a break and put other black buckets outside the g/h doors to stop them from flying away. Got back tonight and everything seemed to be intact, so .... result !

At last I have some pics to show you.

The amaryllis has shot up. A good 2.5' now and one of the blooms is just about to be born. Don't think they will be as big as last year though.














I certainly don't remember planting this double snowdrop, but I'm glad I did.












This hellebore (variety unknown) is doing it's own little thing under the front hedge. That's twice it's surprised me now by flowering. I keep forgetting it's there !












Three times this poor honeysuckle has been uprooted, once when it was given to me, and twice since I've had it. I've put it behind ickle g/h to keep it's feet cool but hopefully it will grow up the side and onto the roof to get the sun. It suffered quite badly from mildew last year, so will keep it well watered again this year. No lasting signs of damage so far though.












Spotted Mr Robin having a nice quiet rest in the sun last weekend.














and found this little chap/chapette sitting right in the garlic bed. 5 mins earlier it was sitting in the hanging bird feeder enjoying the same sun as Mr Robin. I got quite worried as it let me get up really close to take this shot and I thought it might have been ill. It looked really healthy though and eventually flew off. I hope it comes back to see me next weekend.












These are two of the spanish peppers/chillis (origin and variety unknown - basically cos I cods up the labelling system last year). Seeing as it's the end of Feb, I think they're doing quite well ! There's still a few more to comes yet (although not as large) and there's still a couple of Numex Twilight STILL ripening.







The trays of petunias and lobelia have germinated and I'm willing them to get bigger, they're sooooooo tiny ! I heard that tea tree oil was good to prevent damping off, but as I couldn't find my bottle, I used lavender oil instead (well it's all anti-bacterial eh ?). One or two seeds have collapsed, but nowhere near as many as I was expecting. Maybe the lavender works !

8 more varieties of toms were sown last night:

Golden Sunrise (Lishka)
Marmande (Lishka)
Legend
Ferline (Lishka)
Cream Sausage (Mum)
Muchamiel (Biscombe)
Tres Cantos (Biscombe)
Pineapple (dearest Supersprout)

My Tigerellas (Lishka) have their first true leaves and are sitting in their tin foil box to catch some extra light.

The Masterpiece cukes took exactly 3 days to germinate, the Marketmores have still to show.

See what happens when the growing season starts ? The pages get longer !

This is going to be a terrific month ..... terrifically busy but so exciting.

Oh and I started the new job last Monday. Seems good so far and I've only bored two people to death with gardening chat ! One of the girls was even excited about Carol Klein's GYO. I think I might have made a friend (or at least found a home for some spare seedlings !)

There's a friend out there who's having a bit of a battle atm, so love and best wishes to our mate SS.

See you soon chaps and chapesses. Hope you're having a good a time as I am.

Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away

and then I upturned a tray of Red Baron onions all over the greenhouse floor. DAMN !

They've got nice root systems on them though !

Before that I:

Cut back a big chunk of hedge behind the big g/h so one day soon I'll be able to get the new vent installed.

Generally had a tidy up and washed loads more breeding pots.

Sowed a pot of Musselburgh Leeks, and some of mum's seeds called "Garlic". Think they're garlic chives.

Tried to put together one of the rose arches to put around the side gate for the sweetpeas to grow up. Now I'm not an engineer and the box didn't have any instructions, but I've done one of these before and it wasn't hard. This one however, just wouldn't fit together. The uprights were fine, but trying to get the arch together was a nightmare. All the screw bits that were supposed to be fixed in the ends of the cross strut popped out - WITHOUT EXCEPTION. It's now lying on the deck in pieces. I'll have another go today and if it still doesn't work, the uprights will get used somewhere for something climbing.

The snowdrops are out in force in the front garden now, and I found one double ! Don't remember buying any doubles so that was a nice surprise.

Some of the crocus are going over now. They seemed to cope with the frost quite well, but this latest rain has made them go all squidgy.

My pair of robins are regular visitors and last Sunday a pair of coal tits decided to pop by. There are also a couple of male blackbirds that have been coming in the garden which is nice. They've been around previously but never in MY garden before, so I was well chuffed.

Got a letter from the council with a planning application for the house over the street as they're installing patio doors and a deck. Oops, I missed that bit out when I installed mine !

The trays of annuals I sowed a few weeks ago are through but so very tiny but one of the Spanish Palms that our good friends darn sarf gave me at New Year has germinated. Was thrilled with that.

Calendula and alstroemeria are still running away in the g/h. Really need to get them in the ground but suspect it's far too early yet. I put some of the loo roll radishes in the ground last week, had a peek under the fleece only to find half of them gone ! Mr Slug no doubt. So the survivors have all got pop bottle cloches now. See if that deters the little tykes.

Mixed salad leaves in the g/h keep on going. Now about 3/4" tall and starting to show proper leaves. I should really sow the next row today.

Got my Carol Kleine GYO book in the post yesterday and also got a book on sweetpeas this week from ebay. and KG mag fell through the letterbox. So I've plenty to read. Trouble is, I get one page read and then promptly fall asleep lol.

May go and try another page now as this really is too early to be up on a Sunday morning !