I wandered into the garden this morning to do some pottering and came across a crime scene: 20240519_104755 Someone, or something, had thrown a huge pile of debris, including bits of stone, glass and decaying hardboard, across the paving stones in front of my shed. At first I thought something had fallen off the top of the shed, or perhaps a neighbour had flung it over the hedge, but that seemed extreme and most unlikely since my neighbours are all gentle folks who probably don’t hate me that much. I investigated further and saw what had happened: The culprit had dug right under the shed and ..read more

I’ve had a day at home today, catching up on some necessary family admin and was pleased to be able to escape the laptop and go out in the garden, where the self-seeders are flinging themselves about with abandon: forget-me-nots, poppies, aquilegia, red campion in amongst a few cultivated plants such as the roses, raspberries and the about to go over rainbow chard On days like this I wonder why I bother sowing seeds from packets at all. If I just let this lot take over I would have glorious flowers, if not all year round then at least right through the spring and summer. However, I do have to ..read more

I’ve been away for a few days and in that short space of time the garden has transformed from spring to summer. Last weekend there were still daffodils flowering, enough to add to a small bouquet which I took to my mother’s care home: But now the daffodils have finished and the summer flowers have begun: wild roses in the front garden: and the cultivated ones beginning to show their buds as well. The vegetable growing season has also got going in earnest. My tomatoes and cucumbers are doing well, still in the house but will go outside fairly soon. In the seedhouse there are mixed results: sw ..read more

I’ve been a member of Garden Organic since I got my first garden in 1992. Apart from supporting an important organisation, membership brings a newsletter and discounts on purchases from the Organic Gardening catalogue. In my early years of gardening I learned a lot from the newsletter. You can also take part in members’ experiments, trying out new ideas for organic ways to deter pests, improve crops or keep weeds at bay. I admit to never having taken part, usually because I’ve never had the particular space or energy available at the right time. Recently I discovered that my late mother-in-law ..read more

My tomato and chilli seedlings are coming along nicely apart from the Crimson Crush seeds. These are the ones that are supposed to be blight resistant and did rather well last year. I sowed the rest of the packet a few weeks ago for the allotment as it tends to get blighted with blight more than the garden. Anyway, none of them have germinated, until this tiny prodigal one appeared a few days ago. So far only the one but I’m ever hopeful. The cucumbers that I sowed last weekend have all appeared in just a week, sown in egg boxes so I’ll need to get them moved to larger quarters quite quickl ..read more

Today would have been my father’s ninetieth birthday. Sadly, he didn’t make it to eighty but today seemed like a day to do something to mark his day – the Ides of March, as he always told us. He was a serious amateur actor and knew his Shakespeare off by heart. Apart from the Ides of March and its less inspiring connotations, we’ve always associated his birthday with daffodils and they were out in force today despite some torrential rain. I brought some of the fallen over ones into the house: I was careful to remove a couple of slugs and snails which were lurking in the trumpets. When the rai ..read more

Last week I sowed some seeds and this week I have some tiny tiny tomato seedlings: Barely there but hopefully they will grow big and strong and produce tomatoes in August and September. The chillies, sweetpeas, broad beans and salad that I sowed last week are taking their time. It’s been nasty and cold outside most days so the seeds in the seed palace have not had much to spur them on. The ones in the house have no excuse but I’m patient. Meanwhile the daffodils are coming in waves, starting at the back of the garden which gets the sun first Then the tete a tete round the pond are coming on ..read more

At last things are really springing to life: lots of snowdrops, daffodils, violas, crocuses and some birthday primulas And today I started my seed sowing. I’ve been very patient but now I have some broad beans and salads, sowed in egg boxes in the seed palace and some tomatoes, chillies and sweet peas ,more cosy in various containers in the house. Sorry forgot to take photos – but here’s what I’m looking forward to later in the summer: I also did some tidying up, removing the grass from the raised beds and cutting back the autumn fruiting raspberries. It’s the first day I’ve really spent any ..read more

It’s that time of year when the garden is coming back to life and my seed growing fingers start to itch. It’s too soon to sow anything here though. Anything I sow inside will get leggy in search of light and anything outside will just rot in the cold ground. I’ll have to wait until March but that’s not so long away. Meanwhile I’ve done my seed audit, raking through my trusty seed tin: and finding that I have at least a few of most of my favourite seeds. I have various varieties of tomatoes, peas, runner beans and cucumbers – here’s some of last year’s crop to give you an idea probably enough ..read more

And so we have made it through the dark days of January and into February. Yesterday the sun shone a bit and it almost felt like spring. In the garden the snowdrops are springing up everywhere: A few iris reticulata have appeared in unexpected places. This one in a flash of blue in a pot at the patio door And these ones poking up between self-seeded strawberries and foxgloves I’m not sure I planted them there but I’m happy to see them never-the-less. The faithful rhubarb has sprouted already and maybe we’ll be harvesting it before the stash in the freezer from last year is finished. I plant ..read more