Easter Weekend

Saturday was dry and got a bit warm, especially when we were digging. We decided to dig over the new veg bed in the back garden and get this big job out the way. While David was topping up the bird table and letting out the chickens I opened the greenhouses. The last couple of nights have been warmer so the heater has not been on, which is good for keeping costs down and means the plants can start to naturally harden off. Being able to open the doors every day improves airflow and reduces chances of mildew and botritis. 

Morning dew on Erythronium 'Pagoda' leaves

Dew on Meconopsis leaves

Anyway, back to the digging, youngest son has expressed an interest in growing veg this year, I will probably end up doing most of it but it's good to encourage them. We used to grow lots of fruit and veg in the last garden before I had to go back to work full time about 7 years ago. A couple of weekends ago we dug over the square bed on the patio for the mixed veg, you can read about it here. This weekend we created the tattie (potato) bed along the top of the back garden. There will be plenty light here and it tidies up another messy area of the garden. The soil in this garden is quite sandy and light, such a difference from the heavy unforgiving clay at Easter Mosshat.

The finished potato bed

Admiring our hard work

We lifted off the "turf" and I use that term lightly, dug out dandelions, nettles and dockens, but they will be back, tenacious perennial weeds that they are. Most of these roots went on the bonfire to be burnt. Because it's been dry for a few days the soil was nice and light making our job much easier. I'll leave the bed to settle for a few days and then we'll plant the early tatties.

Bracken had fun running around the garden while we were working

After a late lunch we finished off the side bed I started a couple of weeks ago, removing the rest of the nettles and old landscape fabric. I forked over the bed and raked it level. I have lots of annual seeds so am thinking of scattering them over this border in amongst the evergreen shrubs for a big splash of colour through summer.

The side bed weeded, forked over and raked level

We were pretty tired after all this tidying and digging, but pleased with what we had achieved. I also moved some cuttings from last year outside to harden off. This makes room in the cold greenhouse to move seedlings out from the heated greenhouse to harden off and of course room to sow more seeds in the big greenhouse.

Seedlings moved out into the cold greenhosue, tomato and bean seeds in the heated greenhouse
and Red cabbage hardening offf outside

Cuttings outside hardening off

Sorting out the next lot of seeds to be sown



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Comments

  1. Goodness you've been busy! All is did over the bank holiday was some rather hap hazard weeding and a lot of wafting around. We have secured a water butt for the allotment, so I'm taking that up there later today. I need to sow some more seeds, but I've run out of space!!
    Leanne xx

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    1. I have plenty days of not achieving much too, it's a lot to do with making the most of the weather. I've still masses to do seed sowing wise and having to move everything around so there is space, I hope the weather doesn't get cold again or they will have to come back in! x

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  2. Must have been the good weather that sent us all out into our gardens over the weekend :-) Although still too risky to plant out here, def need to wait another month!

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    1. We're all desperate to be out gardening, it's the same here, a good few more weeks of this weather before I can risk planting anything of the annual or veggy nature here, plenty seeds in the greenhouse though :)

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  3. It was the perfect weekend for gardening. You achieved a fair bit and it all looks neat and tidy. Long may it continue, eh?

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    1. I hope so weather wise and the tidyness, although once my year out is up it will not be so easy, but easier here than the 2 acres I had before! It is lovely to go out and potter about in the warmth, very enjoyable :)

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  4. I am very impressed by what you have achieved! We have two acres as you did and I can find it overwhelming, especially at this time of year when everything shoots off as soon as you turn your back on it. I gave up last year when family illness ate up all our time and am feeling my way back. Your progress is very encouraging!

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  5. Thank you Elizabeth, I really miss my beautiful garden and woodland, but it can also become a millstone around your neck, as I began to find, I am enjoying having much less to do and feel burdened by at the moment, it will be interesting to see what kind of garden I end up with again eventually, not 2 acres though I suspect. I think concentrating on one bit at a time and letting the less important areas go works, but I always felt I was never getting anywhere latterly before we moved. I hope you manage to get back into the way of it and find peace there :)

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