It’s FINALLY time for the gardening posts again! Honestly, nothing makes me happier. Every time I go out into the garden for a potter, I honestly feel like I’ve had a therapy session; it’s one of my biggest joys in life – and I wish I could get everyone into it!
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After last years potato success, I’ve decided to grow them in a full bed this year – last year I just used some old large plant pots I had from some dwarf trees I’d bought, but this year I’m going the full whack and giving them the pumpkin bed! Because it’s so big, I’m also planting broad beans – again, I got a lot of reward last year from not much effort with those – so I’m going all “pro” with those this year too, and garden peas. Because these will all be harvested in the summer, it means I can then use the space to grow pumpkins again; what I’m going to do is start them off in the cold frame, then plant them out once I’ve harvested the potatoes, peas and broad beans. I wasn’t actually going to grow them again this year – only because they take up a lot of space, and as gorgeous as they look for autumn decoration, it isn’t something we get a lot of use from food wise – but I then thought it might be nice to have a go at some miniature ones to use as wedding decor, so fingers crossed we have another year of pumpkin success!
I’m also trying my hand at parsnips this year, and purple sprouting broccoli – all from seed. I had a go at the broccoli last year, but didn’t really give them any care, and I think the seedlings just got ravaged by slugs before they even got started. So this year, I’m learning from my mistakes and starting them off in the cold frame, keeping them free from the slugs until they are big enough to go out on their own. Another fail last year was peanuts, again, mainly through lack of effort – they’re a hot climate plant, and I thought putting them straight into the ground in the sunniest part of my garden would work – it didn’t! So I’ve bought some proper seed trays and seed tray lids this year, and have started them off in the cold frame, so they are almost double “greenhoused” yes, I potentially just made a word up there… anyway, once they have (hopefully) germinated and shown some signs of potential; I’ll move them to proper pots, but they’ll be kept in the cold frame the whole time, to give them the proper protection they clearly need.
Just like last year, I also want to create lots of colour and scent for a magical experience. I’m really into cut flowers at the moment, so I’ve been planting lots of annual and perennial seeds – saxifraga, cosmos, sweet alyssum, foxglove, to name but a few… I guess it’s a “watch this space”.
