Little helpers

 

 We've had a bit of help at the allotment recently from the grandchildren. It's not often it happens so we make the most of it--enjoy it and hope they do too.

 I have found that with my own children and now my grandchildren that as they got older they lost that interest in gardening which in the early years was so full of enthusiasm, everything was new and interesting to them.  Now there are other things to interest them and a visit to the allotment is not always welcome. We have found that we need to really work at stimulating some interest whether it is den building, sowing seeds or watering the plants. And although they might moan and groan about having to go to the allotment, they usually enjoy themselves once they are there. Sometimes they just want to run around and play, but other times they like to help, it might slow us down a bit with our work, but it's worth it knowing that they have probably learnt something by being involved.

On their most recent visits to the allotment they have been sowing purple sprouting broccolli and beetroot seeds, planting cabbages, sweet corn, french beans and sunflowers. It helps to talk about what they are planting and explain how it will grow. For example, beetroot grows below the ground, sweetcorn above and beans wind themselves around a post and some things need more space to grow than others. These things might be obvious to us who've been growing vegetables for years, but not to children who are still learning.

My own children who lost interest in gardening as they got older, I am pleased to say, rekindled this interest when they got gardens of their own so there's hope for the grandchildren yet.

Ground level

I've been doing some work in the garden these last few days. I can't neglect the garden, even though there's always lots to do at the allotment. So every so often I turn my attention to the garden.  At the moment it is still needing to be cleared of winter debris, leaves, weeds that are starting to grow and cutting back the remains of the dead foliage from last year.  There's a lot of moss on the beds too, so I have found it easier to get down on my hands and knees and do some hand weeding.  I found a useful hand tool in the shed which is like a claw.  I don't know what it is called but it is very useful for scraping the soil and removing moss and surface weeds and debris. At ground level even the moss is beautiful.

Getting down so close makes me see things better.  There are lots of ladybirds coming out of hibernation now and many of them are hiding in the stems of the dead flowers I'm cutting back.  I move them to a safe place when I find them, and hope they will survive.   Many of the spring flowers are quite small so I'm admiring them. Getting down to ground level I can see their beauty.

I had my friend  Holly to keep me company, who took over my kneeling mat. I think she thought I had put it there for her, but really it was to help my painful knees.

I picked some flowers to enjoy in the house.

Autumn tidy up

This week we've had some lovely fine weather and I've been able to get out and do some gardening.  Not allotment work but garden work for a change. The allotment has taken up a lot of my time recently and much as I love being there it's been lovely to get away from it and back to the garden.

I pottered around in the sunshine with the cat and the birds for company, and wrapped up in a thick sweater and scarf with a mug of coffee nearby I was in my element. Fortunately the cat hasn't found out how to catch birds yet!

I find gardening in the autumn really satisfying work. Sweeping up leaves, clearing away debris, weeding. I love the autumn tidying up process.  I cut back any messy plant material, but leave seed heads for the wildlife to feed on during the winter. The astilbe and crocosmia seed heads are quite attractive throughout the winter and look good not just in the garden but also in flower arrangements. I'm not too hasty in cutting back as some foliage takes on some lovely colour through October. The hostas are looking good at the moment as they turn a lovely golden yellow. Soon they will flop and look really messy and that's when I cut them back.

This week I've cleared the raised beds at the top of the garden of vegetables which have finished, leaving the salad stuff which is still growing. I'm now planning what to do in those beds next year. I might use them for any veg we won't have room for at the allotment, or I might grow flowers and have a cutting border.  I will still grow salad crops, it's so easy to just pop down the garden to pick a few leaves just before a meal.

The sweet peas haven't done very well this year, so I cleared them away cutting off the ones still remaining.  I put them  in a jug on the garden table meaning to bring them in the house when I'd finished gardening, but they got left there. They still looked good viewed from the house windows.

Making leaf mould compost

After the really wet summer it was good this week to welcome the sun back and to enjoy some gardening. At the weekend we had an allotment day and a garden day. We've been spending a lot of time at the allotment this summer and the garden and house jobs have been piling up. So my husband spent Sunday afternoon cleaning out the gutters whilst I caught up with garden jobs.

I had to start with my least favourite of gardening jobs--weeding and sweeping the drive. There are a couple of borders either side of the drive which look fine in the spring with snowdrops, daffodils, muscari, followed by bluebells and aquilegia. Later on when the overhanging trees come into leaf and overshadow the borders, nothing much will grow there. One border is full of ferns which completely take over. I've tried various plants but they don't survive in the dry shade conditions. So for the rest of the year this area is quite dull looking.

There were a lot of leaves on the drive and as I swept them up I thought that this was the start of the autumn leaf clear up. Leaf sweeping is an ongoing job throughout the autumn, not just on the drive but also in the garden as there are lots of trees around We have a big leaf bin next to the drive made out of an old wire compost bin. It provides us with lots of leaf mould. All we do is chuck the leaves in and hey presto months later it turns into wonderful compost. As I tipped the leaf sweepings in I noticed how much compost there was in there which was ready for use. That would be useful for the allotment on the raised beds.

Leaf compost is good for improving the structure of soil, it can be used as a mulch or it can be made up into a potting compost mix. It is really easy to make. Collect fallen leaves from the garden or even from the streets. It's best not to use evergreen leaves as these take a long time to rot down. A wire bin is ideal to use, you can make one out of chicken wire. Or the leaves can just be put into bin bags. Make some holes in the bags with a fork, water the leaves if they are dry, tie up the bag then store in the garden in an out of the way place. The leaf mould is usually ready to use in about a year.

I think some bagging up of compost needs to be put on my jobs list for this week.

Moving plants

 I normally find gardening relaxing, even if I'm doing really strenuous work. The sense of achievement at the end of a gardening session is a really good feeling. But on Sunday I didn't feel that way. After a rather dreary rainy day, the sun decided to make its presence known late in the afternoon and I decided that I would make the most of it and do an hour's gardening before dinner. I thought, as there were a few weeds about I would just potter around the borders with the hoe. That would be a nice relaxing thing to do. That's when I started to feel uneasy.

As I worked my way around the borders with my hoe, I realised how well everything was growing and I remembered that last year I had made a few mental notes that certain plants needed to be split up this year. And there were others which just needed to be moved because they were in the wrong place. It was all a case of a bit of overcrowding in the borders. And in my general busyness of sorting out the vegetable seed sowing and looking after the allotment I had forgotten. And so I started to feel overwhelmed with all the jobs I had to do because time was running out, the plants were getting more established and before long it would be too late to start moving them around.

Well two days later, the sun was shining, I had no grandchildren commitments and a full day to garden. So I made a start. In the end it was only an afternoon because I had a lazy time over breakfast reading a gardening magazine (jobs to be done this month!!)  a quick trip to the local shops, then it was time for lunch.

But I got loads done. I had to make a plan first, write it all down--move those two sedums, one to the middle one to the other end. Move the tradescantia and the geraniums to make way for the sedums. Dig up the grass, which I never liked, but where to put it? It ended up in a pot until I decided what to do with it.

So that's one border sorted, I still have more to do but I feel I achieved something today.  I just hope I can get the other plants moved before the growing season gets really underway.

What jobs are you trying to get done in the garden at this moment?

Thinking about spring

 

This lovely warm sunny weather we've been having these last few days has taken us a bit by surprise. It was quite a sudden change from being chilly to warm to the point of having to root out summer clothes from the back of the wardrobe. 

I have been enjoying the warm spring sunshine, it brings a lovely sense of well being, a feeling of peace and relaxation, and there's a lovely smell in the air too.  As I walk around the garden each day, clutching a mug of tea or coffee I love to see the changes that spring is bringing to the garden. New growth is appearing daily,  on the trees and in the borders reminding me of plants that are there, just in case I'd forgotten about them. I do sometimes forget what there is in the ground and it's a lovely surprise when those new green shoots arrive. It's like meeting up with old friends. It's also a time when I think that I really must remember to label my plants--especially those I only planted last year.  There are a few which at the moment I cannot remember what they are and I will have to wait for them to get bigger so I can identify the leaves.

The colours of spring are so lovely,  lots of yellow from the daffodils and  primroses. I'm also loving the greeny yellow of the euphorbia. There's a big clump of it under the holly tree. It's taken over that area a bit but I like it. There are also plenty of blue flowers about at the moment. The pulmonaria are starting to flower,  the muscari, and even some early bluebells. I love blue in the garden.

 There's so much to do now as the weather gets warmer, so I'm not just watching flowers grow, I'm sowing seeds.  Seeds for the allotment and salad beds and I might even try growing some wildflower mix this year. I'm making plans.  I think spring has that effect on me, it brings me out of the sluggishness of winter, lifts my spirits and gives me enthusiasm to get on with jobs in the garden.

A year of blogs

I notice that  it's my blogging birthday today. I have been blogging for exactly one year. When I started my blog last year I wondered how long it would last. I really thought I would run out of steam, or words, to be more precise, after a while. But no I'm still here.

I don't know if when I started off I intended my blog to be about anything in particular, more of an online diary of my life, thoughts, feelings etc.  As I look back on a year's worth of blogs I can see that I tend to blog mainly about what I'm doing in the garden and allotment or anything related to those subjects, because that's my main interest. But I've also blogged about family, baking and places we've been to on holiday or days out. I sometimes feel that my life is a bit boring, but if people what to read about it they are very welcome to.

I suppose if you're blogging about the same subject like gardening all the time, you're in danger of repeating yourself as you go from one year to the next. I hope I don't do that, but if I do I apologise.

So I look forward to a second year of blogging and you're welcome to join me to have a glimpse of what's going on in my life and the things I enjoy doing. Thank you for reading my blog and for all your comments.

Weekend work

Gardening at the weekend was lovely.  It was hard to believe it's still only February, but it was so spring like. It was mild, there was sunshine and we even had our lunch out in the garden.

There were flowers poking their heads through the the soil and green shoots appearing everywhere.
I planted onion and garlic sets in modules to get them started off. These will be planted at the allotment in a few weeks time when we've got the soil prepared.

My husband made new lids for the cold frame, which for the last few years has been used as a growing area for veg.  Now, because I need more space for seedlings, I can use it to keep them protected. He also fixed a protective wire cover on the woodland wooden boardwalk.  This is an area which gets very slippy in damp weather, so hopefully we can walk safely along there now.

 Next week we are having a conifer cut down and the area around where it is will be having a bit of a redesign afterwards. So I dug up some of the plants from that bed and potted them up to keep them safe from falling branches and trampling boots.

We've been thinking about getting rid of this conifer for a while now and finally made the decision a few weeks ago. Now the big day approaches and I'm getting worried about whether we've made the right decision.  We should have more light and better growing conditions, but I'm wondering if I'll miss the tree.

I'll let you know how I get on.

My gardening jobs for February

 

I've been making lists, that's a thing I do a lot. This list is about my gardening jobs for February. As I haven't been able to do much in the garden yet, at least I can plan what I will do when the weather gets warmer.

At the allotment:

• sort out my seeds from last year, see what's still ok to use, plan what we're growing this year and order more seeds
•  buy  onion and garlic sets and get them planted
• prune the autumn fruiting raspberries
• harvest the leeks and brussels sprouts
• dig over any remaining bits of ground

In the garden:

• clear the borders of dead plant material and leaves
• mulch with whatever I can lay my hands on
• prune the apple tree--it's got some odd shaped branches 
• cut back the grasses

Indoors:

• sow seeds of lettuce, beetroot, broad beans and anything else I can sow this month, maybe leeks, cabbage,  sweet peas

As we're now nearly half way through the month that's probably enough to keep me busy for the time being.

The only thing to do is go out for a walk

We're having some pretty cold weather at the moment, but fortunately where I live we haven't had much in the way of snow to disrupt transport and getting out and about. What little we had last weekend has now gone.

We have had some really sunny, but very cold days. Days which deceive you into thinking it's really OK outside until you go out to do something like putting rubbish in the bin or feeding the birds and then you realise how cold it is.

 

On these really cold, sunny days I've often thought how inviting the garden looks and how I would love to be outside doing some gardening. But of course the ground is frozen solid, so I can't do any work out there. I get a bit restless when the weather is dry, but I can't do any gardening.  Sometimes staying indoors and keeping warm isn't enough for me. I need to be outside in open spaces. Today was one of those days, and the only thing to do when this restlessness hits me is to go out for a walk.

It's amazing what half an hour or so of walking can do to calm your mind and lift your spirits.

Garden Crafts for Children--a book review

I recently came across Dawn Isaac's blog  on Fennel and Fern about how she had designed a family garden and  I was so taken by it that I ordered her book, Garden Crafts for Children.  This was a bit of an impulse buy and  not something I normally do, as I like to see books first before I decide whether or not to buy, but I'm glad I did.

I've always been keen to encourage children to get outdoors, take an interest in the garden and wildlife, first with my own children and now with my grandchildren.  I know how difficult it can be sometimes to keep them interested.

This book is full of project ideas for both indoor and outdoor gardening.  You don't need to have a large garden to be able to try them.  A kitchen windowsill, backyard or some containers might be all that's needed. Some of the projects can be done indoors, so are great for bad weather days. Other projects are more adventurous and involve getting messy.

There are the sowing and growing projects like making a cress caterpillar, a microleaves farm, a climbing bean archway or a herb tower. I think my 2 grandsons would love to make the Tyrannosaurus garden, made using an old tyre, planted up with ferns, moss, rocks and plastic dinosaur figures.

There are some great ideas for presents to make, like pressed flower placemats,  herbal bath bags, scented flower soaps, a Mother's Day teapot or  spring flower basket. The insect hotel and the pine cone bird feeder are good for encouraging the wildlife to visit your garden.

The book is well set out with plenty of photographs and easy to follow step by step instructions. These fun and creative projects are a great way to help children to learn more about gardening.
I can see this book being a hit with both young and old. In fact I think I'd quite like to try making the alpine wreath.

Growing salad

I've been wanting to make a  start sowing vegetable seeds recently, but I know that it's too early to start doing that here in East Lancashire. Especially as I don't have a heated greenhouse, or even any greenhouse for that matter.

So when I came across the 52 Week Salad Challenge I felt inspired to have a go at growing some early salad leaves. I'm a bit late getting into this challenge as I only started last week.  I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up with the challenge all year, but I'm finding it really helpful so far reading all the different posts and getting ideas on what I can grow so early in the year on a warm windowsill indoors. I especially like Fennel and Fern , Carl Legge   and Veg plotting  for really useful information and growing tips.

I started by looking through my collection of seeds and found plenty of lettuce and salad leaves, some beetroot and spinach beet. I'm hoping I can grow these for micro leaves.  I went to the garden centre and bought a packet of sprouting seeds of red cabbage.  Then I got started sowing seeds.  We don't have much space on our kitchen windowsill for seed trays, so some of them are on the spare bedroom windowsill. I just have to remember to check them and water regularly and keep sowing more seeds.

So far I have cut some of the red cabbage seedlings to sprinkle over a tomato and cucumber salad.

salad leaves

beetroot seedlings

spinach beet

I also looked around the garden to see if there was anything growing in the veg beds, not really expecting to find anything. But lo and behold I'd forgotten I have kale and red cabbage growing both in the garden and down at the allotment. I've never used kale in salads, but I know the young leaves can be used in this way, so I'll probably give it a try.

Are you sowing any salad seeds at the moment?