Looking Back

There's still a long way to go before we can start enjoying this year's produce so, in an effort to try and distract me from the packets of seeds that I can practically hear crying out to me to be planted, I thought I'd put together a montage of some 'stuff' (most of it edible) from last year. Enjoy...











 

Pottering

Although spring still feels like it's a long way off, the weather was kind to us today and I managed to get out into the garden for a bit of pottering.



Keeping the Bird Feeders Topped up

The only thing left in the ground now is a couple of parsnips which are waiting for our next Sunday roast so I dug over the empty beds and covered them over in preparation for sowing. Given the recent spell of cold weather, this was much easier than I had anticipated. Using raised beds has clearly done the job in preventing the soil from getting compacted.

 

I was pleased to see the rhubarb has started to sprout. This was one of the few highlights of last season and, as we have two really good plants, I decided to try forcing one of them this year to see what difference it will make. A black bucket over the top should do the trick. When I get round to digging out the compost heap I will give both plants a good mulch.

I was also pleased to see the progress the garlic is making. Can't wait to get back to using the home grown stuff; so much tastier.

Lessons Learned

Last year was a bit of a write-off when it came to the veg growing but, in the spirit of continual improvement, I wondered what lessons could be learned. So here are my three top tips from last year's experiences:

1. Use nematode slug control. The warm start to the year, followed by almost continuous rain, caused an explosion in the slug and snail population. Not wishing to use slug pellets if atall possible, this resulted in most of what did grow to be almost instantly devoured before we had a chance to harvest it. Therefore, this year, I am definitely going to invest in some organic slug control in good time before the growing season kicks off.

2. Pickles. The onions were very dissapointing this year so, at the end of autumn, we gathered up the pathetic crop and, combined with a jar of vinegar and a few choice spices, produced some cracking pickled onions that were perfect with Boxing Day lunch. We also pickled the betroot and used most of the courgettes in an excellent recipe that we discovered a couple of years ago. This year then we'll be looking for more recipes and stocking up on pickle jars.

The Fruits of Our Labours

3. Plant garlic early. We grew a small amount of garlic and it was absolutely delicious and left us wishing we had planted more. However, we didn't get it into the ground until spring so the resulting bulbs were a little on the small side. This season we already have three different variaties in the ground and the first is already up and doing well.

Sowing the Seeds

Welcome to the first post in my new gardening blog!

I set up a blog last year, initially as a bit of an experiment but soon got hooked. Unfortunately, the weather was very much against us and, as a result, the gardening was less of a success. Well, it's a new year and hopefully a more successful one for the garden so I thought I'd try again, both with the garden and the blog. So, no change in location for the garden but a new location and look for the blog. Hopefully this will give me a little more flexibility and a chance to try out a few different approaches, both with style and content. Of course what it does mean is that I've got to start from scratch, which includes re-learning the basics, so it may take a while.

So, like any good gardner, I've broused the catalogues, made a few initial plans (which will inevitably change) and started to get exited about the coming year. Now, it's time to sow the seeds...

The veg patch in a fresh blanket of snow