Today was the day that I chose to plant my spur of the moment purchase. as with all of these sorts of purchases I had no idea what I was supposed to do with it. Thankfully, a call out to the gardening tweeters on twitter led to some good advice accompanied with links to many useful web pages.
I had no idea that it spreads like wild fire, so have chosen to contain it in a large flowerpot (the advice says bucket but its often what you have to hand). I sunk the flower pot to 30cm deep and laid the root at 45 degrees with a little compost. Then I covered it over, now its just time that will reveal all.
It is just so good to feel that at last the new growing year has started properly. I have seedlings on the windowsills. I have put seeds into the ground at the allotment. I have potatoes to chit. I also have a horseradish to plant, that the trouble with these spur of the moment garden centre purchases, where do I put it and what do you do with it. My sense of excitement and the possibilities are spilling over.
The reality of an allotment is a little bit Jekyll and Hyde I was thinking today as I cleared areas and dug other bits today. You love it, you 'hate' it. It looks good, it looks like a monster.
On the patch I have some good bits that finally look like I own a 'proper' allotment and some bits that need sorting. At the moment I'm very aware that it could all run away from me. I could get left behind as spring marches through. We have loads to do, it's time to focus and crack on.
Looking good.
Needing work.
It never fails to amaze me when those little seeds you sow burst into life. Look what I-spied on the window sill today.
I can hold off no longer, I just have to start sowing. Indoors of course. The window sill is about to be put back into use (still a little too early to get the grow house up and running, wait till next month I keep reminding myself). I have some sweet peas in big pots hoping to kick them off for a good early display.
Owen helped me to sow some tomatos (gartenperle & striped) and some cabbage (hispi).
The new growing season has started.
When I get a moment and the weather is with me I have parsnip, spinach and broad beans to sow in the ground this month. Today is a dank, grey and foggy day not really encouraging for allotment visits. So I'm off to think about potatoes and the Guardian has an article about growing them today. I'm waiting for the potato order to come in to the allotment association ( I know I ordered international kidney and something else but what else?). I also made a spontaneous purchase of edzell blue potatoes, like a magpie I just home into the shiny things displayed on the shop shelves.
In the school gardening club one of our winter activities has been making bird feeders. We strung empty yogurt pots filled with lard and seeds up around the school grounds. It is not my favourite activity as lard and my vegi tendency are not a good mix. I get stuck in but the grease, the smell, its a general yuck for me!
Feeding birds is a big activity in garden at this time of the year and I tend to buy my bird feed. As I am not up to mixing yucky stuff at home. The poor birds are also aware of my slightly sporadic attempts to keep them fed. I'm best at keeping the window feeder topped up. My mum tells the tale that the birds in her garden actually line up waiting for her to fill the feeders at about 7am each day, needless to say she gets a lot of visitors.
For the last few weeks I have tried to be better at keeping them fed, especially as next weekend is the RSPB big garden birdwatch. We loved counting the birds last year and want to do it again this year. So I have set about ensuring that we do at least get a couple of visitors to count. My feeders are full for the moment.
This was my haul from this years seedy Sunday event I was very restrained. Now just to put the date in my diary for next year!
All that can be done for the allotment at the moment is to pay the rent for the year. Snow is all around.
I have plenty that I should be doing, such as tidying & sorting both the allotment and garden. I need to be able to keep sensation in my fingers and toes to do that.
As you can see forgotten grow bags look so sad in the snow but they will have to stay there for now.
