Planting progress

Thursday 21^st April 

Strawberry tower lined, placed the drain pipe in the centre and filled it with two types of compost. Job done!

Bought some seeds from Lidl

Carrots

Yellow beans

Planted them in trays . Seeded spinach in trays.

Other seeds in trays germinated in the conservatory

Yellow and green courgettes

Melons

Tomatoes

Friday 22nd April 

Found lots strawberry plants coming up behind the shed. Uprooted them and put them in the strawberry tower.

I planted the strawberries

Sukh watered...

Bought potato seeds to plant from Wyevale garden Centre.

Friday 29^th April

Not had chance to go to the LG last week. The weather has turned really cold.

Tip from Gardeners  World on potato beds:  once potatoes are put in bed, plant lettuce in between the rows, as the lettuce will be picked before the potatoes begin to grow, so maximum use of space.

Dug up a bed ready for potatoes and a robin came to watch

Our friendly LG Robin

Sunday 1^st May

Put in potato seeds – Aaron Pilot.

Dig a narrow trench – five inches deep.

The seed potato spaced 18 inches apart.

30 inches between rows.

OK. Sowed the spuds in 4 rows in bed number 11.

When the stems reach 9 inches above the ground they should be earthed up again to prevent the tubers near the soil surface from turning green.

Harvesting 15 weeks from planting.

Put some flower seeds in the flower bed…number 1.

Bed 1 is the flower bed

Mangetout taking off

Thursday 5^th May

Put the second strawberry tower with strawberry plants from back of the shed.

Two towers for the LG

Had bought some bulbs from Lidl, put loads of different ones in, in the flower bed.

Anemone coronana

Acidanthira murielae

Freesia mix

Brodiaea Queen fabiola

Sparaxis tricolour

Had bought radish seeds. They were on a strip, so put two strips in, in the potato bed.

Watching over us

Earthing the potatoes - so soon after planting - WOW

Saturday 7^th May

Bought bag of potato seed  from Wyevale garden centre. 
There is room for two more rows in bed number 11.

Two rows of Sharpe’s Express potatoes planted. They are suitable for salad, boiling, baking, roasting and for chips.

In between the potatoes planted some lettuce.

Created two beds and in one I planted dhania, (coriander) and in the other methi (fenugreek) and planted spinach seeds next to the dhania bed.

Monday 9^th May

Went to LG about 18:30. It has been a hot day, too hot to go during the midday sun.

The courgettes that I had started from seed now had three large leaves, therefore ready to go in the  LG ground.

Took 6 plants and put them in bed number 3, side of the methi and coriander…

Courgette Planting

Bed number 5  is quite large and I noticed potato plants are sprouting here and there.  Oh dear…

Had put in twigs Dave brought to support mange tout…the twigs leaves have begun to sprout a lovely soft brown colour.

Lettuce I put in on Saturday, some have their leaves munched. I guess the slugs have been having a party. Slug pellets will be coming soon, hope they do not munch their way through the courgettes I put in today, before the pellets are in.

Watch these courgettes grow

Friday 13^th May

Went to the LG after 5pm.

Shocked to see that all the lettuce had gone, not even a single root showed through.

The courgettes seemed ok, and some the potatoes seeds we had put in were just coming through, so I covered them in earth... as one is supposed to.

Decided to dig up bed number 10...   

There were bulbs that had come through, but as I dug I found lots roots I had to pull out. Then there were some big roots - obviously from a small tree that I could not pull or dig up.

The friendly robin came and hopped around as I dug and as soon it saw a worm it pulled it out and then perched itself on a tree root and sat there in enjoyment.

Enjoying the worm

Sunday 15^th May

Got to the LG around 11am. 

A friendly  LG owner showed us his plot and told us that he grows just vegetables, and rotates the crop. He has potatoes, garlic, broad beans, French beans, beetroot, parsnips, onions and is going to put in brassica.

Loads of gladiolus bulbs, so I pulled them, thinned them and planted them in the flower bed and tidied up.

Looking tidy

Tuesday 17^th May

Lovely warm day, we got to the LG after 12 and left at 3:15pm

I was asked by one friendly LG owner: did I know anything about gardening ?

I said no.

So he said,"I thought so. You seem to be putting things in, here and there."

"Well," I said "as you are an expert maybe you could advise me as to what I should be doing.

I would welcome your experienced help". He smiled and went away and said not me.

Spent time tidying up the flower bed, bed number 1.

The rows of potatoes I planted are showing through again, I earthed them last week. So, earthed them once again.

Potatoes cropping up from the past

Loads of potatoes are coming up in bed 5, not sure if we should pull them out as they are from last year.

Asked our LG friend,  he said leave them, they should be ok.

Just a few of methi seeds are beginning to sprout and not much of the dhania.

Spinach is coming through.

Sukh tidied up bed 10 and pulled out all the roots that are embedded  deep under the soil.

Took bean plants to put in, they are not quite ready to go in yet, so placed them in the shed.

Saturday 21^st May 2016

LG around 1ish until 3pm.

Put in 6 tomato plants in, 2 melons.

Dhania is showing through, methi is beginning to come through too.

Mange tout growing ok, trained them up the twiggy branches.

Sukh tidied up and weeded areas.

Filled the water butt from the main big Butts.

Potatoes coming through well and being earthed every time we come to the LG.