bigmagpie

Seed Starting 2009

Today I really got going with Spring gardening. I gave the greenhouse and lots of pots and seed trays a good clean then got some seeds going. So in the heated propagator are cosmos, jalapenos, chilli etna and lollo rosso. And there wasn't enough room in there for everything I wanted to start today so on the windowsill in the spare room is green curly lettuce, sweet Williams and morning glory. And finally in the greenhouse I've got some sweet peas going. Oh and I planted a scented clematis Montana to climb up the second obelisk. The sweet peas and morning glory are just to fill those out while the clematis get going. So I've started!

Seed Starting

It feels like I've been doing a lot of serious manual labour this week. I've filled all three compost bins and still had to take more waste to the tip today. So it was nice to come home and find the last of my seed order had arrived. These ones I got froM the very posh Seeds of Italy and they'll be most of my veg production this year, along with some courgettes and herbs. This company was recommended by the owner of Binham Grange,a very nice hotel in West Somerset we treated ourselves to last Autumn. The seeds were a little more expensive but I am a sucker for the lovely glossy packaging. Here's hoping they're worth it. Planning to start them in the propagator this week.

May - Part One

Now that I'm back from Australia it's all systems go on the gardening front. Even though it's been cold and miserable, loads of things are coming out and looking good. There was some late frost damage to my one of my acers and the hydrangeas, but as I was in Australia there was nothing I could do about it. That's life.

So this month I've been busy:
*weeding
*sowing salad, climbing courgettes, jalapenos and bell peppers
*nursing the plug lavendars and verbena that were delivered before my holiday
*re-planting the dahlia tubers (though I think some rotted; the red and yellow)
*spraying my herb garden with citrus oil against the aphids
*launching a full-on attack against bindweed
*digging out a new bed in the front garden.

I'm pleased with the front bed, which has been quickly filled with the verbena bonariensis I bought plus the yellow dahlias (fingers crossed) rudbeckia divisions, self-seeded ornamental grass and sedge seedlings, as well as California poppies and cornflowers. It'll probably be too busy but hopefully purty.

Here's my early May Flickr set.

Lots of Crocus(es/i?)

I planted a few of these little crocus, some purple, some white, in Autumn 2006. They were nice enough last Spring, but it looks like they're going to be great this Spring. There is a few out now, lovely when they open up in the sun, but I think there are lots more to come.

And excitingly, my new heated propagator is already paying off! The salvia were supposed to take up to three weeks to germinate, but there are already tiny little seedlings emerging. That was super quick, just one week. And the salad mix in the greenhouse is also starting to come up, despite me letting it dry out a bit, with all these sunny days.

Start of Spring

I always start too early, but we've got a week of glorious weather forecast so I was out in the garden today. I could have done the boring stuff like weeding, clearing up leaves and rubbish etc. But instead I went out and bought a heated propagator. And I planted my achillea and salvia seeds in there. The achillea are supposed to take nearly three months to germinate, so they should be ready just after I get back from Australia. And the salvia should be germinating just before. That's the theory. Hopefully I'll get something out of them.

I also sowed in the greenhouse my herby salad mix. That's supposed to be fine sowing under glass all year round so should be ok. I just felt like getting some stuff going.

Here's my Flickr set.

That's been my Saturday. It's not very rock and roll. But I like it.

Planning Ahead

I'm jumping the gun by a whole lot, but after pondering the front garden for a while, I've gone ahead and ordered a bunch of seeds and plants for Spring. Things I've ordered are:

For the front garden -

• California Poppy mix
• achillea
• salvia (a nice purple one)
• verbena bonariensis (5 plug plants, not seeds)

The plan is to take up the ugly front path, re-distribute the gravel and have these all going in patches and drift with some of the grasses I've already got.

For the back garden -

• a terrifying mass batch of lavender munstead plug plants (to form a hedge)
• a climbing courgette to grow in pots
• jalapeno chilis
• red bell peppers
• cut and come again salad mix
• mixed annuals to fill up borders

I also planned ahead and ordered all my nemaslug and nemasys to ward off slugs and vine weevils.
I think I'm going to be very busy come April/May, when I'm back from Australia.