April 2007
Another weekend and been a busy bee again..weather came up trumps with two lovely warm spring days and no wind. Things are getting busy again in the garden and i always find that April and May extremely so trying to keep on top of things.
Cut the grass which was needing to be done and finished off weeding the flower beds in the Ornamental garden so feel like i'm on top of that part of the garden. That should leave me in a good position for the long weekend next week to get things really moving in the veggie garden.
This weekend in the veggie garden i've continued with my sowing and started also sowing Nasturtiums as companion plants.
The Impatiens planted on in trays last week are doing really well and steadily growing so lots for pots for the summer. Impatiens look really stunning if three or four are planted in a container. They fill out and flower their socks off all summer long with very little attention. I tend to dead head them once a week, make sure they are well watered and they reward you with a fantastic display.
The courgettes and runner beans sown last week are through. So another wee while and these will need potting on....once they get started they romp away.
Managed to weed the currant beds and top dressed with compost. That should keep them happy for the summer. I also need to keep a sharp eye out for the gooseberry sawfly as last year they attacked one of my currant bushes and stripped most of the leaves over a couple of days...i managed to pull the caterpillers off and spray with salt water....hopefully they haven't managed to get to the soil to pupate. I did loosen the soil in that area and leave for the birds to forage for any grubs that may be present. Nonetheless i need to keep a close eye open to catch them quickly.
Whilst weeding the asparagus bed which had been planted up last autumn, i noticed that some of the purple asparagus was already poking through. No signs of the green ones as yet. Although will not be harvesting this year to give the plant a chance to build strong and healthy crowns. Will need to add some more compost to the top of the bed to ensure that they keep moist over the summer.
Kiwi Jenny was previously planted in the garden has also sprung into life and picking up speed. I'll need to get the wire on the fence next weekend so that it's got something to grab hold of. The leaves are looking promising and look very attractive. I'm really interested to see how this plant fares. I've planted where it gets sun for most of the day. So far it's survived the mild winter outside.
The apple trees have also burst bud and now growing, some quicker than others but i'm sure by the end of April they will be covered in flowers....lots of lovely apples for the summer. I also noticed that some of the geraniums had survived the winter in pots so need to get these repotted and trimmed a bit. I'm going to take cuttings too to increase the number of plants i have. Unfortunately i lost a fair few geraniums that i potted on as the cat knocked them off the window cill and i managed to chill a few too. Two lesson's learnt for next year.
Cut the grass which was needing to be done and finished off weeding the flower beds in the Ornamental garden so feel like i'm on top of that part of the garden. That should leave me in a good position for the long weekend next week to get things really moving in the veggie garden.
This weekend in the veggie garden i've continued with my sowing and started also sowing Nasturtiums as companion plants.
The Impatiens planted on in trays last week are doing really well and steadily growing so lots for pots for the summer. Impatiens look really stunning if three or four are planted in a container. They fill out and flower their socks off all summer long with very little attention. I tend to dead head them once a week, make sure they are well watered and they reward you with a fantastic display.
The courgettes and runner beans sown last week are through. So another wee while and these will need potting on....once they get started they romp away.Managed to weed the currant beds and top dressed with compost. That should keep them happy for the summer. I also need to keep a sharp eye out for the gooseberry sawfly as last year they attacked one of my currant bushes and stripped most of the leaves over a couple of days...i managed to pull the caterpillers off and spray with salt water....hopefully they haven't managed to get to the soil to pupate. I did loosen the soil in that area and leave for the birds to forage for any grubs that may be present. Nonetheless i need to keep a close eye open to catch them quickly.
Whilst weeding the asparagus bed which had been planted up last autumn, i noticed that some of the purple asparagus was already poking through. No signs of the green ones as yet. Although will not be harvesting this year to give the plant a chance to build strong and healthy crowns. Will need to add some more compost to the top of the bed to ensure that they keep moist over the summer.
Kiwi Jenny was previously planted in the garden has also sprung into life and picking up speed. I'll need to get the wire on the fence next weekend so that it's got something to grab hold of. The leaves are looking promising and look very attractive. I'm really interested to see how this plant fares. I've planted where it gets sun for most of the day. So far it's survived the mild winter outside.The apple trees have also burst bud and now growing, some quicker than others but i'm sure by the end of April they will be covered in flowers....lots of lovely apples for the summer. I also noticed that some of the geraniums had survived the winter in pots so need to get these repotted and trimmed a bit. I'm going to take cuttings too to increase the number of plants i have. Unfortunately i lost a fair few geraniums that i potted on as the cat knocked them off the window cill and i managed to chill a few too. Two lesson's learnt for next year.
Labels: asparagus, Courgettes, Impatiens, Kiwi Jenny
posted by Ziggywigs @ 7:54 PM
4 Comments:
Gosh, you REALLY have been busy and accomplished alot. I agree that impatiens are a wonderfully easy and a beautiful plant to cultivate. Mine are slowly coming along. Do you always start runner beans inside? And are courgettes cucumbers or squash? I generally plant those things right in the garden. Or do you have a short growing season? It's very interesting reading your blog and I'm enjoying it alot. Alyssa
Thanks Alyssa...so glad you like it. I always start my runner beans off indoors in pots or modules, then harden off before planting. The years i've planted straight in the ground they seem to struggle and have been eaten by slugs. Courgettes are what you would call Zucchini.:-)
Just found your blog and I love it! Most of my friends (while crafty) are not gardeners, so i decided that I needed to find some gardening blogs-and I found you! Hope you don't mind, I'm going to link from my blog to yours, and I look forward to hearing about how your garden is doing on the other side of the world-I'm in Portland, Oregon, USA!
Maggie
Thanks Maggie. Pleased you enjoyed the blog. It's very satisfying when folk enjoy what I have written about.
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