Brrrrrr

Well, the plan was to plant more seeds, reality is, temperature is only 8 deg C, so too chilly for me even in the greenhouse. I hoped the fresh air would help to get rid of my horrid cough and cold, but I'm going to spend time inside keeping warm with lots of hot drinks.

We are also trying to reclaim many areas of the garden that are covered in holly and brambles, turning them into cottage gardens. It may be a good time to get the sketch book and pencils out so that ideas can be easily visualised and discussed with everyone. 

I'll be on the lookout for some typical cottage garden plants in our travels on the roadside stalls.

Just one BIG PROBLEM, something is munching the new raspberry canes Dad planted, not sure if it is rabbits or deer. Time for netting to be installed. We know that deer are regularly in the garden, they especially love the roses in Laura's garden, so we have put a cane and net fence around her garden to protect the rose bushes we've just planted.

You can just make out the canes and black net by the edge fencing at the front of this shot.

One very healthy rose, all are traditional english roses, repeat flowering, heavily scented and are pinks or mauves to go with the colour scheme.

The current rain is perfect giving them a good soaking before I feed with fish, blood and bonemeal and then mulch them. Hopefully they will produce masses of flowers this year.

Hoping we do get some dry spells during the rest of the week, as loads to do.

Progress has been made

Even though it was overcast today, it was lovely and warm in the greenhouse. I've managed to sow kohlrabi in modules, peas for pea shoots, lots of different varieties of French beans, leeks, gherkins, squash, green and purple basil and dill. I've also potted on a large tub of mint and a herb pot.

Loads more to do, but I'm running out of space. I'm very spoilt, hubby has just bought me a polytunnel as an anniversary present, so we can now clear some more ground and put it up, I can then grow everything on in there.

I may have excess produce available for sale this year, all organic and home grown.

The first seeds finally sown

I know it's April Fools Day, but I'm posting after 12, so it is true. It's been a very busy term at college, on top of that our own seedling has been performing in Carousel at the Regent Centre in Christchurch, so there have been many trips, costumes and other paraphernalia to organise that support a performance. Final performance was last night and I'm now finally free to get the garden into production:)
I've actually managed to sow some seeds today in the greenhouse.
A huge pot of salad leaves, these will stay in the greenhouse providing all of us with an early supply of baby leaves for our salads and packed lunches.
I've also sown a couple of other pots of lettuce

On Raymond Blanc's recent tv programme, he mentioned his favourite lettuce which is "Reine de Glace", I've managed to get some seeds, so those are now in to bring on as seedlings, then I can pass them onto Mum to prick out. I've also put in some "Unicum" seeds too, these are a heritage variety, time to grow some wonderful vegetables that have bags of flavour.

I've also sown in modules, cabbage "advantage", cauliflower "candid charm", broccoli "tender stem green", Komatsuna "Japanese spinach Te-suto" and some red spring onions.
My modules were really successful last year, we have very sandy soil and sometimes seedlings struggle to get started, but if I start them in modules, they get a head start and then grown brilliantly.
I've now got to hunt down the rest of my seeds...... they are here somewhere, now where is the safe place I put them .......

I ran out of time in the autumn and didn't manage to put in the final daffodils and tulips, so they've just gone in some pots, I can put them somewhere cool and get some late flowers off them.
My mothers day pressie was some boxes of agapanthus, these have started shooting, so I've potted them up too, again because of the sandy soil, I like to put them into pots and grow them into strong plants before planting them out. You have to learn to garden in a different way when the soil is so sandy, it literally blows away in the wind if you don't add any compost or mulch it, it's really hungry soil, if you don't enrich every time you plant, it's like being at the beach, but grey sand, and the water just runs off the surface.
I need to develop some proper compost bins around the garden using planks, to allow us to rotate and make loads more compost, we have enough garden and household waste. We did get some of the plastic compost bins, but these are useless.
At least I can tick a couple of things off my list today.
Definitely going to plan a shopping trip this week, was inspired by Gardener's World on Friday, love the clematis viticella going to start a collection, they will be perfect in the garden as they are a family favourite and we've never yet grown the right variety, think this could become an obsession along with heavily scented roses.
.........
I so want to put some country garden borders in, it's been both mum's and my dream, through reclaiming bits of the garden, we will get there, provided dad can keep his tidy edges. It is our only battle, dad is a military gardener, he loves straight edges, trenches, everything cut back and tidy, we love natural, spontaneous, and very typical country garden style. We will get there, but very gradually :)
Time to do some planning methinks. I wonder if there is an iPad app out there to help with garden designing?