Top of the agenda was pruning the red grape vine which is climbing alongside my shed. I had to borrow a ladder and started to cut down the excess of shoots back to 2 buds. I have also managed to secure a plastic bucket on my rhubarb with the help of a few stones – which offers a basic alternative to fancy rhubarb terracotta pots designed for forcing the vegetable.

I have also pruned my blackcurrant and redcurrant bushes and weeded the base of the bush. Hopefully when the wind eases off and weather allowing I shall be able to feed my bushes a sprinkling of sulphate of potash. This should help them get a kick start in Spring and stimulate the bush to produce a good crop of fruits.

Getting on with the digging is a key task at this time of the year, as I start looking into my sowing plans for the year taking into account plant rotation. I actually found a few rotten beetroots which had been missed from the harvest in autumn, as well as a few baby carrots which I have managed to use in a beef stew. I also wish I had harvested the last of my celery stalks earlier as the plant didn’t fare well in the cold and snow.

I have observed a few crocuses starting to emerge and I guess a warm spell is all they need to burst into blossom. The garden looks like a battle field with the vestiges of faded flower heads, worn out lawn and broken plants seemingly struggling in the wind.

As I contemplate my bare garden and consider alternative crops and flowers I really look forward to the Spring to come.

Unfortunately it strikes me that the sweet potato cuttings are rather expensive so I shall wait until next year when they have become a more widely grown crop.

Hyacinth

I intend to start sowing later in the year. Chilli seeds can already been sown in February but since we still have negative temperatures in the garden I fear that my window sills are too cold for germination.

I have also pencilled in broad beans, peas, and sweet peas in the coming months, to be followed by tomato seeds which I will start off indoors. I may also sow a few passion flower seeds which develop into an exotic climber. And garlic is also next on the agenda. There is still plenty of time to consider all the other seeds that I would like to grow during the month of February.

Early spring is calling already with the first few lesser celandines starting to sprout from the snow (I have spotted a few growing in at the back of the university colleges in Cambridge). For now I am enjoying the yellow hyacinths which I forced back in autumn and which are signaling the gardening joy of the months to come.

Long Tailed Tit

They didn’t used to be so common in gardens and preferred hedgerows and woodlands as their natural habitat but bird experts say that the long run of mild winters has resulted in fewer deaths each year which means that there are more of them able to breed in spring. And they also seem to have adapted and learned to feed from tables or feeders.

They are one of the most graceful little birds I have seen in my garden and I enjoy watching them mostly at the weekend. Long-tailed tits normally travel as a group and this year I have been able to count groups of 6 coming all together to feed on my feeders. Having obeserved them on a daily basis I get the impression that one of the birds of the group is in charge of keeping an eye out for danger whilst the other can feed safely.

Long Tailed Tit on feeder

I may not be doing much gardening at present due to the cold weather but there are many birds to take care of and feed.

Strawberry plants are also reduced to half price at this time of year and although it is probably late in the season to be planting them, there is a good chance that they will be fine next year if they can survive the winter. The two varieties which I found were: Hapil and Elsanta, which I have never grown before.

Similarly bulbs like Alliums (Mars) which normally cost about £3 were 50% off as it is getting a bit wet to get planting in the garden. This variety of allium grows really tall flowers (48″) which look lovely in a mixed border and dry out nicely as they fade out. I noticed on their instructions that these alliums can actually be planted successfully right until the end of autumn. Many garden centres also have offers on other spring bulbs such as daffodils and tulips.

Finally I have also bought some broad beans (100 grms for 80p) and although these should have been planted earlier in the month, I have sown them in modules and placed them in the greenhouse to help with germination.

So when you next visit your garden centre to find some Christmas decorations check out the seasonal discounts on seeds, bulbs and plants, and you could save yourself a lot of money.

Harvest Time

Today in my East Anglian garden the sun is strong and temperatures are making the air seem a bit stuffy. We are enjoying summer with its abundance of flowers and fresh vegetables readily picked from the garden.

As I watch the combine harvester collecting the wheat in the local fields, it feels like we are preparing for the winter to come.

A new transition is on its way as morning mists and soft dews will soon bring us into a wetter season to come: Autumn.

Indeed for that price you get access to the following facilities according to Garden News:
a club house with fully fitted kitchen including a bread oven, a gardening library, 3 barbecues, car parking spaces, regular events, security, and free tea, coffee and juice for children. An artesian well has also been sunk to ensure that alloment holders have easy access to water. But most of all each plot has been dug over and is guaranteed stone free! Now that’s a luxury you wouldn’t get with a standard £15 rent a year council allotment.

You would probably expect to find this type of facilities in a more urban and cash rich like London but it seems that the allotment is popular with local residents from all trades of life.

I am lucky enough to be able to grow all my vegetables in my garden and if I were not able to do so I would certainly look to find a plot nearby. Although I don’t really need all the luxury which the Scotlandwell allotments bring with them. I would be particularly interested in the sense of community that allotments can bring together and which I have seen on many allotments in the Birmingham area for example.

There has been an increasing demand for allotments in recent years with a resulting shortage. In Cardiff alone it is reported that the allotment waiting lists stands at 857 people with an average waiting time of almost 12 months.

And we are being constantly being encouraged to reduce our impact on CO2 emissions with greater emphasis on where we source our food from. So I wonder: just like local councils provide recycling bins to every household is it possible that one day they will also plan for and provide grow-your-own plots for every household?

English Garden Garlic

Following from my last post on my garlic trial I am having mixed results at present. I guess the weather and the type of soil have had a lot to do with the results.

So far I can report that the garlic in my English garden is struggling as you can see in the picture on the right hand side with the tiny cloves and some onions in the background; in fact some of them seem to have died out.

I am not sure if the cause of this failure was the wet winter followed by a really dry spring.

French Garden Garlic

In the meantime the garlic in my French garden was doing fine last month but I have now left it to its own devices and I know that it is getting really hot down there. The harvest time shouldn’t be too far away now and only time will tell.

My Greenhouse Tomatoes

By now your tomato plants are likely to be of an average height of 9 inches (depending on when you sowed or planted them and where they are growing and care for). The tomatoes grown in my greenhouse are actually taller than the other outdoor specimen which I planted not that long ago and both are bearing flowers. The size of the plant is not a concern since it will all come in good time with the warm summer which we shall hopefully continue to enjoy (although it is cold and raining heavily today!).

So what do I need to do now to make sure that I get a delicious crop of tomatoes? For me just a bit of maintenance is enough as follows :

1. Removing side shoots:

Early on I try to make sure that I remember to remove the side shoots as they appear on cordon tomatoes only. I tend to focus on the shoots that start from the bottom part of the tomato plant stem. I often forget some side shoots but in my personal experience it doesn’t do any harm and I still get a good crop.

2. Staking the plants:

One of the most important task to do as the plant grows quickly and needs supports otherwise the wind may break you tomato plant and you’re left with a weak plant. I simply use bamboo canes and twine to support my plants.

3. Tomato water and feed:

Feeding tomato plants once a week if you remember to do it is great. I prefer to use an organic high-potash fertilizer from the moment my tomato plants start developing flowers. Sometimes I also give them a seaweed fertilizer which is organic and quite a comprehensive feed (although a bit expensive but I don’t over use it).

What about tomato diseases?

I don’t spray my tomatoes against diseases since I prefer to grow organic vegetables and in the past years I have done well without any chemicals. However two years ago when we had the floods I recall that everybody in the UK had to fight the dreaded tomato blight disease. Even Monty Don who had decided that year on the Gardener’s world TV programme to grow most of his tomatoes outdoor had a poor result.
I also like to grow companion plants next to my tomato plants and you can see in the above picture a little marigold next to the plant. This is supposed to deter predators which are likely to damage my plants and in this particular case I believe it is the strong smell of the marigold which confuses the predators. And it also looks good!

Finally, let’s not forgetting the best tasks of all: harvesting! And the more you harvest, the more you get in my personal experience. Also, it prevents the pests such as mice which I have seen in my greenhouse from temptation.

Strawberries in blossom

Strawberries are not that difficult to grow even for a gardening novice like me. I have a small patch where I cultivate the following varieties: Honeye and Cambridge Favourite, the latter one being my favourite variety indeed.

I have been a bit disappointed with the honeye variety which turned out to be not so sweet. One reason for this could be the origin of my plants which I bought from a local village fair as bare rooted home grown specimens.

I have also tried and enjoyed the following varieties: Royal sovereign strawberries (a popular well tried variety) and Gariguette (French variety).

My tips on how to grow strawberries

I planted my plants a couple of years ago and there are only a few tasks which I carry out each year in order to get a good harvest of strawberries:

1. Weeding in early spring:

This is important since the weeds will take out some of the nutrients which the plant will need to grow big juicy fruits. I also take this opportunity to remove any dead leaves following winter.

2. Feeding in spring:

A sprinkling of sulphate of potash around the area followed by a good watering helps maintain vigorous plants. I also use the sulphate of potash for my apple and cherry tree and this substance can allegedly be used as part of organic growing.

3. Straw protection:

A layer of dry straw at the base of the plants helps keep the fruits off the ground and prevents rotting which is particularly important if it is raining a lot.

4. Protect from the pests:

I have to remember every year to put a net around my strawberry patch to prevent the black birds from having a fiest at my expense. Otherwise I end up with nibbled fruits. Luckily I don’t have any problem with slugs but you may need to watch out for them too.

Finally I try to change the plants every 3 years and since I practice crop rotation, I intend to find a new spot for the new strawberry plants in my English garden. You can also grow strawberries in special terracotta strawberry pots with the additional benefit that it looks good on your patio.

Now I am not a specialist in making compost but my two compost bins are currently full to the brim with grass cuttings and the cardboard which I used to force my rhubarb, as well as the household vegetable waste which I collect every day. And I admit it: it feels good to be doing my bit at a personal level.

You can find specific instructions on how to make your own compost from many official websites. But I have found the Compost woman website to be an invaluable resource of information driven by personal experience and dedication. This blog does not only give you useful composting tips but also gives a good insight into what you can do as part of a more sustainable lifestyle.

And these days this encompasses growing your own vegetables, raising your own chickens (which I have would love to have time to do!!), getting involved with children and schools to raise awareness about protecting our environment to name just a few initiatives.

So last week I left my compost bin alone as I was busy pottering in my greenhouse. But I bought some organic peat free compost bags to fill the container in my greenhouse since I do not have any home made compost ready for use yet. The organic peat free compost was not that expensive (from New Horizon, the 3 bags of 50l cost me £12). The compost looked quite black and woodier than the usual general purpose compost with a slight smell of burnt wood (reminiscent of the free green waste compost available from the local council).

Hopefully this improved compost will show great results for growing most of my vegetables this year.