Vivi's Kitchen Garden

It’s a long one so grab a cup of tea and get yourself comfortable. I visit with Richard & Paul to film answers to some of your questions…….we had so many great questions we had to make a second part which will be on R&P’s channel in a couple of days. They are such easy, wonderful company……but sometimes that makes it hard to film…..so there are a few outtakes added at the end!

After a week away from the garden there are some good displays of growth…..which means lots of little jobs to get on with including training and tying in. Lovely, gentle summer jobs.

I will be at RHS Malvern Autumn show on the 29th of September along with Jane Kelly, Huw Richards & Liz Zorab. For discounted tickets (available until August 2nd) use the code YouTube10 when booking at https://www.malvernautumn.co.uk/

Whilst still at my Mum’s I give her a hand with a few other heavy jobs so that she doesn’t need to use her elbow……and she can’t resist just a few more plants for the garden! I get back to London and head straight to my garden with the division of Helenium.

I take a long overdue trip up to my mum’s to give her a hand post-surgery…….she put me to work in her garden and it was great fun……it has really started to fill out over the last 10 months and is looking great for a garden that is only a year old…..and she now has a veggie patch!

I’m not going to have a chance to get to the garden much over the next few days so I am feeling a bit pressured to get some jobs done which ought to have been completed a few weeks ago…….my mantra this year seems to have become ‘better late than never’……

It really feels like summer in the garden when I have time to simply tinker……a bit of tying here and there……time to quietly sit and harvest flowers…….bliss…….and even better when I have friends to join me here…….

It’s the start of July and time to have a walk around the garden to see how things are doing.

Finally all the bits and bobs of plants from the coldframe and deck area get planted in pots and an experimental grow bag. It seems to have taken longer than normal to get to this stage this year……but at last I’m ready to sit back in my deck-chair once more……

A comment from a friend and an article in a newspaper got me thinking about my frugal living and where the habit has come from.

There are still a few gaps in the garden which need plugging so I am experimenting with some transplanting. I have never felt as behind as I do this year but finally it feels like there is light at the end of the tunnel and the garden is almost ready for summer. Almost.