Finally! We have sunshine and warmth so the race is on to get the last bits of preparation done on the beds ready for some direct sowing and to make sure supports are in place for the climbing plants. It’s also time to simply sit back, do nothing and enjoy being in the garden.
It feels great to get the last of the indoor sowings done…….and to re-sow all the tomatoes, leeks and celery after a bit of a disaster with some bad compost. Now I can think about the direct sowings in the garden……..
On a very chilly day I start to get ready for winter! Sowing my brassicas with numb, cold fingers and dreaming of warmer days…..hopefully sowing flower seeds will prompt the sun to come out.
It’s time to give some attention to the grass paths – I love the first mow of the new season especially when I’m surrounded by fellow gardeners all pitching in to make our site a lovely place to be. Cake works well as an incentive. When all the communal work is done it’s time to play with ‘rubbish’ – in this case an old grapevine….
Cooking up a bowl of memories and comfort using veggies from the garden and a recipe learned in a Greek kitchen many years ago……the smell of the thyme as this stew quietly bubbles on the stove transports me to another time and place….
My excitement is starting to build again……a little walk around the garden reminds me that most of the hard work has been done and that I’m ready for a new growing year….I just need a bit of sunshine now.
It feels great to finally get something in the ground! At home I am still cooking with last year’s harvests so I hope this year’s do just as well……..despite the rather chilly, damp start to this new growing season….
It’s not freezing cold…..but the greyness and the damp make it feel pretty miserable outside. I need soul warming and belly filling food. Using last year’s stored harvests I cook up a big pot of chilli to keep me company during this extended winter.
When it’s raining cats and dogs and rather chilly outside there’s only one thing for it – play with the indoor sown seedlings. The peppers and celeriac sown six weeks ago are big enough now to move onto the next stage……bigger pots.
It’s been a tough three days getting trenches ready for potatoes and turning the field beans (green manure) in – not helped by such a wet winter. It isn’t my favourite job….so I’m happy it’s done now.
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