Some photos from the weekend...

Running out of room already!

More sowing and potting on today.
Sown:

• Cosmos bipinnatus'Candy Stripe'
• Two types of bedding dahlia
• Marigolds (for the allotment)
• Rudbeckia 'Rustic Dwarf' (grow every year)
• Ricinus 'Impala'
• Leek 'Jaune de Poitou' (yellow leaved, early)
• Leek 'Bleu de Solaise' (blue leaved, late - withstands frosts well)

What's coming up:

• radishes
• dahlia seeds sown last week
• Swiss Chard
• second sowing of red peppers

What's been potted on:

• Cabbage 'Primo'
• Brussels Sprout 'Trafalgar'

Weather: around 12degC, overcast this afternoon.

No trips down the allotment this weekend, as we went to visit Dad. He gave us a beautiful orchid plant, which is currently sitting on the dining room table. I'm going to have to get to grips with orchids, as this is the second we have now. My sister in law has a wonderful way with them, including unusual and difficult to grow ones. A new challenge!

Coming out in the garden:

• large daffodils
• both camellias are now in flower
• the Kerria planted last year is just starting to flower.

Next weekend, I'll have to get the early potatoes planted doen on the plot. A busy time of year!

Lighter nights!

The increased light in the evening has meant that I've been able to do a bit of gardening after work today.

I've pricked out and potted on the Tigerella and Orange Banana tomatoes which I sowed 10 days ago. I'm too soft when it comes ot pricking out, as I feel guilty about not using every single plant and just throwing those I don't need onto the compost heap. Consequently, I've now got 15 Tigerella plants and 25 Orange Banana. That's not counting the 12 Tumblers which are growing in small pots, although I will be potting some of these up and giving them to Dad. Three more peppers have germinated, but I've kept these in the heated propagator, in the hope that some more will germinate, given time.

With some room made in the propagator, I've sown some 'Cayenne' chillis which I got free last year, and some mixed bedding dahlia seeds.

Ness again...

We are 'Friends of Ness Gardens', which means free entry to the gardens all year, for a membership (for two) of around £30.

So, we went this morning, although the sky was looking rather grey. Unfortunately, it was only around 10 mins into the visit that the heavens opened. SomeBeans managed to get some photos of the camellias and hellebores before we had to admit defeat and withdraw to the cafe for coffee and cake.

A good afternoon's work

Down the allotment today, with sunny and warm weather meaning that I was working in a T-shirt.
The warm winter means that weeds are growing well. I've had to fork through a bed to remove yet more couch grass roots - I'll gradually make my way through the other beds again over the next few weeks.

Just because I'm over-keen, I also planted some seeds:

• Carrot 'Early Nantes' (free from a magazine) - 1 row
• Spring Onion 'White Lisbon'
• Leek 'Autumn King' (?)
• Parsnip 'Avonresister', planted with radishes
• a few broad bean plants which were over-wintered in the greenhouse.
• Calendula 'Sherbert Fizz'
• Nigella (seeds harvested from the front garden)

Progress on plants in the greenhouse:

• the red-flowered broad beans are up, and a second sowing done
• tomato 'Tumbler' are up
• tomato 'Orange Banana' are up
• several types of salad leaves have germinated
• Rudbeckia have germinated
• Cabbage 'Primo' is starting to germinate.

Spring has sprung!

It was also nice to chat to another lady down the allotment - she has been there for 8-9 years, and has 2 plots (one shared with her daughter) and has just taken on a very overgrown allotment next to them. She said that there is a vixen which omes to see her, for marmite sandwiches.

No photos of the plot, as I forgot to take the camera down. We may have some photos of hellebores to put up tomorrow, as we're off to Ness Botanic Gardens in the morning if the weather is OK.

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.

Margaret Atwood

Little packets of anticipation

Days are lengthening and I've come over far too optimistic and have just sown lots of seeds. So, to remind me of what I've done when, for next year's planning, here's the list:

• Tomato 'Orange Banana'


• Tomato 'Tigerella'


• Lettuce mix: Herb Salad


• Lettuce mix: Oriental Mixed - second sowing


• Red Pepper


• Broad Bean (crimson flowered) - second sowing


• Sweet Peas - mixed variety


• Celeriac 'Giant Prague'


• Cabbage 'Primo'

I've also potted on the Aubergine 'Calliope' sown over a month ago, but the tomatoes gor too leggy and so have been consigned to the compost bin.

Weather is mild and damp (around 10 Celsius).

I've put out the hyacinth pots that I planted up in October - the pink flowers are out, but the blue ones are lagging behind.

In flower in the garden:

• Narcissus 'Tete a Tete'


• Helleborus x hybridus - variety of colours, from dark pink, green, cream, cream with red speckles, and a double cream flowered variety.

• Anemone blanda blue


• Miniature iris - 'Katherine Hodgekin' in the window box and unknown dark blue variety in the rose tub by the front door.


• The Sarcococca is now going over


• Mixed Crocus

The final bed

We spent some time down at the allotment yesterday afternoon. Happily, the shed survived the gale force winds, although others weren't so lucky. Mr HM finished digging the final bed, which I'll use for cutting flowers such as dahlias, gladioli and sunflowers. I merely pottered, weeding and digging the runner bean trench. I remember my dad doing this, when I was a kid - digging out a trench, lining it with newspapers and then gradually filling it over the following couple of months with compostable veg waste and lawn clippings. This gives the beans a good moisture retentive material in which to grow - important on the sandy soil on the plot.

Another couple of weeks and I'll be putting the heating on in the greenhouse, when the next wave of seed sowing can start in earnest!

Chitting

A useful day spent in the garden on Sunday. I managed to put back up all of the bubble wrap which had fallen down from the previous week (note to self: masking tape doesn't work). Mr HM finished distributing soil around the garden from the turf pile.

Nights are getting slightly lighter and my fingers are itching to get sowing seeds, so I did. I sowed Tomato 'Gardener's Delight' and 'Tigerella' and Aubergine 'Calliope'. It's probably rather early and I would have been better off waiting until February, but never mind. Having checked them this afternoon, they have now germinated - I have started them off in a heated propagator in the conservatory, covered with a thin layer of vermiculite. From sowing to germination in less than a week! My problem now will be to stop them getting too leggy in the low light levels of Late Jan/early Feb. If the tomatoes get leggy, it is possible to plant them quite deeply, as they produce roots from the stem to help anchorage. I've started these off early as last year, my aubergines only got to flowering size by September, so I didn't get any fruits at all.

The next seeds to get started will be the peppers I have just bought, from 'Plants of Distinction'.

I've also started some potatoes chitting. I got 1kg of 'Bonnie' free from T&M. I also got the following from Kings Seeds: 'Pink Fir Apple' - salad/maincrop; 'Lady Christl '- first early; 'Catriona' - second early. 'Lady Christl' will be grown in containers to give nice early potatoes, but the other two will be going down the allotment. I've started the first and second earlies chitting, although the jury is out on its usefulness. I won't bother chitting the 'Pink Fir Apple' as chitting seems to have no benefit for maincrops.

A clean and tidy New Year

A busy day today. Two years ago, we produced a turf pile of the grass we took up when we were expanding the borders. Over the two years, the turf has broken down to give some nice soil. Somebeans spent a busy two days moving this soil around to various areas of the garden in need of topping up.

I have cleaned out the greenhouse, inside and out, and put up the bubble wrap insulation, ready for when we turn the gas heater on in the beginning of February. I also cleaned lots of pots and trays, and threw a load away. Much tidiness has therefore been produced, which pleases Somebeans immensely. Not too many scary spider incidents, which pleased me immensely.

The area where the turf pile was will be planted up over this year. It is beneath two flowering cherry trees, so is quite dry and also dark when the leaves are on the trees. There is currently a holly bush under there, and a pinkish rhodedendron (variety unknown). I'm thinking that some spring woodland bulbs will look good before the cherry leaves arrive.

Sadly we're both back to work tomorrow, so it's a return to seeing the garden only in the dark during the week. Roll on the lighter spring evenings...