Hello! I hope you've all been keeping well. I don't know about you but the weather has been quite erratic lately. We've experienced rain, hail, warm days, winds. Luckily no frosts!
Despite feeling tired, I feel like I haven't achieved much lately. I've had to work this weekend so there's not been much time for the garden. Having said that, the veg patch is coming along quite nicely. Not as much as I'd hoped by now as time feels it's running away but anything's better than nothing. There's lots of fledgling birds and the blue tit chicks will fledge soon.
The Veg Patch:
I've got one more soft fruit bush to put in! I now have jostaberries, blackberries, currants and gooseberries there. Upon inspection this afternoon, it looks like the wood pigeons have been tucking in to the soft fruit before it gets a chance to ripen. Our pair of woodies has two fledglings, who take refuge in the big tree at the bottom of the garden. I do feed them to try and distract them from my fruit but it's not worked. It's a bit annoying but I can't blame them - everyone needs to eat!
The broad beans are flowering. The best part of this is that the pollen contains a lot of protein, which is great for bumblebees. The flowers are mildly scented and very pretty (check out the photo below). Underground, the roots also fix nitrogen, thanks to the symbiotic relationship with bacteria. This year I've planted the broad beans next to my potatoes, as I've been told that they are great companions. What I will also do differently this year is cut the broad bean plants when they're done, instead of pulling them out. This was a suggestion in a book I read last year, so I'll see if this benefits the soil for next year.
The Polytunnel:
All my tomatoes are in now, along with two courgette plants. I'll be placing physalis plants in pots on the shelving soon, as they need potting on now. I'm aiming to try and keep the plants for next year. Usually they get treated as annuals but I'm hoping that with the right protection over winter and against pests or diseases, I can keep them growing.
The Greenhouses:
I've treated myself to new blueberry plants, so they are taking up residence in one greenhouse. The new strawberries are still in pots there too. The plan is to create a wall of strawberry plants but I've not been feeling creative enough recently to design this! Maybe I'll get some inspiration this week or at a garden trip I have planned for this month. There's also some young watermelon plants that germinated. I've grown these in the past but haven't been particularly successful so fingers crossed.
Wildlife:
The bird activity in the garden is busy! Although it's hard to tell on my old camera, I think that six blue tit chicks have survived so far. They are almost ready to fledge and I'm hoping to witness this as I have managed to do so almost every year. There are lots of young starlings pestering their parents and, of course, the wood pigeons with their two fledglings. I haven't seen much of the hedgehog - just a few sightings at the ground level bird bath but I'm pleased that we still have hedgehogs visiting our garden.
Jobs in the garden:
- Keep water topped up (remember to clean bird baths etc) for birds and other wildlife
- Harden off any seedlings that will be moved outdoors eventually, but keep an eye out for frosts just in case
- Enjoy propagating but bored of sowing seeds? Now is a good time for softwood cuttings, or take some cuttings or tender perennials to maximise on your plants for free.
- Prune any spring flowering shrubs
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