This week has seen us attack the mares tail and bindweed. The far end of the garden is destined to become a wildlife area. As a reluctant gardener this is ideal for me - lots of grass with very little mowing involved. Not that I do much mowing as I suffer from hay fever. I am just thinking of the mower operator, namely Mrs Mark, just call me Mr Considerate!
So this weekend should see me continuing to prepare the ground for the hedge, wild flower lawn and the wildlife pond. The lining for the pond has been in the house for nearly a year now. For those of you who have not been reading the blog since the start, the lining arrived just before the rains of last year. Hopefully we will see the ground prepared over the next few days. The intention is to use the earth removed to fill in the beds and level some of the paths.
And finally...
Easter weekend, several days off work and the weather forecast is... well it could be better but let's see what we can achieve :)
Mark
Thursday, 20 March 2008
Sunday, 16 March 2008
I Ache...
This weekend has seen a little more progress in the garden. There is still a long way to go but we are moving forwards.
Karen has planted some more seeds with the result that we have lost even more of the dining room table. The up side is that we will be eating the produce in a few months time.
The greenhouse has been a Little problematic of late. We have one section where the glass keeps slipping. We have already lost a couple of panes already this year. The high winds have not helped but hopefully the addition of some more W and Z clips will help. Yesterday saw me working on the cold frame area behind the greenhouse. We have a fair amount of wood spare from the construction of the raised beds a couple of years ago. The intention is to use this to create some cold frames - I guess I know where next weekend is going. Better recharge Mr Drill and Mr Screwdriver.
In addition to the work on the gravelled area for the cold frames we have restarted work on the far end of the garden. This has always been the dampest section of the plot. It also has a couple of very problematic weeds - mares tail and bindweed. This area also needs some levelling. The long term aim is to put a wildlife pond down there. The first job was to remove the "rockery" that was put at the end of the garden. This has been nothing more than a home for the two aforementioned weeds! As of today this has been levelled - and I can say this is backbreaking work - I'm 6' 2" and the wheel barrow is a lot lower. At least the ground work is there for the next job.
Mark
Karen has planted some more seeds with the result that we have lost even more of the dining room table. The up side is that we will be eating the produce in a few months time.
The greenhouse has been a Little problematic of late. We have one section where the glass keeps slipping. We have already lost a couple of panes already this year. The high winds have not helped but hopefully the addition of some more W and Z clips will help. Yesterday saw me working on the cold frame area behind the greenhouse. We have a fair amount of wood spare from the construction of the raised beds a couple of years ago. The intention is to use this to create some cold frames - I guess I know where next weekend is going. Better recharge Mr Drill and Mr Screwdriver.
In addition to the work on the gravelled area for the cold frames we have restarted work on the far end of the garden. This has always been the dampest section of the plot. It also has a couple of very problematic weeds - mares tail and bindweed. This area also needs some levelling. The long term aim is to put a wildlife pond down there. The first job was to remove the "rockery" that was put at the end of the garden. This has been nothing more than a home for the two aforementioned weeds! As of today this has been levelled - and I can say this is backbreaking work - I'm 6' 2" and the wheel barrow is a lot lower. At least the ground work is there for the next job.
Mark
Sunday, 9 March 2008
The New Season Begins
Today saw the first day that the two of us were able to work in the garden. A combination of the weather, work and other commitments have so far conspired to keep us from doing more than a few hours work. The ground has now dried out enough to enable us to walk on the paths without sinking too far.
Cleaning Up
The fisrt job was to clear up the last of the vegetables and plants left from last year. The flower bed has been cleared and now stands empty - well of everything but weeds. Some of the vegetables remain in the ground for the moment. We still have a small number of leeks and cauliflowers in the ground and they will be used up (in the case of the leeks) or given time to grow to an edible size (for the cauliflowers).
Fruit
Late last year we put in the support posts for the cordons and the soft fruit. The last part of the job was to put gardeners wire between the posts and to support the fruit from the wire. This was finally completed today.
Vegetables
We already have the first crop of broad beans in the ground. These have been in the ground since last year and they are currently about 8 inches tall and have some flower buds on them. With a bit of luck we should be eating these in about May this year.
The leeks have over wintered. Most are on the small side and we will have to see what the flavour is like as we have not tried them yet.
The first of the vegetable seeds to be planted outside have gone in the ground today. The second crop of broad bean and the first peas have been planted ouside today.
The asparagus bed has been weeded - not too many weeds there at the moment. They have also been built up with a little compost.
So How Does The Rest Look?
Most of the fruit trees are looking like they will bud soon or are currently budding. The quince has visibl leaves and look like it is enjoying it's new spot in the garden. Some of the apples are also starting to bud as are the two pears.
The garlic is looking really healthy. The elephant garlic looks to have the odd empty spot but the rest appears to be doing well as you can see:
In fact, it curently looks like we will not be popular with friends and colleagues who do not like garlic.
Mark
Cleaning Up
The fisrt job was to clear up the last of the vegetables and plants left from last year. The flower bed has been cleared and now stands empty - well of everything but weeds. Some of the vegetables remain in the ground for the moment. We still have a small number of leeks and cauliflowers in the ground and they will be used up (in the case of the leeks) or given time to grow to an edible size (for the cauliflowers).
Fruit
Late last year we put in the support posts for the cordons and the soft fruit. The last part of the job was to put gardeners wire between the posts and to support the fruit from the wire. This was finally completed today.
Vegetables
We already have the first crop of broad beans in the ground. These have been in the ground since last year and they are currently about 8 inches tall and have some flower buds on them. With a bit of luck we should be eating these in about May this year.
The leeks have over wintered. Most are on the small side and we will have to see what the flavour is like as we have not tried them yet.
The first of the vegetable seeds to be planted outside have gone in the ground today. The second crop of broad bean and the first peas have been planted ouside today.
The asparagus bed has been weeded - not too many weeds there at the moment. They have also been built up with a little compost.
So How Does The Rest Look?
Most of the fruit trees are looking like they will bud soon or are currently budding. The quince has visibl leaves and look like it is enjoying it's new spot in the garden. Some of the apples are also starting to bud as are the two pears.
The garlic is looking really healthy. The elephant garlic looks to have the odd empty spot but the rest appears to be doing well as you can see:
In fact, it curently looks like we will not be popular with friends and colleagues who do not like garlic.Mark
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