Well, not quite, but we are in the middle of a pandemic and it seems wise to grow whatever vegetables that I can. Today was gloriously sunny with a cold breeze in the afternoon, so teenager and I picked up the seed packets and divvied up the prepared veg patch into rectangles and sowed seed. Small amounts of each variety, but we can do more later. We have started with three varieties of carrots, parsnips, two varieties of radish, spring onions, three varieties of lettuce, rocket, perpetual spinach, mixed salad leaves, leeks, and three varieties of beetroot. We then put netting up to try and keep the cats off. I sowed French climbing beans in pots in the outhouse too.
2nd April
All that is coming up so far is bindweed and ash seedlings, but we'll keep fingers crossed. The weather has been chilly but beautiful so am trying to get out into the garden every day. I have painted two sides of the shed in sage green, and trained the passionflower up chicken wire on the front. I have weeded the long border as far as the conifer, and now need to do the other side so that I have space to plant the seed potatoes and the vegetable seedlings growing rapidly in the outhouse.
There are plenty of flowers blooming in the garden, with a glut of dandelions and daisies in particular. Red and yellow deadnettles are also in bloom, as well as bluebells, cowslips, primroses, hairy bittercress, and celandines. Gorgeous! There is plenty of wildlife too, and I have seen peacock and red admiral butterflies, several species of bee and bumblebee, and can hear a multitude of birds singing in the nearby trees now that there is little traffic making a noise.
I have been busy planting in the flower beds too, and have planted Allium, Nectoscordum (both grown in pots), Peony, Sedum spectabile, Sweet Williams, Penstemon, and a pink-flowered shrub that I can never remember the name of, but the bees like the flowers! I have also removed the ivy and soil from under the back door step, so that the step fits properly in place.
