May - Update

Runner Beans.

I have sown two lots of runner beans this year. I usually grow Scarlet Emperor which are very good and produce a prolific crop.

This year I wanted to try a new variety so I have sown 4 seeds of Best of All. The Scarlet Emperor were planted out this weekend and Best of All are just breaking through the soil. Just need to think now were they are going to go. Last year 4 plants supplied enough beans for a family of 4, two neighbours and my mum and dad. This year I want enough so I can pick them a bit younger.

Teasel & Lemon Balm

Earlier this year I was fortunate to receive some Teasel Seeds and Lemon Balm cuttings and seeds.

The picture on the left is the teasel which was planted out last weekend, I have dotted them around the garden to encourage the birds who like to feed on the seeds, however they will have a bit of a wait as they are biennials. The lemon balm has put on a lot of growth and the seeds I received will be sown as I want to grow another pot in hope that I may get an allotment some day. The lemon balm I an going to use for pot pourri and I want to try it as a tea. Will let you know what its like!
Potatoes In Flower Pots.
The potatoes that were planted up back in March have been growing well. I chitted them throughout February and early March and they sprouted and were planted up into flower pots. I drilled holes in the bottom for drainage. The varieties I am growing are Pentland Javlin, Charlotte and Pink fir apple. I planted two seed potatoes to a pot. At the moment they are sat on the patio step which gets a lot of sun as its south facing. At night they are covered up with fleece just in case of frost. Last year I did some potatoes in a grow sack and this method worked quite well although one of the varieties that I did turned out really poor so hoping these will perform better this year.
Blueberry Bushes.

I planted two blueberry bushes last year which I have been growing in pots of acid soil. They have been flowering for a few weeks now. I don't expect a huge crop from them but would like enough just to try home made blueberry muffins!

My dog "Billy" protects them from the birds but may have to consider putting a net over them for when he's not about.

Azalea

My Sister brought me this Azalea last year as a gift. This is the first time it has flowered and its beautiful.
The flowers are a soft purple colour, later in the season and after it has finished flowering I will pot it up and move it into the shade.
This is the first time I have grown azalea, and its nice to see some spring colour as the daffs and tulips have gone over now.
Beetroot and Chard.
My beetroot and chard have been growing well in the pop up cold frame. They will be ready to go out in a few weeks time. I have been leaving the top vents undone all day and night. I still need to harden them off properly so over the next week they will be left out during the day for one week and then all night the following week as long as we have no frosts forecast. Our last frost date for my area is mid may. Although some years ago I can remember a frost in the first week of June, lots of disappointed gardeners that year as lots of people were caught out. Always a risk of when to plant out but will keep an eye on the weather forecasts and a hand on the fleece!

Spring and Garden Chores.

We have been busy over the last few weeks, completing gardening jobs. One of the new projects has now been completed. I wanted to build some more raised beds, but had to redesign the garden to fit them in. So its "Goodbye" to the two compost darleks as the space they took up has now been reallocated to two raised beds.We managed to build three in total. These beds will be used to grow a variety of veggies this year.

As I don't want to stop composting, I have ordered a wormery.

The website that I ordered from have 15% off, so got a big one as I want to produce as much compost as I can from kitchen scraps. The model pictured is not cheap but you can pick up wormery's for about £30 to £50 pounds depending on what your requirements are.

I will continue to compost but will do it via a different method. Our local authority collects garden waste that you put into green bags for collection. During the gardening year they come every fortnight, so I will use this method to compost garden waste as they have huge compost heaps to break garden waste down. The compost that they make is sold back to householders at £1 per bag.

This is a picture of our newly planted apple trees. I had been waiting to get these in as the weather had been bad.

I am training them as cordons. I have planted at a 45 degree angle, tied trees to canes. I have also set up the wire framework, three wires approx 18 inches apart which have been pulled tight to help keep the trees in place.

The varieties we have chosen are Cox's Orange Pippin and Golden Delicious. Both are in the same pollination group, so hopefully we may get some apples at a later stage.

Another job that I have managed to get done this weekend in the glorious sunshine, was to lift my strawberry plants. I have had these plants for a few years and have been propagating the runners as new plants. I have put them in a two tier flower stand. I hope this will stop the the slugs.

I have planted out the garlic that was put in modules earlier in the year, I now have lots of green shoots and the shop brought clove has also made an appearance.

I have continued to sow seeds in the greenhouse. I have sown cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, sorrel and thyme. The carrots sown into a trough are doing well, peas are up and the lavender and Chinese lanterns have all been picked put.

I am continuing to pot on tomatoes and chili's. I have sown far too many for our requirements so I will be sharing them out with family and friends.

Spring is definitely on the way, we have daffodils coming into flower along with crocus and snowdrops. Looking around the garden, plants are starting to come into bud, with a few green leaves coming along. Our Chaenomeles (ornamental quince) has lots of leaves forming.

This week I am going to sow some flower seeds for use around the veggie patch. I want to do some companion planting to protect crops and also encourage wildlife into the garden. Speaking of wildlife today we saw the first bee of the season. I think it was probably a queen as it was about the size of a fifty pence piece and was buzzing all over the place. I have also sown some teasel seeds (thank you seasprout). I love the structure of these plants in the winter and want to grow them to help feed the birds. They look particularly decorative in the winter when covered in frost. I have also been lucky enough to receive some lemon balm seeds and cuttings (thank you seasprout and Mrs C) which I am going to grow to produce some pot pourri. The plant has a beautiful lemon scent and can also be used in tea. I am going to try the tea so will report back at a later date.

So far, I have a good feeling about this year's growing season. Let's hope I am right!