Us Brits are well known for being weather obsessed, so you will forgive me for telling you that the past few days have been glorious. The weather has been lovely and so this weekend has been all about planting. I had intended to complete my sketchbook contribution this weekend, but the timing of the good weather made it ideal for planting some of this year’s crops. The forecast for next weekend (when there are two bank holidays) is poor, so crafting is much more likely then.
In the past few days I have (whist wearing my new apron) potted up tomatoes and sowed lots of seeds: squashes, courgettes, a variety of purple sprouting broccoli that sprouts in the summer, chives, parsnips, asparagus peas, various lettuces, mizuna and rocket. I’ve cleaned out pots, weeded and removed brambles. From the shed I retrieved a plastic bin with a lid and filled it with nettles and water to turn into nitrogen-rich liquid feed – it gets stinky, but it’s good stuff and it’s free. And I planted a whole raised bed with potatoes and netted these to prevent Max (who I think is some sort of potato hound) from digging them up and eating them.
I’ve also been admiring the growth of other plants in the limery – lettuces, melons, lemongrass seedlings and carnivores:
The sun has gone in now, hence finding the time to write, but I am feeling very satisfied with my activities. What have you been up to this weekend?
The Snail of Happiness 
coppicelearner
/ April 9, 2017The same as you! But mine has involved much barrowing up the hill of chipped wood and been interspersed with getting ready for the first contingent of family arriving tommorrow. Fantastic to get washing dried outside too.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 9, 2017Our washing machine expired yesterday! Fortunately I had got everything washed in the previous few days of sunshine, but there won’t be any more for a little while. Hope you have lovely family visits over the Easter period… oh and I now know when I’m away in May so we can make another attempt on lunch arrangements!
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Tami
/ April 9, 2017What a wonderful weekend you had playing in the dirt! I bet your new apron came in very handy! 😀
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 9, 2017it did… it’s not quite so clean now!
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quercuscommunity
/ April 9, 2017My weekend has consisted of letting my wife feed me. 🙂
It won’t last…
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katechiconi
/ April 9, 2017What industry! You must be able to look out there now and say “well, that’s food on the way for a bit”.
We got two trailer loads of fallen tree and palm prunings to the dump, all 3/4 of grass cut for the first time since the Big Wind since only now is the ground dry enough, I dug out 5 metres of ditch, the Husband fixed two sections of guttering, I finished quilting the blocks for TWX and trimmed them out, and we had the tribe around for dinner on Saturday to help us eat an enormous 4kg leg of pork. Oh, and the sun shone. (Big surprise there, then!)
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 10, 2017Sounds like the garden will soon be restored – what a lot of work just to get back to square one. I think you have been busier than me.
And, yes, I really like knowing that under the soil there is future food.
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arlingwoman
/ April 10, 2017I think I need some of those hoops to drop bird netting over. Your garden looks fabulous. Mine is coming along, but I have not yet planted squash or cucumbers. Tomatoes and peppers are in. Eggplant will come later…
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 10, 2017The hoops are made of water pipe – we bought a big roll and cut it to length to fit the beds – it’s really brilliant. Its purpose over the potato bed is to stop Max digging up the potatoes and eating them!
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arlingwoman
/ April 10, 2017Thanks. That’s what I’ll go for. I thought it might be piping.
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Charli
/ April 10, 2017Same as you, gardening! Which was potting up my first tomato and cucumber seedlings. Doing repairs to raised beds and the chicken coop. Wasn’t quite brave enough to tackle the turning of the compost heap though.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 10, 2017Great stuff… I love this time of the year!
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katythenightowl
/ April 10, 2017I have to admit to envying you your wonderful garden – and Limery!
I really miss all the home-grown food we used to do, but Mr Night Owl doesn’t miss the back-breaking job of getting all the growing patch ready, either! Lol
But he has been busy in the garden, too. I ordered a load of plug plants last week, to underplant some of our potted shrubs, so he’s been preparing the pots, getting the compost in tip-top condition for the next flowering season 🙂
The only thing other than flowers we’re growing this year, is some delicious tomatoes we discovered last year, called Tumbling Tom Yellow, due to their yellow colouring – a sweet and juicy little tomato that’s quite prolific, despite it’s size – which can be grown in hanging baskets, or a large tub.
I’m glad you’ve managed to christen your new apron so nicely! 🙂
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MrsCraft
/ April 10, 2017It’s been a great weekend for it! We are fetching a trailer load of compost and setting up raised beds again. Seeds that need to be indoors have all been sown too, it’s all go! Happy growing 😊
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 11, 2017I do like my raised beds… I’ve never regretted all the time and effort it took to build them!
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insearchofitall
/ April 11, 2017Very impressive!! Still waiting for a dry spell here. Seems everyday that it’s dry, I have somewhere I have to be but the Easter weekend is looking hopeful.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 11, 2017I hate it when I’m trapped indoors or away from home when the weather is good. Fingers crossed the coming weekend is kind to you weather-wise. Our forecast is not brilliant, so I’m glad I got outdoors when I had the chance.
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anne54
/ April 11, 2017There is nothing like a solid workout in the garden to make you feel satisfied, and you achieved so much. I have been planting winter veggies ~ brussel sprouts and cabbages so far. I haven’t had much success with them in the past, but I thought I would give them another go. Fingers crossed!
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crawcraftsbeasties
/ April 12, 2017I’m hoping to get some gardening in this weekend myself… I’ve already planted some lettuce and basil, but next on the list is rocket, parsley, some bee-friendly flowers and a spot of repotting! Good to hear that your garden is refilling after the winter and your new apron has been such a success!
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painterwrite
/ April 13, 2017We’re weather nuts in Oregon as well. Although right now, the weather is driving me nuts. It refuses to warm up, so all the seedlings I’ve sprouted are ready to get into the ground, but it’s too cold to plant them. I’m about ready to just plant them in the bathtub! As always, I’m very jealous of your lush veggies.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 13, 2017The temperature has dropped now and we have lots of rain forecast tomorrow – inevitably because it’s a public holiday. I’ was very restrained this year and held off planting indoors until a bit later than usual – I’m hoping this will mean I don’t have too much stuck inside when it’s big enough to be out.
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painterwrite
/ April 13, 2017I think I need to practice some patience when it comes to starting my seeds, especially as it seems our springs have been delayed about a month over the past few years.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 13, 2017it’s so hard though, isn’t it?
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painterwrite
/ April 13, 2017After winter it is hard to resist that urge to get spring underway.
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