Saturday 1 May 2010

Another busy day...

I've done lots of potting on ... the sunshine is finally making a difference - well to some things at least. My tomatoes are still tiny - I've taken them home and put them up in the attic, which is the hottest room in the house ... I hope the kitties leave them alone !

This is a courgette ... I've got 15 long ones for the plant sale and 13 rounds ones so far ... hopefully a few more will appear over the next couple of weeks.

courgette

My Swiss Chard has really fattened up nicely ... I'm thinking of popping it out into one of the beds - well I was until I heard we might have frost early next week ! OH has given me some bubble wrap and some packing material that's similar to fleece, so I could make a tunnel and put them under it. Or I could go to B&Q tomorrow and buy a polythene tunnel. Or I could leave them in the greenhouse and dither for another week. Sounds like a plan then !

swiss chard

This is MY sweetcorn, destined for MY beds !!! I've got around 50 for the plant sale, not all as big as this. It looks great - I'm thinking these might go out soon .. under tunnels though to protect them.

sweetcorn

My beans are slow to appear again - it took three sowings last year for some of them. These are borlotti - they are for my beds. I'm sure I've sown some for the sale - I think I farmed them out somewhere. Wonder whether they've germinated yet ??!

Borlottie beans

I think this is a Queensland Blue ... it's fattening up nicely. I potted on all the squashes & courgettes for my plot today. I'm out of space, compost and time to do the ones for the plant sale ... I've got 54 squashes for the sale so far. I've got 7 for my beds I think - maybe 8 ... I'm starting to worry slightly about where they are all going to go ! I've spent 4 hours or so digging over the jungle ... the prepared bit is about double the size it was. It's been relatively easy to dig as the we've had lots of rain - time is an issue for me now. Wish I could clone myself, I'm meeting myself coming backwards at the moment !

Queensland Blue Squash

Oh I'm so pleased with my peas - gave them a good water today, they look really healthy. I must must must start to think about supports for them. They are Greenshaft (I think) and grow to around 5ft apparently. I helped Jenny net her peas this afternoon ... hmm, seem to recall the pigeons ate the peas that survived the mice last year. Sounds like I need a plan :(

There was a sparrow in the pigeon cage this afternoon ... does that count ?

peas

This is a teasel - it's destined for the plant sale. They are looking nice and healthy.

teasel

Forget-me-nots are in full bloom, they are beautiful. I've potted up some for the plant sale :)

forgetmenot2

Forgetmenot

The lottie has been teaming with beas, spiders, butterflies and frogs today

spider

frogs

The pond's surface is rippling with life ... I can't believe how big the tadpoles are already

tadpole

Tadpole3

Tadpoles2

This is an anemone ... I think ! It is rather lovely - all on its own though.

anenome2

The apple trees are blossoming - it looks delicious. This is the brambly apple from Lidyl
Brambly Apple

The Gala apple looks promising so far. Look at the sky, it's been a cracking day today - amazing fluffy white clouds decorating the beautiful blue sky.

gala apple2

gala apple

The raspberries are beginning to bud up and the blueberries have started to blossom

raspberry

The herbs look as though they are going to perform well again - I think this is marjoram, but in honesty I've forgotten ! Hmm, maybe it's oregano. Maybe I should google it ... haha maybe ... or then again, maybe not.

herbs

Ken gave me some lovely lettuce seedlings, so I've potted up some for me and some for the sale. My folks gave me some flower seedlings and some amazing tomato plants - they are huge - about 1ft tall already :)

I also spotted some baby rhubarb plants on one of my many trips backwards and forwards to the weed pile, so I've potted them up for the sale too. I've managed to keep my cucumbers alive and I've potted them on ... this is usually the point that they keel over :( When I left tonight I had 17 ... will be back at the lottie tomorrow to prick out another 99million seedlings ...

7 comments:

  1. Lots going on at the moment, good luck with the plant sale.

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  2. thanks ... I've got a mega busy week at work, an overseas friend coming to stay as well as the plant sale to prepare for ... I'll be lucky to have any sanity left by the end of the month :)

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  3. I must hold my head in shame.... I'm really behind this year and your pics of a bursting greenhouse are making me think I should really pull my finger out!!!
    On the plus side though the lotty is 100% cleared and tidy, and I painted my shed the other week!!!
    Least I dont have to worry too much about the frosts... tom's are only just poking their heads up in the seed trays!

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  4. Wow - what an amazing plant sale you're going to have - are you the only person supplying plants, because it looks like you could meet the needs of a fair sized county, seedling-wise!

    I don't have any cucumbers yet, my tomatoes are puny and my corn germination is dire. It's been a rotten year for seedlings. Yours all look splendid though.

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  5. You are far more organized than me!!
    Where is this plant sale??!!

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  6. plant sale is in Sheffield ... only 4 hours from Wales - well Swansea area anyway ... will keep an eye out for you ;=)

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  7. your photos, as always are amazing--and we envy your plot from here in the states--the students are gone from campus for the summer, so i am left to struggle with garden weeds and droughts until their return in august--we also had tadpoles in our pond this season, but they all turned out to be toad-poles instead, and already metamorphosed into a thousand tiny hoppers. several of the college kids had never seen that before--so that was good.....just checking in and adding our admiration.

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