Wow - mini-heatwave in Sheffield !!

I've spent the morning potting up my hanging basket - in theory it should be purple, pink & silver when it flowers ... the theory is always good until the flowers appear haha

Here are my broadies ... looking pretty good - I've finally got around to staking them and have taken off the metal cage that they've been under since October. 

Once again I have the age old dilemma of how to support my peas ... canes & string proved extremely unsuccessful last time I used them, but I don't have any pea sticks as usual ... I've added the lower string as the peas are just popping through the surface, so I can dither for at least another week ... I also need to work out how to keep them safe from the pigeons 

This little beauty is my elephant garlic - I planted 2 cloves and I think it is going to be very impressive at the end of the season

Thank goodness my leeks have finally started to perk up

Now I might regret this, but I've planted out two of my courgettes - they are under cloches during the night .... we have a covered bed, a kind of mini-polytunnel that I'm thinking of moving them to.  Tricky time of year .... the news keeps talking about rural frost, hope it knows the lottie is in a city !!

I have spares just in case !

Two of my tomato plants have more than doubled in size, so I've taken the plunge and planted them in ring culture in the small greenhouse ... I'm edging the beds in strawberries :)

Going to give my pepper another week in it's pot and then pop it into the ring culture in the small greenhouse.  It is loving the sunshine

greenhouse progress

Each day it seems like another line of salad has germinated

salad

this one is incredibly hot, it tastes like radish

more salad !

So out of my 6 cucumbers, 5 remain ... hurrah !  I've planted 3 of them direct into the salad greenhouse.  I'm keeping 2 as spares tho' - after all they are bound to kick the bucket with my past track record.  OH is under strict instructions not to water the neck.  Lets see how long they last :) 

The rhubarb has gone mental - all the plants are throwing up flower stems - I've pulled them off and put them into the compost bin, but suspect it will just throw up more

So many things are bursting into blossom - here is one of the apple trees

and the plum is in full flower too, along with the pear tree

I didn't manage to get a photo of the nectarine in blossom (it was like very delicate cherry blossom), but here is a picture of the fruits which are just setting.  Vic is away, so I'm in charge - hope I don't do anything bad to them  

The kiwi fruit is very vigorous - wonder if I'll get any fruits from it

Well I never knew that rosemary flowered - it has beautiful, delicate blue flowers - delightful

This is lemon balm - its a herb. Not sure what it is used for - it smells like cheap detergent ... mmmmm, yummy !

Oh my .... has it really been so long !

The UK finally seems to be emerging from the grip of winter ... at last the sunshine seems to be winning thank goodness !

As I look around at the spare beds and everything that 's germinating I ponder that age old question ... where the heck is it all going to go !!

I've got the A team potted up and sheltering in the small greenhouse that will be mine to use this season - 3 x Goldena Courgettes, 3 x Green Bush Courgettes, 5 x Butternut squash, 3 x Turks Turbins.  The B team - the additional plants - are still in smaller pots whilst I decide just how many I need and where I can squeeze them.

The 'A' team !

The 'B' team !

My beautiful autumn sown peas didn't survive the endless weeks of snow that we've had, despite the makeshift fleece tent that I erected over the top of them, so I've sown some new ones this weekend. In fact I've sown three types - Dolce Provence, Hurst Greenshaft & mangetout

My broadbeans have also suffered, but those that made it through are now festooned in flowers - I've filled in the holes with some new plants and really must stake them before they all topple over.

The onions, leeks, garlic & elephant garlic seem to have mostly made it through the winter, hopefully a bit of sunshine will encourage them to have a little growth spurt.

I've spent most of April frantically sowing seeds - already germinated and potted on are:


Bunyards Broadbeans
Turk's Turbans

Butternut Squash
Courgettes - as above  A lot of the seeds didn't germinate (think they were Lidl's)

Violas
Cauliflower - three varieties, white, green & purple I think
Marketmore cucumbers

In the salad greenhouse I've sown direct into the bed:
Fennel
5 varieties of carrot
basil
parsley
coriander
lemon coriander
rocket
spinach
several varieties of lettuce
Spring onion

and still waiting to germinate are:
Queensland Blue squash
Lidl's special 'mixed Gourds'
Sweetcorn
Tomatoes - Roma & Gardeners Delight
Melons
Crown Prince I think
The trombone looking squash
and something else !
Borlotto beans
French climbing beans

In the allotment beds I've added in some more onion sets, replanted the strawberries, sown Beetroot (3 varieties) and planted Pink Fir Apple potatoes.  I'm trying my main potatoes (Charlottes & King Edwards) in bags this season, partly down to space and partly down to being too lazy to plant them in a bed - I can't face having to dig them up again at the end of the year !

I've also got around 6 globe artichokes that also made it through the winter and need to find a permanent home for them to live.

Just in case I didn't have enough plants, I've also been to a nursery in Aston today - I bought tomato plants: chocolate cherry, gardeners delight, Roma & Golden Sunshine and a red pepper which will go into the small greenhouse, once the A team have vacated it !

All in all it's going to be a busy season I think !

Our front garden has about 10 varieties of different flowers in bloom at the moment: violets, yellow tulipss, miniature daffodils just turning, violas, primulas, blue iris, blue grape hyacinth and a few others, along with possibly a very special Fritillaria Sibthorpian:  http://www.fritillariaicones.com/icones/ic100/Fritillaria_Icones108.pdf  In the back garden, which is more of a patch still, the kiwi plant has kicked back into life along with the fig.

Fritillaria Sibthorpian ?

Love this time of year ! Happy days are here :)
Here is Fergie on Mouse watch @ the lottie

Very pleased with myself ... I've managed to make a holly & ivy wreath for my front door :)

 Hope you all enjoy the holiday season x