End of Another Year

And time for the harvest.  It's like a treasure hunt, digging for golden potatoes

Haven't the Busy Beez done well?  We have a nice healthy harvest of potatoes, peas, onions and garlic.

We've had so much success with the tomato plants that the Busy Beez have sold a great deal of plants to raise money for gardening essentials such as compost.  They sold like the proverbial hot cakes.  We still have a lot of plants in the sandpit that will soon begin to form fruit.  Yes, tomoatoes are fruit!  They have seeds inside, which vegetables do not have.

Yet more potatoes, these will be harvested in the autumn.

Watering is all important even if it's been raining, this is because the foliage of the plants can cover the soil below like an umbrella, keeping off the rain.  It is also the favoured task for the Beez.

The young tree saplings are strong and healthy.  Soon to be planted out.

Have a wonderful summer holiday.  If you've bought a tomato plant or two, do take photographs of your own harvest, and we'll add them to the blog!

Lazy Summer Days

There's still time to plant for some late summer - autumn colour.  Among these young seedlings are Calendular, also known as Marigolds.  Bright colour that will hopefully be in full swing for our return in September.

A large meadow isn't always necessary for some insect-friendly blooms.

These brightly coloured begonias have interesting leaves, as do the pelargoniums.  A warm greeting to the school entrance, I think you'll agree.

More Pelargoniums in the hanging baskets

Tomatoes!

Below the office, these tiny 'Pinks' flowers pack a scented punch of cloves.

Mr B with a couple of our Buzy Beez working hard to maintain the borders.

But there's always time to seek out the other residents in the garden.

The car park border is coming into its own again

If only we had smelly-vision!

O, The Month of May, The Merry Month of May

May is named after the Greek goddess Maia.  The Anglo-Saxon name for May was Tri-Milchi due to the cows being let out onto the lush green meadows and being able to be milked three times a day.  May has been called Mayes, Maius and Mai before settling on May in the 1430's.

These are the Hebe cuttings taken back in the autumn.  They've been pinched out to allow them to become bushier.  They will remain in the pots over the next year to establish a little more.

Bees.  A sure sign that spring is upon us.  In fact we have just enjoyed the warmest April on record, with temperatures in the Shooters Grove garden reaching well into the 20's.

The wam weather has urged lots of seeds to germinate.  From a mixed flower selection to Cornflowers and Calendula, the tiny seedlings are just beginning to emerge.

Do you recall the tiny tree whips we planted back in March?  Look how well they've filled out now!

And the beans.  We lost a few over the harsh winter...

...but the recent weather has been so useful to play catch up with new beans, peas and tomatoes.

The potatoes have some very strong growth, which looks extremely promising.

Peas!  Did you know that you can eat the fresh green shoots of peas.  They taste just like peas too!  Sow a few peas every two weeks for a succession, and simply pinch off a couple of inches when they get to around a foot long.  The pinching out of these tasty shoots will make the pea plants bushier and they can be pinched out around 5 or 6 times a apiece.

The long shoots of onions share a planter with basil, thyme and other herbs which are just beginning to germinate.

In folklore, "A wet May; makes a big load of hay.  A cold May and a windy, a full barn will find ye".  So far May has been wet, cool and windy.  I wonder if the folklore will be right?

The oulook for the rest of May is sunshine and showers.  Perfect for growing, although we could do with some more in the way of rain to help fill up the water butt!

The Earth Laughs in Flowers

Sometimes the flowers speak for themselves!

 

I think you'll agree Spring has sprung, but we could really do with some rain (sorry).