10/05/14 - 25/05/14 Planting out!

I have done a lot of hardening off over the last couple of weeks ready for a good bit of weather to allow me to plant out. My greenhouse has been full to the brim of seedlings and now it's almost empty.

I didn't want to got and get pea sticks out of the wood so I decided to build a frame so that up the one side I could grow peas and up the other mange tout.

 

Now I know its not much to look at but I'm quite proud of myself for building it. We will just have to see how long it lasts. 

I've also planted out my pumpkins in a bed I prepared a few weeks ago but turning it over and adding a lot of well rotted horse manure, as these are hungry plants.  I'm hoping for some big ones this year.

You can just see them through the bean row with runner beans in the foreground and french beans towards the back.

The main crop of Maris Piper potatoes seems to have shot up over last week or so, I have earthed most up as far as I intend to with about 12 inches of soil over each. 

Planted out the sweetcorn as well, first time trying this and I have planted it in a block of 9, I have had to sow 2 seeds though as I damaged 2 of the seedlings when planting out. Hopefully they will catch up!

I have decided to grow Cucamelons for the first time this year and having found an offer on Suttons for 2 free large plug plants I thought this would be the best option as I hadn't grown them before. Though I have also bought seeds and planted 2 which have also germinated, so I better hope the family like them now lol.

The Tomatoes in the greenhouse are coming along well, having also shot up over the last few weeks. I normally plant in pots or growbags but decided on planting straight into the ground in the greenhouse this year, I will have to see if this makes a difference. As you can see in the pic I have companion planted marigolds as they apparently help to keep aphids at bay, only time will tell. I also seem to have 2 wayward carrot seedlings in there which I have decided to leave and see how they get on lol.

The Gooseberry bush has a lot of fruit on it this year, which is not bad for a cheapy plant from Wilko's last year.

We also did a bit of work on the rest of the garden and have put an arch across the main path down to the greenhouse, in the hopes that it would partition that section of the garden off a bit more. We have planted a clematis Montana Elizabeth over it which seems to be going great guns at the moment.

Finally there are a few seedlings left in the greenhouse to come out including these Mange tout 

These courgettes

And the globe artichoke as well as cucumbers and the sweet peppers 

Seedlings and babies!

Well to say the last two weeks have been hectic is an understatement with my son, Noah being born on the 26th April at 8pm. However, with his birth also came 2 weeks off of work with paternity leave and
the weather has been OK so I have managed to do quite a bit in the garden.

First off is to give an update on the blue tits I have nesting in the office nest box. She has laid 9 eggs in total and began incubating them on the 3/5/14 so in around 2 weeks we should expect chicks.

On the gardening front I have had to replant my sweet pea as although they germinated the seedlings were pale and weak. The new lot have come up really well so fingers crossed I have some good flowers.

The veg is all doing well, the runner & french beans have come up really well and are ready for planting out next weekend, so they are currently being hardend off during the day along with the sunflowers and pumpkins.

I have done a bit more on the veg patch too with the been row, pea wigwam and cloche all out. 

The raised bed has the builders fencing around it to stop the local cats from using it as a litter box. 

In here I have spring onions and leeks.

Leeks

Spring onions

In the cloche I've planted out my savoy cabbages and brussel sprouts.

Brussel sprouts

Savoy cabbages.

Finally I also had chance to plant my asparagus crowns I started my digging a trench and as my soil is quite clayey I dug in some well rotted manure and some grit. 

I then created 2 ridges within the trench and placed my asparagus crowns along the ridge.

I then back filled the trench and in 2 years I'll be able to harvest my very own asparagus.