Thursday 28 May 2015

happiness on the plots

Forget any and all of the glumness I spilt forth in my previous post as this past weekend it was all change; sunshine, sustained hard work, planting out, a picnic and bed making :) It was all go and we really did feel better about the place. I mean look what we parked beside for a start off - a heap of steaming manure almost as tall as Andrew :) Again I wonder at my scatological self, once an allotmenteer - good quality manure is deeply treasured, gross but true!

So here's how things stand at the moment on 24a (minus a photo of the leeks which are still going strong). We have new lovely little parsnips, carrots and beetroots, the broccoli is in glorious flower now and attracting the first bees I've seen this year and the spuds are coming through nicely and look healthier than I could have hoped for.

At the top of the plot we have an abundance of blueberry flowers, gooseberries (not photographed) and apple blossom. Everything seems healthy so far and plans are in place, in Andrew's mind, for a fruit cage to cover the blessed blueberries - I rather like to have a few this year *shakes fist at birds*!

Also the first of the brassicas were planted out and covered in netting right away - so far so good, nothing has touched them.

Over on 14b there is further evidence of happy plants and I can not tell you how relieved I am that all the asparagus crowns sent up their first spears. Sweet little geums are bursting through with dots of bright red, the poppies this year look like they are going to be spectacular and our blackberry bush is already showing signs of a bumper harvest to come. It's all just so positive, I think I may explode.

I've been steadfast keeping on top of the grass cutting and thus making the plots safer for me to walk around. As we only have a little rotatory hand pushed mower it's been hard work, I even got a huge blister this time which is only healing up now (Thursday!). It's worth it though, keeping those bingo wings at bay, working the core muscles and not tripping quite so much :)

And WOW! look at the new bed for my cut flowers, all edged and the soil greatly improved. It's time to plant out and direct sow in there now, eek! My dreams of a patch that just screams colour looks like it's getting closer. There will be another path down the right hand side of this bed and the original (now perennials only) flower bed will get edged too. 

I have other exciting news but I think you've had to absorb enough in this one post already :) Instead I shall leave you with this lovely dandelion seed head photo (NOT from our plots, haha) and make a fervent wish that you are all having a better time now that June is around the corner. 


Love and hugs
Carrie

8 comments:

  1. It's all looking lovely Carrie, you have been working hard. I'm hoping to have some blueberries this year too, last year the blackbirds had them all. There are masses forming on the plants. I think I shall have to deploy the netting. CJ xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. I wish that I had shares in a garden netting company

    ReplyDelete
  3. imagine actually growing asparagus!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh my! I love the glee that's just pouring from you in this post :-) So pleased to see such progress in the garden and that bed all ready for your flowers.

    ReplyDelete
  5. An enjoyable post and lovely pictures. It's all looking, and sounding, good. Happy gardening, Flighty xx

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow! You've both accomplished a great deal....it looks lovely. My father was very difficult to buy presents for and one year we bought him a truck load of manure. I've never seen a happier man :-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yes! it is exciting to watch things progressing this time of year. Is it just me... but I get really excited when I see such a large pile of manure!

    ReplyDelete
  8. It looks beautiful! My beans were mostly eaten by slugs as well, I got rid of about fifty slugs at once... They are beautiful, but they eat my food. Our apple tree has blossomed and now there are mini cute apples on it :) Bluebells are long gone and potatoes are a jungle. And I think we have an occasional hedgehog in the garden, but I am not sure. Gardening is lovely and full of joy. I mean, if you were not gardening, how could you appreciate the big pile of animal poop?? :) All my love to you and the garden and best wishes, write again soon!! :)

    ReplyDelete

Please leave a little nugget of happiness in the form of a comment - don't forget to put your name at the end if using 'anonymous' setting x