Stepping Out of Hibernation

Stepping out of hibernation.

Just like a little green seedling poking its head through some warm compost, us human folk are equally eager to feel the tepid warmth of the sun on our skin, to breathe in the crisp, fresh air tinged with the scent of new life and to see pops of colour scattered around the gardens from Daffodils, Tulips and alpine plants such as Pulsatilla, Saxifraga and Primroses.

Those dark winter days soon feel so long ago and the excitement begins to build at the prospect of longer, brighter days thanks to the spring jump of the clocks going forward.

I do love spring and it's nice to be able to get on with the planning and preparations for the garden/allotment. What flowers to sow and where I want to place them and what vegetables/fruits the family want to try this year and how the allotment is going to play host to them.

The greenhouse is quickly filling up with trays of seeds that I find myself popping out often to check on them. Not much appears to be happening between each inspection (which is usually at least 5/6 times on a work day, more on a day off haha!) but I do know that underneath that boring looking tray of compost, real magic is happening. The seeds begin to wake up and head on up to see what all the fuss is about.

I've got a good mix of flowers going on this year from my trusty Cosmos to Cornflowers, Hollyhock, Ipomea, Pansies to name few and interestingly all of a darker pallet. I'm not sure what the attraction is but I do get drawn to these more than some of the bolder colours. I have also got a lot more Dahlia's to play with this year too. My plan is to learn how to put flowers together nicely and have some to enjoy in the house and gift some away. I don't know many people who don't like flowers and it would be lovely to make people smile by sharing some with them. Sharing is caring right!

The vegetable/fruit plans are just about in place. The thing I love about the whole grow your own movement is there is just stacks of variety and always something to be picking at almost every point of the seasons that pass us by. There is plenty of time to be sowing things still too so please don't panic if you haven't begun any just yet. This will be my 1st official full year on the allotment. I have had enough time to work out the suns placement across it and had little experiments of what grows well for sure. So peas, beans, sweetcorn and plenty of salads will feature heavily for us along with a nice mix of squash to compliment the lovely fruit bushes and tree's that we inherited on the allotment. The greenhouse up there will be home to some tomato plants, cucumbers and cucamelons too.

This time of year allows me to spend more time in my lovely little greenhouse. That little glass palace where the plans are conjured up whilst keeping warm with a cup of tea. It's a little hideaway when I need to escape the everyday but where I can feel the most content. It inspires me and encourages me just like Spring to step out my comfort zone, push boundaries and whole heartedly be ME.

I am really excited to see what this year brings. Last year there was a lot of change in my personal life and I hope that as things settle on that side of things I can fully throw myself into the part that gives me so much enjoyment and pleasure and allows me to connect with so many like minded others.

Until Next Time

xNx

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Baby its cold outside

Sitting with my coffee by the radiator watching the snow starting to thaw out there is the feeling of relief that it's finally got the hint it has outstayed its welcome! Don't get me wrong when it first arrived it was lovely to be playing with the kids having snowball fights, building snowmen and sledging at a nearby hill but there comes a point when it starts to become boring and the gardener side of me is screaming inside (I'm sure many of you will be the same!)

Just before the "Beast from the East" reared its ugly head, the garden had started to show signs of waking up from its early winter rest. Even when we have been spoiled with some sunny days the temperatures has still been cold enough to remind you that we have still been in the grips of winter and she isn't going to budge without a fight. 

With spring on the horizon there isn't much that can be done in the garden still quite yet. Apart from keeping up with tidying around and getting greenhouses/sheds organised it's a great time to plan ahead for the coming months with how you vision your green spaces and what seeds you want to sow (a reminder of patience is required). 

I began a few sowing's of tomatoes, chilli's and peppers which surprisingly are doing ok! It's the first time I have grown these from scratch and I was concerned about them becoming too leggy but they have been watched very closely and tended to with lots of care. 

Chilli- Cayenne

Sweet Pepper-Mixed

Tom's- Roma/Delight/Maker

 My plans for now are to just go with the flow (and the weather!) I'm using this cold snap to appreciate the little things and simply take in the lovely space I have to be creative with. Oh and its a perfect chance to just sit in the greenhouse with a hot cuppa! Stay warm everyone☺

My Real View! 
Life at No27 Campaign

Not a gardener without a bit of muck
on the hands & face!

Until Next Time

N xx

Patience Is a Virtue!

I find I am often asked why I like gardening as much as I do. 

What's not to love! The feeling never gets old of seeing hard work pay off, whether it is digging over beds, mowing the lawn, pottering about dead heading plants and of course sowing seeds to either fill your eyes and heart with beautiful sights of blooms that attract nature or being able to pick/dig up scrumptious goodies to devour at the table (if they make it that far!) But what I really love about gardening is that it's the greatest teacher you could have!

Now bare with me on this one it will make sense I promise. 

The biggest and most important thing that can be learned from gardening is Patience. 

For some it doesn't happen straight away ( like me, being super keen to get stuck in!). You have a few successes of something growing well and think "Yes I've nailed it!" And then go charging through all the seed/plant brochures (the temptation when they drop through the letterbox is rather hard to ignore!), visiting the garden centres & nurseries to grab pretty much anything that turns your head. Then it ALL gets sown/planted and your bouncing around like a child in a sweet shop UNTIL............ Pretty much most of it fails to grow past the seedling pots or dies in the ground and you feel like a complete FAILURE! 

Yep that was pretty much me last year haha! Oh how I can sit and laugh now because gardening kicked my over enthusiastic butt and put me firmly in my place. At the time I blamed sowing things much too late (and some I did!) but actually I just didn't plan out what I wanted to gain from growing over the year. I also planted in some plants in not so great spots (skim reading the advice tags)

With my little lesson learnt, this year I decided it was best to sit and have a good sort out of the seeds that have accumulated over the last few years. Some will be donated as I know they wont be used and the rest I can work on what I want from the garden AND more importantly what is going to be achievable for me to keep going. I'm also taking notice of the gardens dynamics. There is something actually quite therapeutic in just sitting and observing your space and really take notice of how the light moves around all its angles. My saving grace this year will be my greenhouse (watch this here to see how happy it made me!). It will allow for me to learn to grow more BUT there is still plenty of time to jump on the sowing bandwagon.

March-June

February-August

February-May

 Its so easy to feel left behind when you see others sowing away and already have seedlings but don't let that put you off. Most seeds/tubers/bulbs etc have a good date range on for when they can be sown by (as can be seen above). We are of course only just at the beginning of February so for some things its still a little early to bust them out the packets just yet. The other thing to remember is some seeds need to be sown little and often to keep a succession of crops/flowers going over the growing seasons. 

Don't be disappointed or put off when things don't quite work out or go to plan. Something that will work one season wont necessarily be guaranteed next season. That's the beauty of gardening, it constantly keeps you on your toes. You cant have success without failure, its how we learn and get by in everyday life too! Take your time, gardening isn't a race. Find what is right for you and your space.

Remember: Good things come to those who wait 😉

Until Next Time

N xx

Happy Belated New Year!!

Happy New Year! :D

Hello there and a Happy New Year!! I cant believe I am only just getting round to writing my first blog of 2017 in MAY!! A mixture of life's hurdles being thrown at the family and not having great technology I'm hoping to battle on and share what I've been up to so far!

So this year has been a slow start for me in the way of gardening, I've had it in the back of my mind "I must remember to sow X Y Z" and the next thing I know a week or another month has passed me by. Thankfully something clicked and I started to take some action! 

My first task was to do some weeding & general tidying up mainly in my front garden (my ongoing project).

After a good tidy up I planted up some summer flowering bulbs from Gladioli's & Freesia's to some Oxalis & Sparaxis. Since then I've enjoyed pottering around keeping up with weeding and managed to get some seeds sown! I love that feeling of excitement & anticipation when sowing such a tiny seed & being able to watch it transform into something beautiful, be it a flower or something edible. It's what makes it addictive for me, I watch over them everyday like babies & try protect them from the evil clutches of slugs/snails!! 

Summer Bulbs Loot

My babies!!

Cuppa whilst  Weeding

Ive also been a bit busy taking a few photos from around my garden. I had some lovely Tulips & Daffodils pop up to greet us in early spring & since then I've had the pleasure of Lewisia, Clematis & Solomon's Seal to name a few!

 

My biggest achievement so far is the success I'm having with my Vegtrug! I currently have some Elephant Garlic that's being growing well since the autumn. Eiffel Spring Onions are well on their way BUT my goodness me how amazing are PEA'S(Kelvedon wonder)!! Their little flowers are beautiful yet so magical when they turn into peapods! I cant wait to harvest some with my children & Hubby!!

With us edging closer to the busiest time of year in the gardeners calendar I'm discovering that its not too late to sow seeds. There is a massive variety to choose from such as Nasturtiums, Poppies, Lupin, Sweet Peas(don't forget the Sweetpea challenge!), Cosmos & Primula to name only a few. Pluck up some courage & a little time to have a go and grow from scratch. Watch them evolve & reward you in so many ways!!

Until Next Time 

N xx