Gardener’s Gifts

I’m definitely a gardener now, just look what I got for my birthday on Tuesday!

I have no excuses now, need to get all my packets of seeds organised and properly plan what I’m going to grow in 2014…

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Wordless Wednesday

A lesson learned…

I had planned to sow some sweet peas today but found that my big tin where I keep my seed packets isn’t quite watertight! Everything was damp and some radishes were sprouting – so I had a good clearout, brought everything inside to dry out and am hoping for the best… I think my seeds better live indoors from now on. I’m not sure if the seeds will still be ok, some of the packets didn’t seem too damp so hopefully there will be some survivors.

Sowing..

Really want to get growing again, winter seems to be lasting a very long time. I bought a windowsill propagator in the sales (oh how I’ve changed!) and now have some hot peppers in one tray and moneymaker tomatoes in another. My other plan was to sow some sweet peas in the deep root-trainer propagator I also bought but there has been a slight hiccup…

Broad beans in the cold frame..

Back up to date now with this photo – taken today of the broad beans in my previous post. I’ve got them in the cold frame outside and have been covering them up with fleece at night and leaving them open during the day to get some daylight.

Starting again..

Making an early start for the 2014 growing season, these broad beans started to pop their heads up early in December 2013.

Not just vegetables…

I’ve loved growing flowers too – marigolds are one of my favourites and these lasted really well, photo taken at the end of October 2013 and they were still going strong. Sweet peas and snapdragons were successful too.

Keep on running

And still the runner beans came! Getting near the end of the harvest now – this was taken on 20 October 2013

Pick a peck of pickled pepper..

I’ll grow it if you pickle it… so great to have a husband who cooks, that is one of those skills which passed me by.

Let there be veg…

Some of the September 2013 harvest – the runner beans in particular went mad, planted 6 very late and they provided buckets of beans! This year I staggered sowing the carrot and parsnips so they weren’t all ready at once after my beginner’s error in 2012 of sowing the whole packet at once..