Saturday 6 April 2019

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Spring Is On The Way.

 Things are hotting up in ye olde polytunnel or 'Portugal', it's other name.  I bought the vegetable grow bags for six Euros each,  Dunno if they have chemical fertilizers in them.  We bought some cucumbers and tomato plants from our German garden centre (Lidl) 4 for 5 Euros.  I have planted potatoes in the plant pots and lettuces.  I prefer flat lettuces to Iceberg curly ones!

My 'Japs' or Winter onions.  They are planted in September every year.  I am mulching with grass clippings this year.  It suppresses the weeds and feeds the onions.  They seem to be loving it.  Don't know why I always composted the grass.  I am using it in different areas of the veg plot this year.  But I never apply it when its freshly mown.  Theres always a danger it could burn the plants.  Do you use grass clippings in your veg plot?  I have also put some in my barrel of 'garden tea' along with the fresh nettles and cow plop in a pillow case.  It smells horrible but you never need to buy a liquid feed again.  You just have to dilute it 10-1.

Below I took this picture through the mesh at the back of the polytunnel.  We only have one mesh front door.  Domino was busy eating grass.  A sure sign of rain.  Sure enough while I write this its raining.  Who needs to watch the weather forecast?  Just get yourself a dog or a cat. 

 The potatoes are stretching their arms in the polystrene packaging I planted in compost last month.
 The garlic and herbs seem happy enough in the old wheelbarrow that we grew carrots in last year.  There's a lot to be said for raised bed gardening.  Why dif God put the ground down there?
Parsnips sown yesterday.  I got my small crow bar and made holes in the soil after forking it over.  Then filled the holes with compost and sowed 3 Parsnips seeds per hole.  I will discard the weakes ones.  They take a long time to germinate.  I use to grow Parsnips and Beetroot for my parents.  It's silly how thinking of certain vegetables make you sad isn't it?  Notice the grass mulch around the compost filled holes?  What are you up to in your garden?

19 comments:

  1. My gardening is centred around the fern plot. Those new shoots are getting bigger so here's hoping I haven't lost the lot.
    I've got a cat but I think he prefers not to divulge the weather conditions!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Valerie. Rocks shining in the distance and a cap of cloud over on Hungry Hill are other signs that it's going to rain. At least I won't need to water the gardens this morning . What's your cat called? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Charlie... a name he had before coming to me. He's a right Charlie sometimes.... haha.

      Delete
    2. Champagne Charlie is my name. He sounds a real character.

      Delete
  3. I like hearing what Domino is doing. Thanks Dave. And for the photos.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Rachel. We took a photo of him drinking out of the toilet yesterday. Didn't know he even knew it was there. Hope Fire cat and the others are OK?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Thomas brought a live starling in last night. I caught it in a towel and put it out and they ran off in pursuit as it flew across the garden. I don't know what happened in the end but I didn't see it indoors anymore.

      Delete
  5. Thomad sounds like Domino catching birds. Domino caught a song thrush the other week. I called him something very rude and he sulked for a few hours. I still miss Fido my Jack Russell terrier every day. At least we got Scamp before Fido went to doggy heaven. They're great company our pets and rodent exterminators.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have made a start, yes I have!!!!!! Got the seeds out, sorted out the ones I can 'do', made plans, felt enthusiastic, all ready to go, go, go .... and then it rained, heavily, enough to make everything too soggy to work on. However, I have thought about making a start!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good to hear Vera. I will post a few pictures of our utility room and kitchen window sill seed trays. The polytunnel purchase was one of our best buys ever. Even on a rainy days you can potter about and still garden. We ordered 100 blue Pampas seeds today on Geek for 2 Euros. Have you seen Geek? Thanks

      Delete
  7. After reading one of your posts I had a look in our LIDLS to see what plants they had - an array of cactuses and a display of seeds. I guess greeks arent such ardent gardeners. You've just reminded me of your stinging nettle fertiliser too. Darn I think it's too late for nettles now, here. I'll have to have a look under the olive trees.
    We've just had a day of rain so I hope my pumpkin seeds might start sprouting. Everything else I planted has perked up no end

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Linda. Aldi is also good for gardening stuff too. Anything organic like grass clippings or seaweed will make a good garden brew. Comfrey is worth growing and chopping up the leaves and putting in the barrel. Can you get hold of any animal manure? Put it in an old pillowcase and throw it in the barrel. You can also weigh down with a brick or stone. I was going to say put rainwater in the barrel. It's full of free nitrogen. Glad to read all your plants are perking up. Thanks!

      Delete
  8. I have plated nine beetroots in a neat container that has a curved lip at the top that stops the slimy slugs from getting in. What I like about beetroot is that their variegated leaves are very attractive, as well as the bulb being a healthy veg.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Heron. The container sounds perfect. They originate in seaside areas of Russia (Borsch) and some gardeners sprinkle salt round their beetroots because they like the salt but the slugs and snails don't. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  10. our temperature is F70 (22 C) degrees since few days ago.
    Spring is coming.
    Have a great day

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks Tanza. I liked your Azaleas post.

    ReplyDelete
  12. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  13. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Suffering from herpes is a Terrible Experience which i suffered till i meet a herbal doctor called Dr. KHAM. I tried all possible mean to get cured but i never received cure from any of the 7 hospital i visited.Just Match,14,2018 i saw a recent post of how Dr. Kham herbal medicine cured people and that he is a honest man to work with in the procedures on finding a cure, then i contacted him in trial and he sent me a herbal medicine with the full prescription oh how to drink for two weeks and i exactly followed the guidelines that was given to me by DR. KHAM to cute the long story short the herbal medicine flushed out my whole system and make the herpes virus inactive all thanks to Dr. Kham who God is using to cure people of this terrible virus (herpes simplex virus) for anyone here that has herpes or other kinds of disease and Virus should mail all his or her complain to DR. KHAM on his email which is (dr.khamcaregiver@gmail.com) or whats app him on +2348159922297 

    ReplyDelete

Parsnip Seeds Germination In The Kitchen.

Parsnips seeds placed on a very damp piece of kitchen roll in a plastic tupperware tub. Then I cut ✂️ another piece of kitchen roll and satu...