I Think You’re Bonkers

The clouds are coming over grey and threatening now but it’s been dry so far today. So we’ve spent the morning in the garden where we pottered about, planted out more carrots, replaced a spud that we dug up yesterday, cut back the overgrown chard, found a beetroot and discussed why the comfrey in the bucket has completely disintegrated and the water is now blown and really really stinky!

Dino and his very own beetroot, which he wants for tea tonight.

Broccoli, carrots, pepper, dill and celery (possibly some lettuce in there too) all doing brilliantly in my little cloche/shelter thing from Lidl. I’ll be on the look out for another one for next year as it’s really protected the plants from pests and weather.

Sunflowers - galloping up the fence and in need of tying in for support I think, maybe tomorrow. There are the first signs of flowers coming on these.

My buddleia, no flowers this year but the growth is fantastic so I’m hoping for flowers and insects next year.

Pumpkin comp…..

Mine:

Those flowers are male but there could be the first baby pumpkin under the leaves, it’s very very tiny.

The kids:

Again, a male flower but no sign of baby pumpkins yet.

We’re loving the garden this year and learning loads about seasons, growing plants, what’s edible and what we like as well as ecosystems and beneficial wildlife.

If it stays dry I’m going to sow some more carrots in loo roll inners - just stand them on end in something, fill with compost and put a couple of carrot seeds at the top, cover with a bit of compost. Then keep dampish and ignore until they come up. Then express much excitement at baby seedlings and keep damp, while waiting impatiently for proper leaves. Then when they’re almost too big for the tubes and the cardboard is actually almost too soggy to handle without it falling to bits, go and frantically dig over a random bit of garden, stick them in so soil covers the top of what’s left of the tube and sprinkle with organic slug pellets (or slug deterrent of choice - it’s incredibly disheartening to find the tops of tubes and no carrots!) Treat with a combination of ignore and impatience until not really big enough to pull up and then pull and eat. Yummm!