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I got plenty done on Monday. First of all we visited the plot where I got all the new strawberry plants tucked up in their bed. They've already got lots of flowers on them so I should get some kind of harvest even if it's not huge. I also noticed the first green strawberry. I've gone for three different varieties, Honeoye, Cambridge Favourite and Symphony, they all produce fruit at different times so it should prolong the cropping season. I also got the purple sprouting broccoli plants which I bought planted out, as well as two wigwams of mange tout. In the garden, I've started potting up my tomato plants in to their final positions. I've got some plants which I'm growing in the greenhouse and some which I'm trying outdoors this year.
There's lots of different birds visiting the garden at the moment, the feeders are being well used. I suppose they're busy feeding their young at this time of year. Greenfinches seemed to stop coming to the garden, but they're back now in large numbers. It's costing me a fortune keeping the feeders well stocked.
I've got some spare tomato plants which will go outside this year as an experiment, I have a feeling it's going to be too wet down here though. I hope you have more luck further east!
ReplyDeleteIf today's anything to go by, it will be wet here too. I'm hoping that the outdoor tomatoes do well, my greenhouse is only 6'X4' so space is limited and I'd get a much bigger crop if the outdoor ones do well.
DeleteIts nice to have a bit of a break in the weather to do something in the garden. I have taken a chance & planted three tomato plants outside too.
ReplyDeleteNo gardening here today, the weather's been awful. Some of my outdoor plants are now in situ, but there's still more to go out yet.
DeleteWith that amount of potatoes you are going to have to come up with some more recipes other than with butter and mint!!I'm thinking bubble and squeak using pots and purple sprouting broccoli! It was lovely to be able to get outside and feel some warmth, but I think summer is now over and done with xxx
ReplyDeleteMy mum and dad are only too pleased to be the recipients of some of my potato harvest. They don't have a garden anymore but still love anything home grown. I'm still hoping for a good summer, but we're back to rain here today, it's getting depressing now.
DeleteYou sound as though you have been very busy,your potatoes are also looking good.I am on holiday next week so hoping to get lots done then
ReplyDeleteThe potatoes were quite slow to start, but I did plant some of them up very early. They're going great guns now though. Fingers crossed for a good week whilst you're on holiday, it's nice to be able to get plenty done.
DeleteAre you sure that you've got enough potatoes! It'll be good to see how they all do.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like being a good year for strawberries providing we get some warm sunshine to ripen them.
It's always good to see the birds, and I think that they're worth every penny that we spend on them. Flighty xx
I share my potatoes with my mum and dad, they don't have a garden anymore so it's nice to be able to let them have some home grown produce. I'm hoping that there's plenty more sunny days to come, though today isn't one of them. I could sit and watch the birds for hours, they give me endless pleasure so I don't mind spending a bit of money on them. I'm sure they appreciate having a regular food source.
DeleteMy approach to potato-growing is just the same! Hopefully it won't be long before we get a harvest.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to work really well. I'm really looking forward to turning out the first spuds of the year.
DeleteNot me Jo - had to 'google' Keith Lemon :) You've got a fine collection there and should be able to feast little and often.
ReplyDeleteI don't watch him, but I can't help but know who he is with having two teenagers in the house. They do tend to last me over summer, so that's good enough for me.
DeleteI need to put my tomatoes out soon too, just as soon as the weather improves! I always grow Sungold which usually do quite well, and Ferline which have some blight resistance. I found one called Arctic Plenty this year, which is supposed to be very early, so I have high hopes for that. I've got flowers on Honeoye and Cambridge Favourite as well, loads of them, so let's hope for a decent summer for lots of ripening.
ReplyDeleteI think my tomatoes will be wishing they were still tucked up nice and warm, the weather's taken a turn for the worse since I turfed them out. I do hope we get some sunshine this summer, the tomatoes took so long to ripen with the wet and dull conditions last year.
DeleteLike Anna I had to Google Keith Lemon too but recognised the face.
ReplyDeleteWe hear greenfinches about but don't get many in the garden at all.
He's a Yorkshire lad, from Leeds. I'm surprised at the number of greenfinches around at the moment, it's nice to see them at the feeders.
DeleteIt looks like you'll have a great potato haul, Jo. I usually do the same and grow mine in pots and a large dustbin, but I just never got around to it this year. I'm with you on the butter and mint front too, they're so delicious eaten like this!
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame you're going to be without potatoes this year. I usually get a great harvest from my containers, they seem to do really well grown this way.
DeleteA green strawberry already???? wow!
ReplyDeleteYou'll have a bumper harvest of spuds looking at all those containers....but then again, one can NEVER have to many spuds. I have a planter where you can open a flap and look for spuds....I keep peeking, but none yet. I'm hoping for earlies too, but I doubt I'll get any.xxxx
I was surprised when I saw the green strawberry. We just need a bit of sunshine now to ripen it. I've seen those planters with the flap in them, much easier to look for potatoes that way than rummaging through the soil.
DeleteThe spuds are looking very healthy - fingers crossed we don't get blight this year. I've noticed a lack of birds in the garden - the greenfinches have disappeared so the bird feeders are staying fuller longer. Hooray.
ReplyDeleteMy potatoes have never suffered from blight, I think they must be sheltered being in the garden. The greenfinches do tend to gobble the seed, but I don't really mind, it's nice to see them around again.
DeleteYou can't beat home grown spuds, well maybe homegrown sweetcorn just takes the prize but spuds are much better suited to our climate. I've never had blight on potatoes either, although every year on outdoor tomatoes and fingers crossed it won't happend this year!
ReplyDeleteI love home grown sweet corn too, but I haven't been successful with it since having the allotment. I'm trying again this year though. I've only grown the odd tomato plant outdoors before so haven't suffered from blight on them either, I hope I don't live to regret my decision to try some outdoors this year.
DeleteI've never grown my potatoes in planters but I might give it a try in the future...you must get through an awful lot of compost though. I don't have any of my brassicas in the ground yet although I have started hardening a few off ready for planting in the next week or so.
ReplyDeleteWe don't do too badly with compost as I use a mixture of my own and some cheap bought compost. It also gets reused, so no wastage. I'm not growing many brassicas this year, purple sprouting broccoli is my favourite, so I've planted plenty, and there's also some chard and an odd plant of this and that waiting to go out.
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