Green Stuff - One Month On . .

Time for an update on the Green Stuff . . .

The greenhouses have both been planted up now - here we have the main greenhouse, replete with plum and beefsteak tomatoes, cucumbers and some very small aubergine plants (hopefully they'll pick up over the next few weeks).




The small greenhouse (as well as the vine) has the cherry tomatoes and a few more aubergines . . .





Progress in the main veg plot has been mixed - the potatoes are on their way up, but the courgettes and butternut squash haven't really come on much - fed them today so hoping for better things to come.




Also planted up some green beans, a week or so ago, hoping they'll get going soon too . . . (decided against peas this year after last year's less than impressive harvest).





The onions (and stray potatoes leftover from last year!) are doing ok in the smaller veg plot, and there are some leeks to plant out in due course as well.



Finally we have the broad beans, which are doing very nicely thank you, despite a bit of a battering from the strong winds.

 A bit of sunshine and we should also have our first strawberries sometime very soon!

Aerobatics

Swallow aerobatics . . . can't accuse them of being camera shy!

Supposedly Spring Weather

I suppose March was fairly Spring-like:

But April seemed to by-pass Spring, for the latter part of the month at least, and move straight into Summer - we had some glorious sunny and hot days, and the bank holidays were actually nice for once:

May has finally brought some much-needed rain mind you, but hopefully the sunshine will continue!

Bank Holiday Bluebells

Another day of Welsh sunshine so we took the opportunity to check out the bluebells at one of the local forestry locations.

Lovely walk, fantastic bluebells . . .

And we even got a view of the house across the valley . . .

Shed No More

Inspired (perhaps by some work being done next door dismantling an ancient static caravan) part of the holiday 'week' has involved finally taking down a rather rotten wooden potting shed, under which some of our bunny population have evidently been making their home.

We've also been able to take advantage of the ex-caravan bonfire-to-be site to get rid of the debris, although we've kept some of the wood for future garden construction projects.

Of course taking down the shed meant finding a place for all the stuff we were still storing inside it, so now we also have a newly tidied and reorganised wood cum garden store:




Just have to decide what to do with ex-shed space now - another greenhouse? another veg plot? hot tub?

Green Stuff

Time for a garden update  . . .

We've rotovated the main veg plot now, and planted out the courgettes and butternut squash - waiting for the green beans to come on a bit before they go out.  Potatoes have gone in both the veg plot and some pots.

The tomatoes aren't too far off being ready for planting on as well - the peppers and aubergines are still at an early stage though - sorting out the greenhouses has to be one of the next tasks on the list.






The fruit cage pretty much takes care of itself - the raspberries and strawberries are promising a bumper harvest anyway.



Still considering potential approaches to keeping the mice out mind you - there are plenty of strawberries to go round if only they finished one before starting another!

The biggest success story thus far is probably the broad beans - although Martin's Dad did the initial work of bringing these on - that said they seem to be doing very nicely thank you in one of the raise beds, safely tucked away from the bunnies behind a chicken-wire fence!

Spring Gardens in Summer Sunshine

April is providing us with some distinctly summery days, and we've been out and about in the sunshine, catching up with some of Wales' best Gardens in all their Springtime glory.

Powis Castle (earlier this month) gave us magnolias, camellias, tulips, fields of daffodils, and dandelion interlopers among the spring bulbs:

 

 

Bodnant Garden (earlier today) was rich in azaleas, rhododendrons, tulips, and fields of bluebells:

        

   

 

And of course, our own garden has been ablaze with colour - the daffodils and tulips are over now, and the  last of the magnolia and camelia petals are falling - but the rhododendrons and azaleas are coming into full bloom already.