Speed Gardening

The beans are go.

The Somerset broadbeans are tall enough for staking and we planted out the Cobra climbing beans sowed on 15/04/14. 6min all in.

The bean poles are willow, packaged by a Big Business garden supplier and bought at a Big Business DIY store; sigh! We've long been keeping our fingers and toes crossed that a seller of rough hewn hazel or willow bean poles and pea sticks would bring their wares to one of the London(-ish) plant fairs we attend, but to no avail.

The Victoria rhubarb is flowering. It may be because we've transplanted it from the gloomy, moist side of the garden to a spot with more sun. We've pulled the flowering stems and will have to do something about mulching the plant.

Not Growing but Making

Spent an inspirational day up in Newcastle at the Maker Faire UK 2014. Sowing the seeds...

The Good and the Ugly

The good: the first seedlings up are these 12 Kelvedon Wonders. They'll not have had time to root through, but we planted them out as the next couple of weeks ahead are busy and then there is a risk they'll grow stringy and weak for sitting indoors.

The ugly: this punnet was a little too soggy, we pulled out the pea that went mouldy but too late alas. You win some, you lose some, we should get better at this as the season goes on.

A Happy Easter Breakfast

It may be drizzling out there, but these beauties brought a little promise of warmth-to-come to our breakfast table this morning.

♥ Our first pickings of the year.♥

If You Go Down To the Woods Today

Our Bluebell walk in Wendover Woods today.

lords-and-ladies; Arum maculatum

Wood violet; Viola odorata

Primrose; Primula vulgaris

The Bluebells did not disappoint, though the best display is probably cued for next weekend (so you're still in for a big surprise).

A trip to Wendover can't be complete without stopping for a treat of Rumsey's chocolate and Jersey cream indulgence. Oh joy!

General Busyness

A poor snap, but proof enough that the bird box is home to another Blue tit family :)

Whilst the Blue tits to-ed and fro-ed, I scrubbed out the tomato pots and planted the Orange Peruche and Golden Sunrise tomato plants we purchased from the Capel Manor shop.

I dug in the Red Dukes we'd been chitting in the cupboard under the stairs.

An opportunistic Robin made off with a prize worm for its chicks...

...whilst a Blackbird kept its beady-eye out for readymeals for its broodlings too.

I strung together this sweet pea wigwam from the plum tree prunings and sowed a potful of Old Fashioned...

... and Tubby Tabby snoozed, and snoozed, and snoozed in the shade of the newly installed pea trellis.

Spring Critters We Spotted

Angle Shades; Phlogophora meticulosa

Holly Blue; Celastrina argiolus

Speckled Wood; Pararge aegeria

Sowing Seeds

To be frank, this coir seed compost takes a good half hour to crumble and reconstitute. If mixing up more than a brick at a time it is worth wearing gloves as the material is fairly abrasive, even after soaking the brick in approximately 1.5l of water.

The first of the peas.

The first of the beans. 4x Cobra climbing bean, 4x Bird's Egg climbing bean, 4x Magpie dwarf bean, 4x Soya bean; the race is on.

For the record:

• 2x Agnes cucumber
• 1x Astia courgette
• 1x Defender courgette
• 1 row Long Red Surrey carrot
• 1 row Yellowstone carrot
• 5x Mammoth salsify
• 5x Covent Garden beetroot
• 5x Purple Top Milan turnips

The root bed today; the Christmas dinner Tender & True parsnips we sowed on 20/2/14 have all come up and the radishes are looking like a prospect for Easter breakfast :) Bring on the festivities.

Toad Spawn

The pond is festooned with ribbons of toad spawn.

We've spotted a lone newt lurking too.