Sunday 9 May 2010

Sunday, May 9th

The garden looks better each week with the broad beans getting bigger, strawberries and fruit bushes flowering and the rhubarb ready to harvest. Next week it will be tasting time for the first crop of the season cooked in the garden!
Welcome to David and Sarah who were immediately busy with seeds they had brought, they planted two large pots of runner beans, one of radish and one of salad leaves all cunningly protected with plastic supported by scavenged flexy wood.
Also planted were beetroot seeds, rocket and two courgettes. Herbs were split and planted in the spiral centre piece. Jude decided to take the two pots of mint home to pot in larger containers and bring back next week.
Noel was technical expert for devising ways to secure the polythene over the courgettes. The last bed was filled with top soil which leaves decisions to be made on new beds, what to put in them and how big they should be!
It must be nearly time to put our three courgettes in a prepared bed and the squash and sweet corn, all donated by Nick and Sarah, plus more herbs and edible flowers.
Everyone welcome to come next week on Sunday from 2.00 -4.00pm.

3 comments:

  1. It is always tempting after a long cold winter to jump in at the first signs of summer and plant tender crops. Sometimes you can get away with it but alot of the time it pays to wait a few extra weeks before planting out.
    The growing season for things like courgettes,beans, sweetcorn and squash will last through until maybe October and definitely to September so planting out during June gives ample time for plants to mature and might just save having to make a last minute resowing after a hasty early planting has suffered at the hands of a late frost or harsh wind in May.
    The temperatures this week are barely going to break double figures and the wind is a brisk northerly so we shall hang on to the courgettes, squash and sweetcorn until the weather improves and the nights are a little shorter.They are all snug here in the polytunnel at Harpsbridge House growing well.

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  2. On the question of the size, shape & position of the new beds, I feel we should make optimum use of the available space within the proposed rabbit free enclosure ie: long beds with less path

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  3. Fair comment well said Noel.I agree it is a good idea to have a diversity of beds to use for different purposes. The only restriction really when using a no dig system is that the beds are not so wide that they cannot be cultivated from each side without walking on the soil, and that they are not so long that it becomes a pain to walk all the way round to get to the other side.
    I must admit I have been known to 'pole vault' over my beds with the aid of a long handled spade - great fun but not so sure about the H&S aspect!

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