April in the Garden

Where exactly has this last month disappeared to? It only seems a few days ago I was writing my March update. April’s been a really REALLY wet month here, and a cold month and a windy month, all in all it’s been pretty dire. In theory good for the garden but I’m so behind this year (well in comparison to last year anyhow which is unhelpfully my only year of comparison!) and I didn’t manage to plant out much until nearer the end of April so no watery benefits really gained. Hey ho.

Anyway some good work has been done and the plot is slowly slowly filling up. There’s been lots of shovelling of cow poo and compost and digging, digging, digging, digging. I now hate digging. All my new potatoes have finally been planted and are now coming through. I still have way way too many ‘old’ tatties to get out there and I’ll endeavour to get them in in May.

There’s quite a list of stuff I’ve managed to get in the ground in between the storms and gales: carrots, parsnips, french beans, borlotti beans, swiss chard, peas, rocket, spring onions, 3 types of lettuce, radish, sprouts, spinach, calabrese, coriander, parsley and last but not least savoy cabbages have all been magically sown, and many of the seedlings are excitedly starting to break out into the big world.

Potato Plants

Baby radishes!

To the left there’s the shallots & red onions, to the right carrot & parsnip beds

In the poly tunnel the tomatoes are continuing to do well and some are getting pretty sizeable and ready to plant out. As are all my ‘Mediterranean’ veggies, the courgettes, peppers and aubergines. Half way through the month I sowed lots of squash & pumpkin seeds and they’re already pretty big. I also set off pots a plenty of melons, cucumbers, leeks, sweetcorn and more basil.

Courgette Plant

My higgledy piggledy of pots

Baby Squash

Tomato

A pepper plant

And that’s it folks for this month. It actually sounds a good deal busier than I thought I’d been!

Now on with the pots. My worst job.

Louisa