A lot of growing has happened since I last posted about my garden on this blog so let me take this opportunity to catch up. I took some photos a couple of weeks ago and took some last night, so I should be able to show you some nice comparison shots.
Working around the garden clockwise we come first to my carrots. These are globular carrots rather that your classic root shape so you can grow them in very shallow containers.
Here they are at the beginning of June:
And here they are now!
As you can see I sewed them in a really peculiar fashion and they now need lots of thinning. I feel bad thinning my plants out after they did so well to grow in the first place but that’s how I ended up with pathetically small and green carrots last year…
Next along are the courgettes. At least, I think they are courgettes – one might be a squash and the others might be yellow or green courgettes – I managed to forget which seedling was which. Well, watch this space!
When they first were planted out:
Now:
In retrospect I think I over enthusiastically planted things there as the right most courgette seems to be invading the broccoli’s territory, whoops.
Next along we have the red onions and white onions, both of who are sharing their space with some extra broccoli plants – I had a lot of those germinate in the end and again felt bad about not planting them somewhere.
Then:
Now:
Next in the bed are the strawberries. I have had an excellent yield this year (see my jam post) and they just keep a’coming… The before and after pictures look the same here so just the one:
My tomatoes look a lot more promising this year – in that they have put out flowers! I have seen plenty of bees about as well so little tommies here I come! These are specifically container tomatoes so have a bushier, squatter appearance.
Lil toms just starting out:
Happy in a pot:
A growbag:
And another two pots (yes, lots of tommies)
These next guys aren’t at all edible but I’m am very pleased with them this year. I tried to grow them from seed last year and failed spectacularly, and you can see from the first photo that I didn’t get a great germination rate this year either:
(The long curly leafy plants, the others are weeds)
Well, now they look like this:
Yes, bigger version of the other picture (and you can see how only one little guy grew in the left pot making them slightly unbalanced.
Has the suspense affected you at all yet? Dying to know what they are?
Well, they are an ornamental grass called “bunny tails”. Hopefully when they finish growing you will be able to see why!
So, we also have cabbages:
Which some garden pest seems to find tasty, grrr. My broccoli I don’t have a good picture of but they are getting munched by caterpillars – grrr again. Now my nightly watering routine includes lots of squishing too.
Potatoes are as flourishing as ever:
The bed against the fence started off with just my tayberry in there, but quickly got used as space for other bits and bobs. Right to left –
Tayberry, shooting out all over the place with complete disregard for my careful tying and training:
And to the left we have, in order, mini corn (bought from my recent trip to the Gardener’s World fair at the NEC. So much fun and bought some pretty things too, pictures coming up) a jostaberry, a cross-breed of a blackcurrant and a gooseberry who came to my garden from my good friend Deborah, a sweet pea and another would be courgette/squash:
From the aforementioned show I also picked up this cheery orange fellow:
An acer – who after seeing growing at Newstead Abbey I have longed for:
An amazingly beautiful rose who smells strongly of lemon sherbet:
And this fantastic hanging basket (not currently hanging) who was, get this, 5 pounds! I have planted some little pinks plants in him already. I will hang him up when I have a bracket but the chimney pot makes a handy resting place:
Phew this is a long post! Well, last but not least my erstwhile attempts at making a pond continue, sporadically. I have dug lots honestly and filled a fair few bags but yeah, it really doesn’t look like it in this shot:
I’m hoping to save most the earth for raised beds but the quality is appalling – its full of rubbish, rubble, glass (a lot of glass), nails, all sorts. I’m amazed anything grew here to be honest.
Well, stay tuned for the next instalment!
