Foxglove

This foxglove, which has grown wild, is about to flower any day soon.

Green Garden Fence

The painting of the garden fence has really created a different atmosphere in the garden. I am so pleased with it.

Forest Green

Forest Green is the colour of the treatment for the fence and above you can see my help (no it's not Superman!) with this mammoth task which has taken a whole day to complete. I think it is worthwhile though and will post pictures in a couple of days for you to decide for yourselves.

Fence Treatment

Today I have made a start on treating the fence and gate of the garden with Forest Green wood stain. What hard work it has been! Not sure if I will be able to move my right arm tomorrow. I have completed three panels along the side and both sides of the fence at the bottom of the garden - then the paint ran out. It doesn't go that far and it is amazing how much the wood soaks up. I'll get some more tomorrow and possibly a smaller brush to get in the smaller spaces. I may even have some help... Make sure you check back for pictures of the completed job.

Garden Gate

At last I have got around to fixing the garden gate...

It was practically blown off it's hinges soon after Christmas, I think, and ended up in a heap in the garden. It needed some new hinges and a proper bolt to secure it shut. The first job was to remove all the nails and screws that hadn't held it together and then to reassemble the structure. Most of it was guess work and a hope that it would actually fit the gap in the fence once finished! As you can see it did! Not sure I have fitted the bolts correctly but by six o'clock this evening after all day working on it the electric screw driver/ driller had had enough and was turning slower than I could screw by hand so it will do for the moment. I hope to treat the wood next week with a green colour.

Chives

The chives in this pot are really thriving and have such lovely flowers.

Sunflower Seedlings

The sunflowers sowed at the bottom of the garden are doing well and are already little seedlings as you can see from the picture above. I wonder how tall the tallest one will grow this year..?

Jobs in the Garden for May

• Feed and weed lawn.
• Mow lawn weekly.
• Water vegetable patch regularly.
• Sow beetroot, carrots, autumn cauliflower, radish, & lettuce.
• Sow courgettes & squashes.
  
• Plant out leeks.
• Plant tomatoes, sweet peppers, chillies, aubergines & cucumbers in greenhouse.
• Water plants in greenhouse regularly.
• Harden off plants from greenhouse to outside conditions.
  

Growing

After a wet morning the afternoon really brightened up so I have made the most of it and been out in the garden doing some jobs. Firstly I weeded all the borders and the vegetable patch and then I mowed the lawn. I have then treated the lawn with a weed killer/ feeder that I know is not very organic but I hope will get rid of some of the weeds in the lawn.

The top picture shows where I have planted out three of the courgette plants that I have grown. Two into the peat free grow bag and the other I thought I would try in a pot - see what happens anyway - I just hate throwing the other plants away! I have still got about five tomato, five pepper, four butternut squash, four chilli, and three cucumber plants to find space for. I think I am going to need another grow bag!

The lettuce you can see in the second picture are doing quite well and I am still waiting for two other lines I have sowed to grow. That reminds me - I must put some more slug pellets down tonight....

Butternut Squash

Butternut Squash seedlings growing in the mini greenhouse. At least that's what I think they are!