Sowing

You can just about see some of the lettuce growing in the vegetable patch. There is also some carrots growing and I think another variety of lettuce poking through the soil. I have planted the beetroot between the carrots and lettuce as I think there will be space. I wasn't going to try beetroot again after my disappointing crop last year when almost nothing grew larger than a seedling but I am hoping that in this location where they will get more sun and probably a little more attention from me they will thrive. We shall see.

I notice that the courgettes, butternut squash, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts are doing well in the green house. I will plant them out soon. I hope to grow the butternut squash and cauliflower in pots and the Brussels in the vegetable patch. Will attempt to grown the tomatoes and courgettes in a grow bag as I did last year. Anyone any experience of growing cauliflowers and butternut squash in pots? The potatoes seem to be doing well in a pot!

Tomatoes

Tomatoes from the garden. Have had to leave them on the window sill for about a week to redden up. Can't wait to eat one - I love tomatoes!!

Succulent Flowers

I'm afraid this isn't really in focus - I will try and get a better picture tomorrow!

Chives

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

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.
  

Fern Hanging Basket

Grow Bag

Aubergine on the left with the biggest of my tomato plants on the right. Space left in the middle for either a cucumber, chili, or pepper plant - whichever seedlings grow the largest the quickest!

More Sowing

Have been out again this evening and planted up some more pots and a grow bag that I am trying for the first time this year. I have planted out the tomato and aubergine plants that have grown from seed into the grow bag. (I've more tomato plants and may even get another grow bag actually.) I have then sown cucumbers, chillies, peppers (although I'm sure I have got some little seedlings growing already - can't remember), basil, chives, parsley, and butternut squash.

I have also planted out some little stick things which I received for Christmas which came in what looks similar to a match stick envelope of Alpine Strawberries (Fragaria vesca), Wild Flowers, and Butterfly Flowers.

Not sure where I shall plant these out when they grow as I have courgette plants to plant out soon and I would like to sow some more lettuce straight into the vegetable patch as the first lot didn't take very well - I may even sow some in the green house or under the little propagator. I am off over weekend and then Monday and Tuesday too so hopefully weather permitting I shall spend some more time outside - I may even attempt the gate which remains in bits!!

Fritillaria

Fritillaria plants which have just flowered in one of the pots in the garden. I vaguely remember planting the bulbs last autumn. Will have to look up exactly which kind it is. I think I have kept the leaflets that came with the bulbs... They appear very delicate plants.

Canes

The seeds I planted at the end of March have done well in all this warm weather we have had recently. I planted up three pots with seeds, two of which are already growing... tomatoes and I think butternut squash but I am not sure! I cannot for the life of me remember what was in the third pot! Will have to wait and see...

Red Tulips

Have been in the garden again today and spruced it up a little. I have mowed the lawn and done some weeding in the borders. More importantly I have put in some more canes and attached some black cotton with the hope of deterring the cat from doing it's business all over the vegetable patch. I will be surprised if anything grows as it has been dug over by the cat and then raked over by me a few times now in different areas. I never saw the cat throughout the day today. It must know it has been naughty!

Cold Climate Gardening

This is a mammoth website about gardening that I have come across and it is a brilliant resource and has many websites listed from all over the world. It also has a link to my website on it! Check it out if you have time...

Daffodils and Tulips

Digging

Here you can see the areas I dug over yesterday and in the bottom one the rows in which I have sowed seeds of onions, carrots and lettuce. The beetroot was sowed along the border by the path. The picture above shows where I shall sow some sunflower seeds early next month hopefully.

Cats

This morning went to the vegetable patch to find that the next doors cat had dug up most of the area I had sowed into yesterday! Can't moan or blame the cat as it kept me company yesterday when I was out there gardening and it is a sweet friendly thing. Have just returned from B&Q with some cat repellent which will hopefully do the trick. Slugs and now cats!!

Spring Pot

A lovely spring pot that my Mum bought for us from Tal Goed Nurseries in Glan Conwy. They were real bargains.

Spring is in the Air

I have not been able to post for a while due to a computer problem which has now thankfully been sorted - not that much has been going on in the garden anyway...... until today....

I have strimmed the lawn as it was too long to cut with the mower and then raked it over twice to get rid of all the cut grass - put it on the compost heap. I have dug over the vegetable patch and the border at the bottom of the garden and hoed the border at the side along the path.

I thought it time to start planting out some seeds today also. Onions, carrots, lettuce, and beetroot were sowed directly on the vegetable patch and the tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers were put directly in pots in the mini greenhouse. I have covered the vegetable patch with slug pellets - not very organic I know but I got fed up last year of them eating everything. They also apparently act as an animal repellent which is good as the new cat next door has started taking a liking to scratching in the dirt around the garden!

I also generally had a clean up around the garden and tidied up the shed a little. It has been a lovely sunny day and I am so pleased with what I have done. I must get out there tomorrow and take some pictures of the daffodils and tulips which are coming through. They look lovely.

It was the seed fair in Conwy today which I went to bright and breezy this morning all ready to buy some little plants to plant as last year but unfortunately I couldn't find any tomato or cucumber plants as last year and left a little disappointed. There were some lovely plants and flowers there with lots of different stalls selling various things from honey and chutneys to cards and CDs. I was pleased when I returned home without any cakes or chocolate!

Spring Bulbs

These little flowers are pushing themselves through the soil despite the snow and cold spell we have had recently...

Moss

Saw this moss today with it's sporophytes evident. They are so small and dainty. I remember studying mosses at university whilst doing my biology degree and yet I have no idea what type of moss this is.

Wind Damage

Well, the gate is still in a pile at the bottom of the garden. It blew off it's hinges in the really bad wind last month. Anyone else have any damage? A house not too far away from me had a whole fence collapse. I hope, in the very near future, to look at fixing it up again. I am not very good with DIY but am determined to give it a go. Watch this space, as I often say, for the finished result!