Too much brown

There are many reasons why I write a gardening blog, one of which is that it is a useful garden diary.  It is interesting to look back and see what we were doing last year and beyond.

So, around this time in April 2012, I was praising the Persicaria which was in flower.  I was also sowing parsnip seeds and Doc was helping me re-plant the bed at the front of the house with new perennials.  The hungry gap was over and on the 14th April, we enjoyed Rhubarb from a very verdant rhubarb patch.  All systems were go, go, go.

 

Rhubarb for crumble - 14th April 2012

Further back, on the 8th April 2011 I was coping with a very unpleasant eye allergy.  However, I had managed to plant out peas, mange tout and lettuces.  The narcissi in the orchard helped lift my spirits but not as much as the asparagus did.  Not only were we picking it on 21st April but had been doing so for 3 weeks!

8th April 2011

What a difference a couple of years makes?  Today, the only productive plant outside in the garden is.... actually, there ISN’T a productive plant apart from a frost bitten bay tree, one brownish-looking rosemary bush and a tired thyme plant.  There isn't a hint of a shoot in the asparagus bed, the rhubarb is just unfurling a leaf or two and planting out the mange tout would be cruel.

 

There are strawberry plants in a raised bed but they are struggling to keep going.  No sooner do they put on a fresh green leaf than the frost turns it to a mush.  Their colleagues in the greenhouse are fine and I wish I had dug the outside ones up and found room for them inside too. 

 

Last week, I was concerned that the early seed potatoes might give up altogether if I did not take pity on them, so I plunged them into a raised bed and then covered them with plastic.  But I expect Bob Flowerdew would think I am mad doing this.

The temperatures have crept into double digits this weekend but it is still cold for the time of year.  Plants continue to do well the greenhouse though and I have moved some to the cold frame.  But they do need to be outside so they can explode into growth.  The lettuces are proving to be tough and I have several pots of cut and come again salad leaves which we snip daily.  The salad rocket supplies a little bit of heat to cheer us up. 

I have doubts the Morning Glory plants will barely have the stature to hold themselves upright, even if they have a nice arch to support them.  (Doc persevered to erect this in a rather brisk Southerly wind today!)  They are green but they don't look strong at all.  There are sweet peas which could be hardened off and planted out but I don't think they will do any more outside than they are inside.

I think we are at least a month behind and if we don’t get some continuing warm weather, we might not catch up at all.  Today, Doc searched the orchard and found 12 narcissi to pick and bring into the house.  12 is better than nil, isn’t it?  Never give up, is out motto. Still, we have found a new BBC programme to watch.  'Beechgrove Garden' from Scotland, is absolutely fabulous.  We love it!