The week started in the Kitchen Garden with the planting of all the brassicas in the newly built Slot & Lock Vegetable Cage. Two varieties of sprouts, Igor and Groninger, broccoli Santee and Calabrese, cabbage winter Westland wells and cauliflower Goodman were all planted. They then had a through watering as we have still had no rain in the kitchen garden.
The strawberries in the long Metal Raised Bed are starting to produce berries so a small cage was needed to be built and covered with netting to stop the birds getting to the fruit before we do.
In the Wooden Raised Beds, we are growing a variety of vegetables together, so we have sowed kale and beetroot in one and in another have planted lettuce and spinach, these are already growing and looking good so far.
Elsewhere in the kitchen garden the potatoes are growing at some speed and these are needing plenty of water. In the bean bed the broad beans are looking strong and healthy, the runner beans have taken well and are now starting to climb the netting and the peas are filling out and sending runners up their support.
In the greenhouse the tomatoes are now producing flowers and the other vegetables, aubergines, chillies and peppers are also growing well, looking really strong and healthy. We have planted the squash and courgettes outside in the metal raised beds and as it is a little early, they have had cloches placed over them to protect them from any sudden drops in temperature and frost.
Elsewhere in the other gardens it's pretty quiet at the moment, just mainly keeping up on the weeding and watering where needed. There has still been no sufficient rainfall and we are now heading for a very hot spell so the zinc planters which have agapanthus and Buxus growing in them will need watering every day.
The covers on the soft fruit trees will be removed shortly, this is usually done at the beginning of May but this week’s weather is forecasting strong winds so they will remain on for another week,we can already see through the cover’s that some peaches are growing.
Hope you are still managing to spend time in the garden and enjoy your outside space and don't forget with the weather warming up to make sure you are watering regularly.
Happy Gardening!
