Stephanie's Garden Blog

Finally, the temperatures have improved enough to start planting in the kitchen garden, this week I have planted out the sweet potatoes, Dwarf French green beans, Runner beans Enorma, Peas Norli and Kelvendon wonder, sweet peas, Dill and Parsley.

It has been a week of wind, rain and low temperatures which has made gardening a challenge. When the risk of frost was announced I was worried we would lose the younger more tender plants but we covered them in a weather protecting fleece and so far, they have survived.

So, this week I want to talk about companion planting in the kitchen garden, companion planting is a must for organic gardeners as it is the natural way to control pests and aids pollination, plus it looks really pretty

What a difference a week makes weather wise, gone are the beautiful sunny skies and warmer temperatures. I have to admit it has caught me out as I thought the risk of frost had gone, only to wake up this morning and hear the dreaded weatherman say there is a chance of frost over the weekend.

What beautiful weather we have been having, lovely sunny skies and warmer air, so its now time to start planting out some of the hardy vegetables. This week we have planted our early purple sprouting broccoli, broccoli Santee, Brussel sprouts nautic f1 and spinach. All of them have appreciated the sunshine and have already grown well.

An important job to start now is slug control because these greedy little creatures will quite happily munch through all your crop and leave you with a few stalks to cry over. I highly recommend Nemaslug as it is a natural biological slug killer you apply every 6 weeks until all the crops are harvested, I would also recommend applying it with the Nemasprayer as it distributes the product easily and evenly.

Peonies do like a sunny location with well-drained soil and good air circulation around the plant is important. Peony plant supports should be put in place early on in the growing season. Once the plant is in full bloom, it is much harder to set up an effective support system and the damage may have already been done.

The first of our rhododendrons has come into flower and looking beautiful next to the new laser screen panels, a perfect assimilation between nature and man.

Its been a busy week in the kitchen garden, preparations are well under way for the season ahead. This year we have decided to plant our vegetables in a potager style, this should add interest to the garden and be aesthetically pleasing to the eye.