2022 Notes
June
2nd
Sowed Basil, Coriander, Carrot, Salad Leaves directly into the veg patch.
Sowed Lettuce, Rocket into trays outside.
May
22nd
Sowed Pansy (Jolly Joker) (Crown Series Mixed) - end of packet!
Sowed Viola (Johnny Jump Up)
Sowed Primrose (Exhibition Strain Mixed) - end of packet
Sowed Bellis Perennis - end of packet.
19th
Removed the Cold Frame from the bed nearest the water butt (was covering spuds, cabbage).
Planted out Squash (Waltham) and Courgette (Midas) in a Cold Frame near the Pear tree.
The Midas's stem was already damaged, and the Waltham was very small (from a late batch due to poor germination of previous batches)
Also three unlabelled Squashy things dotted around.
18th
Sowed Spring Onion (Lisbon) and (Lilia) in two half trays or soil.
17th
Mum gave me some Pelargoniums, and planted them at the end of the lawn.
Nalin's Mum gave us an Iris, French Marigolds and ???.
14th
Planted out Foxglove near old grape vine.
Trimmed the big Acer.
Planted Dianthus near the pond, just behind the "old" lot, which don't have any sign of life, but may yet come good.
12th
Moved some Raspberry plants near the pear tree.
Planted the last Purple Spouting Broccoli near the pear tree.
Planted out Squash (Fairy), Pumpkin (Small Sugar x2) in the new flower bed.
Sowed Mustard and Basil in trays. Topped up Basil and Coriander in existing double tray.
Placed straw around my Strawberry plants near the pear tree.
Potted a Cucumber (Burpless) in a pot on the patio.
Planted Squash (Yellow Patty), (unlabelled) near the cherry tree.
10th
Potted the small Acer into Dad's pot (previously had an apple tree in it). Lobelia around the edges.
9th
Planted out Ailsa Craig Tomato from Mum into a pot with Basil around it.
Sowed more Leo Peas direct into pots (in the same place a previous sowing, which didn't germinate).
5th
Planted out Tomatoes, many flowers and Coleus in the new bed. No sign of frost in the forecast ;-)
2nd
Matt planted Dad's apple tree in his new house.
April
30th
Hot today, and no sign of frost in the forecast, so I started planting stuff out, that would normally be mid-late May.
2 circles of French Marigolds with a Red Cabbage and Purple Sprouting Broccoli in the middle. Only a half tray left (plus Dad's yellow variety)
2 patches of Chrysanthemums. Should have been 10 inches apart, but I planted them a little closer, as I have so many. Still another tray-full left if frosts do come and ruin them.
Started to harden off Tomatoes, Brachycomes, Delphiniums, Dad's French Marigolds.
26th
Planted out a half tray of French Marigolds (too early, but there's no frost forecast). Planted out 3 rows of Asparagus. The two rows nearest to the path have plenty of home made compost, and perlite. The 3rd row was left as plain soil. Will the difference be obvious in the years to come?
Planted out some succulents near to my bench by the back door. Plenty of grit and perlite.
20th
Cut out more lawn, replacing it with flower beds at mum's place.
Dug up what looks like a small rose from Mum's front garden, but it wasn't labelled - maybe a weed???
17th
Sowed new batches of Mustard x2, Basil, Spinach x2 and 1st batch of Coriander all in home-made compost in gravel trays outside.
Planted out the remaining Beetroot in the veg patch. Accidentally disturbed the Peas that were sown days earlier (they had began sprouting).
Made a 2nd gravel path between raised beds from stones sorted when building the path near the back door, as well as stones that had been picked out of the soil over time.
16th
Planted out 3 Broccoli in the veg patch, with 3 types of Radish sown around them. Gave Mum a cobbled together nest box for Robins as an Easter present.
15th
Easter weekend, with lovely weather. Started a woodworking project. Shh - secret! ;-)
13th
Pricked out Leek.
Planted out Foxglove near the new pear tree, and near the garden bench. FYI, the ones that I potted on inside are looking very sad.
Sowed Peas directly into the veg bed.
12th
Sowed some Pumpkin, Courgette and Peas into home-made compost.
Also sowed some Peas directly into a tub.
10th
Potted on Broccoli and Cabbage.
Pricked out Nemesia, French Marigold (Dad's Yellow), Lobelia
Sowed Poppy seeds indoors, and threw some around the margins of the garden (including over the back fence).
9th
Sowed Swiss Chard (Perpetual Spinach), Lettuce (Gourmet Loose-leaf Mix)???, (Mesclun Mix), Basil, Mustard (Tatsoi Red), Parsley (Plain Leaved 2), Camomile (Anthemis Nobilis)
Planted out more Pansy along the remaining edge of the nearest bed to the back door.
6th
Planted out Pansy along the path near the back door.
Sowed 3 more squares of Carrot.
Sowed Nasturtium in various places around the garden (unlabelled).
Sowed Godetia direct at the edge near the lawn.
Sowed Kale in a half tray indoors (not heated).
Planted out : Spring Onion, Mustard, Welsh Onion, Beetroot, Rocket.
The beetroot were in my newly printed pink "modules". They worked well - a squeeze and a tap, and the plants came out cleanly. Each module had 2,3 or 4 plants. I would normally thin them, but this year I've taken Monty's advice and planted then bunched up, so I should get lots of smaller beets.
A while back I saw what looked like a Delphinium from last year. I was surprised, because last year it came to nought after being eaten by slugs and snails. But yes, it is a Delphinium, and now 3 out of 4 of them are growing back.
5th
Sowed 2nd batch of Courgette and Cucumber into a heated propagator after the disastrous first batch came to zilch. (Which I'm now blaming on Westland's New Horizon Peat free compost. Do not buy!)
Sowed a second batch of Peas after the disastrous first batch came to zilch. See above! In Warm Frame.
Sowed several stations of Sunflowers. At the near and far ends of the garden. Near end are from Steve, the far end are shop bought.
Added plastic sheeting to my cold frame.
Added the step to the path by the back door
1st?
Spring started off with two nights forecast for -3C. Ouch. My (too) early planted spuds looks like they succumbed to the frost.
March
30th
Potted on Tomatoes.
28th
As almost NONE of my Squash & Pumpkins have germinated (yet?) I've sown more in a Warm Frame turned to max.
I also need to sow Courgettes and Cucumbers, which also didn't germinate. I suspect it was either bad watering, or perhaps the peat free compost, which was fungus ridden, with mushrooms sprouting from it.
Do NOT buy Westland New Horizon Peat Free compost again! The Wickes own brand looks and feels good. Homebase's own brand was award Which best buy.
Very annoying seeing as I've just added hefty stakes to hold up vining squashes and pumpkins.
25th ish
Finished the path from the back door to the lawn apart from the back door step.
The flower bed nearest the back door is now ready, and has Dahlia from last year's tubers. They weren't protected from frost, but we had a mild winter, so time will tell if they survived. I have more Dahlia seedlings on the go anyway.
18th
Mum gave me tiny plug plants. 5 Geraniums (Bright Red), 5 Geraniums, (Candyfloss Mix - pink & white) and 5 Begonias (Heaven Delight).
15th
Started work on the path, but needed to clear up the slate first, which meant digging up the remaining two shrubs. Knackered. More rest than work today. Potted the big berberis - Matthew may want it.
Gave up on my DIY Dahlias and Rudbeckia in a propagator which showed no signs of life; making way for Squash.
I haven't seen any greedy pigeons on the bird table since I added the front and back perches (which make the entrance too small for big birds). But I haven't seen any other birds on there either. Blue tits and Robins both seem to prefer the black blocks in my home made fat-ball holder.
Saw a bird of prey in a dog fight with a swift??? Amazing - evaded every attack, and finally got low enough for safety within the trees.
14th
Bricks arrived. Moved everything off of the palettes into the back garden.
10th
Sowed 4 pots of Cucamelon in heated propagator (2-3 seeds per pot).
Sowed the remaining French Marigold (Dad's Yellow) seeds, as they are old, and very few germinated from the first batch. (No space in propagators).
Installed 4 stakes/posts for tall plants (such as squash/pumpkin) behind the nearest flower bed.
Planted 2 Gooseberry plants just before the old pear tree.
Moved the Blueberry plants together as they are about to bloom.
Saw newts in the pond today.
9th
Mum turned up unannounced, and took a load of rubbish (wood, branches, metal and general) to the tip for me. Thanks Mum.
Sowed 2 pots each of Squash : (Yellow Bush Scallop), (Crown Prince), (Jumbo Pink Banana), (Waltham), (Strawberry Crown), (Fairy). Indoors, not Heated. Note, no (Uchiki Kuri).
Sowed Squash (Zephyr)x5 in heated propagator (for Steve and Mum)
Sowed Cucumber (Burpless) (Spacemaster 80) (Crystal Apple) in heated propagator.
Sowed Pumpkin (Jack O' Lantern), (Small Sugar) in heated propagator.
Sowed Courgette (Zucchini), (Safari), (Midas) in heated propagator.
Sowed Marrow (Long Bush 2) in a heated propagator.
8th
Dug up the remains of two Pyrocanthus.
Potted up 3 Jasmin plants, which had rooted near the original.
Sowed Peas (Purple Blauwschokker) in root trainers in a Warm Frame.
Took delivery of posts/stakes which I plan to use for support structures for Raspberry and vining Squash. Also had Wickes peat-free compost delivered. Seems okay, smells a little farmyardy though.
6th
Sowed 1 square of Carrot in the raised bed.
Dug over the bed beyond the pear tree.
Printed a new type of plant labels.
5th
Sowed Dahlia (Yellow Mum?) not in propagator (yet?) - all being used.
Sowed Celery (Peppermint Stick) and Cabbage (Red Acre) into modules indoors (unheated).
Sowed Broccoli (Rudolph) into a medium pot (I only want to try a few plants, so modules or seed tray would be overkill) (in a propagator as there was space).
4th
Created grid lines on the veg patches : 1 square foot markers. Use plastic fixings at the sides of the raised beds. 3D printers are very handy!
Sowed Asparagus (Uc 157 F2) and (Precoce D'Argentuil) in a seed tray indoors (no heat).
Sowed Tomato (Flame) (Gigantomo) (Current Gold Rush) (Gardeners Delight) (Tesco Cherry) in a half tray in a propogator.
Sowed Calendula (Orange King), Nemesia (Red - White), Rudbeckia (Gloriosa Daisies) in half trays in a propogator.
3rd
Sowed Mustard (Tatsoi Red F1), (Katatsuna Tendergreen) indoors.
Sowed Lettuce (Gourmet Looseleaf), Spinach (Greta F1)
2nd
Ordered a Williams bon Chretien Pear tree on dwarf root stock (Quince C) from fruit-trees.com
1st
Planning new paths.
Sowed Lupin (Pixie Delight) in a propagator in my home-made large modules. (seeds previously soaked in water. Alas, the container leaked). Sowed 3 seeds per module.
Took delivery of new UV plastic sheeting for cold frames.
February
28th
Create a second raised bed form old decking boards.
27th
First mow of the lawn of 2022.
Potted on Delphinium into small square pots (with my new grid system). 30 plants.
Pricked out Chrysanthemum (Painted Daisy) into 2 trays.
Sowed Dahlia (Bishop's Children) and (DIY red mothers)
Sowed Beetroot (Cylindra) and (Multicolour Mixed) into home made "modules".
Sowed French Marigold (Dad's Yellow) and (Durango Red)
Took Blueberry cuttings. Three cuttings came from a nice thick stem. The others were quite weedy. Maybe too late, as there are signs of life (budding).
Soaked Lupin (Pixie Delight) to help break down the tough seed casing.
Bought more seeds from PremierSeedsDirect :
- Asparagus (Uc 157 F2)
- Asparagus (Precoce D'Argentuil)
- Cabbage (Red AcreSeed)
- Carrot (Rainbow Mix)
- Lettuce (Gourmet Looseleaf Cutting MixSeed)
- Mustard (Tatsoi Red F1)
- Mustard (Komatsuna Tendergreen)
- Spinach (Greta F1)
- Broccoli (Rudolph Extra Early)
- Celery (Peppermint Stick)
- Lettuce (Mixed Leaf)
- Nasturtium (Jewel Of Africa)
25th
Dug over the 2nd part of the veg patch. Previously, there was a pile of rotting wood, which Mum helped take to the recycle centre (as well as broken fence panels from the storm). Still the left beds, around the old pear tree to sort out.
Turned the compost heaps. Put the nearly ready compost from both bins into 1 bin. 2nd bin is empty.
23rd
Sowed a second crop of Basil (Genovese) in a propagator and Leek (Carentan 2) indoors.
Planted potatoes. Under a cold frame. When digging over the veg patch, I found some extra spuds which escaped the harvest last year. A couple of the had started sprouting. So I figured, with the help of a cold frame, even this early may be ok. The seed potatoes were accidentally chitted. (Sprouted in the kitchen cupboard).
18th
Bought from PremierSeedsDirect :
- Basil (Genovese)
- Leek (Carentan 2)
- French Marigold (Durango Red)
- Cucumber (Crystal Apple)
They have "fixed" their search feature (it used to display the results in a tiny pop-up), but now it is a proper web page. So now I've added "buy" links to all of my pages (with links to other sites as well as PSD).
17th
Sowed Spinach (Leaf Beat Perpetual) and (Palco F1) in Warm Frame.
Sowed Basil (Sweet) and Thyme indoors.
16th
Gave up on the old Leek seeds which didn't germinate.
Sowed in my Warm Frames : Radish (Cherry Belle), Rocket
Sowed in propagators : Alyssum (Carpet of Snow), Antirrhinum (Tom Thumb), Brachycome (Swan River Mix), Coleus (Rainbox Mix), Dianthus (Chinese Double), Lobelia (Sapphire Pendula), Phlox (Scarlet Beauty),
Sowed in propagator : Spring Onion (Purple) - Only in the propagator, because there was a half tray space.
Sowed indoors : Welsh Onion (Red)
January
16th
A sunny day.
Sowed Delphinium, Leek, Foxglove inside, but unheated.
Sowed Chrysanthemum, Lobelia in a heated propagator.
10th
I've printed more regular 7cm pots, and a grid/frame to put over a gravel tray which hold the pots in place. I've also made smaller pots (the same sizes a those in "modules". With the corresponding grid/frame, they work like modules, except you can take out individual pots.
From PremierSeedsDirect I bought :
- Wallflower English Ivory White
- Antirrhinum Dwarf Tom Thumb
- Chrysanthemum Carinatum Painted Daisy
- Godetia Dwarf Clarkia Amoena
- Phlox Scarlet Beauty
- Herb Chamomile Anthemis Nobilis
- Purple Spring Onion Lilia
- Lupin Pixie Delight Mixed
- Tomato Flame
- Cucumber Spacemaster
- Welsh Onion Red
- BRACHYCOME
- VEGETABLE PEA PURPLE BLAUWSCHOKKER
- Herb Rocket Cultivated Salad
- Vegetable Tomato -Gigantomo
- NEMESIA STRUMOSA RED WHITE
- COURGETTE Midas F1
- Radish - Cherry Belle
- Spinach - RED Malabar
- Dahlia - Bishops Children
Notes from Last Year
Note that Zinnia cannot be transplanted! But putting the entire half-tray into a pot worked well. Maybe do the same again, but use a full-tray but shortened???
The Fennel didn't come to much! No bulbs at all?
Zephyr summer Squash were excellent. Better than Crookneck.
I will have lots more space in 2022, assuming I finish tidying up the garden.
Blueberries didn't take. Make a proper enclosure? Transparent PETG top, who's very top comes off to allow for regular spraying. Whole thing transparent, so you might see roots?
Nalin really liked the De Cayenne Chilli Peppers.