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Month: June 2020

hands and soil

Soil health

Posted on 3rd June 20203rd June 2020 by Kim Stoddart

Kim Stoddart gets up and close and personal with this important enabler of veg patch life and explains how to keep it fertile and simply fantastic all year round… It may not look very glamorous but this earthy substance is the key to the success of your food growing efforts. Treat it well and make…

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water harvesting

It’s going to rain this week!

Posted on 3rd June 20203rd June 2020 by Sally Morgan

This blog was published on 4 June 2019 and a similar pattern has emerged in 2020, except this time the months of March, April and May have been hot and dry …. Hurrah, some rain is forecast.  I know, it’s June, and we all want to be outside enjoying the sun and the last thing…

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Recent Posts

  • Soil health
  • It’s going to rain this week!
  • In search of good companions
  • My garden’s been flooded, what can I do?
  • Urban creep increases the risk of flooding
  • Plants to leave in the ground
  • Saving seeds of resilience part 2

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Seedlings looking good. These are beetroot cylindr Seedlings looking good. These are beetroot cylindra,  from @theorganiccatalogue, one of my favourites for slicing. They are growing in #peatfree of course, in this case it's carbon gold with biochar ( @carbon_gold_biochar )  so expecting some super root growth.
Make your own potting compost for #peatfreeapril Make your own potting compost for  #peatfreeapril - no need to buy potting compost as you can make your own #peatfree from a mix of homemade compost, leaf mould and 'molehill loam'. A far more sustainable approach to gardening, making use of materials from the garden - a closed loop system.

You can add sand or grit and tweak the recipe to suit all needs. Check out the brilliant guide written by  @gardenorganicuk on making seed, seedling and potting composts
Somebody is not impressed with the cold! Taking co Somebody is not impressed with the cold!
Taking cover while I had a look around a friend's garden
Not snow but masses of blackthorn blossom. I have Not snow but masses of blackthorn blossom.
I have allowed the blackthorn suckers to spread, they have popped up about 3 m from the parent hedge, so now I have a  double hedge with a path between so we can still get the tractor through

This bit of #rewilding has created more  habitat for birds and small mammals plus the shady conditions favour a different assemblage of plants.
My 'time saving' compost heap. I don't have stati My 'time saving' compost heap. I don't  have static compost bins in my potager.

Instead, each year I use one bed as a compost bin. It's gets the waste from the surrounding beds.  I keep it covered with black plastic and by this time of year the bed is ready to be used again. You can see there's some woody stuff that hasn't rotted down and this is moved to the next compost bed, but underneath it's perfect to use for potatoes or squash. If I had time I would shred the woody stuff to speed up the decomposition and to create more space.

It save me time as I don't have to dig out and barrow the finished compost anywhere. Any surplus can be tipped on neighbouring beds as a mulch. Given the amount of organic matter in the soil/ compost, its very attractive to slugs so I'll use a precautionary treatment of #nemaslug but there's plenty of predators such as centipedes.
Our new arrivals - two Oxford sandy and black wean Our new arrivals - two Oxford sandy and black weaners, just 8 weeks old.

Normally weaners are quite shy as they get used to their new surroundings - not these two, came running up as soon as they heard the feed bucket. Very inquisitive pair.

I think they are going to be a hit with the allotmenteers. The pigs always enjoy a supply of fruit and veg from the plots!
Very proud of my snakeshead fritillaries! Looking Very proud of my snakeshead fritillaries! Looking great along with celandines and ground ivy. 
 
Its a bumper yr for my mini wet meadow / wild area. I planted a few bulbs years ago and they have naturalised and now pop up everywhere. It's clay soil and an area that floods regularly creating perfect conditions for them.
Lots of #chard and perpetual spinach to harvest - Lots of #chard and perpetual spinach to harvest - love how these plants suddenly spring back into action after looking quite battered from the winter weather. I pick as much as possible before they start to flower. I freeze in small pots so I always have some spinach to hand. 

I like to make my take on spanakopita - spinach, mint, pine nuts, feta and filo pie 

What do you make with your spinach harvest?
Dandelion - such an important early flower for pol Dandelion - such an important early flower for pollinators and predators, but it's plentiful nectar is attractive to ants!
Cuttings of Taunton Deane kale - a perennial kale Cuttings of Taunton Deane kale - a perennial kale - looking good and ready to be planted out. I have a number of these plants, some in the fruit cage so they don't get demolished by pigeons. They are so easy to propagate - just snap off a shoot and pop it in soil. Great for winter greens, full of flavour as you would expect from a perennial plant.

I first saw this kale growing in the walled garden at @knightshayesnt - a fabulous specimen that towered above me.

You can read more information about this kale and buy plants here @thebackyardlarder  or from @incredible_vegetables
Easter pollinators, plenty of insects enjoying the Easter pollinators, plenty of insects enjoying the warmth of the sunny walled garden, including a resident peacock butterfly and loads of bee-flies ( second photo) 

We have more bee-flies than ever, they look like bees but their fast darting flight gives them away. They are fascinating insects being parasitoids of solitary bees and wasps. The increase in numbers may reflect the abundance of solitary bees in our walls. 

They are tricky to capture on camera so 
spent too long stalking them and should  have fetched my camera rather than use my phone!
Easter tulips looking lovely against the grey of s Easter tulips looking lovely against the grey of senecio. Not mine but spotted in a friend's garden, the joys of being able to visit another's garden
Weed or flower? Most books will say ground ivy is Weed or flower? Most books will say ground ivy is a weed, but it's a pretty ground covering plant. 

I have loads of it in the garden. There's a carpet of it under the fruit trees  and it was busy with pollinators yesterday. I love it, easy to remove when its finished flowering.

Prefers shady spots with rich soil. Not much seems grows around so that may be due to it being allelopathic - its roots release chemicals that stop other plants from growing.
Freedom! Fresh grass! Avian flu restrictions relax Freedom! Fresh grass! Avian flu restrictions relaxed and the girls can go out. #happyhens
View from above - the flowering quince is having a View from above - the flowering quince is having a bumper year, masses of flowers from ground to roof and buzzing with pollinators plus the squirrels that seem to like them too
Lots of blossom and bees enjoying the sun - the wa Lots of blossom and bees enjoying the sun - the wall was a buzz with bees yesterday - I counted 5 different species, some wasps, plus some bee flies ( brilliant mimics) and a peacock butterfly. Plenty of flowers on the greengage, plus more on the peach and apricot.
Another tray of seedlings growing well in #peatfre Another tray of seedlings growing well in #peatfree compost. These are flower sprouts or #kalettes that will help to fill the hungry gap at this time of year. Bought two pack of seed this year to make sure I have plenty.

All my purchased compost is peatfree. This is @carbon_gold_biochar with the magic ingredient #biochar which helps with water retention and root growth. Its fab stuff and root growth is great, giving seedlings a great start.

And don't forget to watch out for the #peatfreeapril campaign kicking off on Thursday - we'll be sharing lots of information, blogs, videos, virtual tours and a special launch video.
Seedlings! All looking good in the #polytunnel - s Seedlings! All looking good in the #polytunnel - surfaces covered with trays of germinating veggies. Here a tray of brassica, in #peatfree compost of course and looking very healthy.but going to have to watch the next few days of 'heatwave' as temperatures can soar. Hit 25C yesterday so it doesn't take much to push it higher, then plummets at night - so doors open, doors shut, move the trays out, move them back!
More spring flowers, can't help but pull out the c More spring flowers, can't help but pull out the camera when I see them! Down the south side of the house we have masses of self seeded #muscari and a flowering japonica (chaenomeles) covered in beautiful pink flowers that the squirrels love! It's been a buzz with bees all week plus loads of birdsong.
Red-veined sorrel growing well in the #polytunnel. Red-veined sorrel growing well in the #polytunnel. Eye catching, reliable perennial with deep roots. Young leaves can be picked for salad - a tangy lemon flavour. Older leaves tend to be bitter but I mix them with spinach and chard which is also coming back at this time of year. Full of vitamin C.
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Authors

  • Kim Stoddart Kim Stoddart
    • Soil health
    • In search of good companions
    • Plants to leave in the ground
    • Saving seeds of resilience part 1
    • Wellbeing through gardening
  • Sally Morgan Sally Morgan
    • It’s going to rain this week!
    • My garden’s been flooded, what can I do?
    • Urban creep increases the risk of flooding
    • Saving seeds of resilience part 2
    • Climate change gardening at RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival

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