Since last posting a lot has happened. I quit my job at the end of April to work self employed gardening. Company name Greendean. Best thing i ever did.

Carried on tidying beds in garden plot, potted up some pansies, blackberry, gooseberry and redcurrant into nursery bed.

Plant Sortout

Still trying to get ahead with jobs before the big rush in spring. The garden plot beds needed sorting out. Some plants needed moving either to make space or spread them out. I tend to plant too close together at times. Some of the grasses have spread out so they needed digging up. The space where the greenhouse was needs filling in with soil. So far i have filled it with turf cut from extending and tidying the edges of the beds.

Sowing Schedule

Runner Bean, French Bean etc: April, Greenhouse
Turnip: April, Outdoors
Peas: March, Outdoors
Swiss Chard: April, Outdoors
Carrots: March
Sweetcorn: March, Propagator
Beetroot: April, Outdoor
Tomato: March, Propagator
Leek: March, Propagator, April, Outdoor
Cauliflower: March-April, Outdoors
Savoy: May, Outdoors
Broccoli: April, Outdoors
Chinese Cabbage: July, Outdoors
Calabrese: April-June, Outdoors
Cucumber: March, Propagator
Sprouting Broccoli: March-May, Outdoors
Cabbage: March, Outdoors
Peppers and Chillies: March, Propagator
Kale: April-June
Squash and Pumpkin: April-May
Courgette: April

Flower Seed List 2010

Hardy Annual

Calendula-'Art Shades'
Cornflower- 'Tall Mixed'
Poppy- 'Flanders'
Phlox- 'Night Scented'
Sunflower- 'Pastiche'
Sweet Pea- 'Mammoth Blue'
Stock- 'Night Scented'

Half Hardy Annual

Coreopsis- 'Quills and Thrills'
Rudbeckia- 'Chim Chimenee'
Solenopsis- 'Bullet Blush'

Half Hardy Perennial

Dahlia- 'Dwarf Double'

Hardy Perennial

Acanthus: 'Hungaricus'
Anemanthele- 'Lessoniana'
Astrantia- 'Red'
Agastache- 'Honey Mixed'
Delphinium- 'Pacific Giants'
Geranium- 'Orchid Blue'
Hollyhock- 'Double Mixed'
Poppy- 'Fruit Punch'
Polyanthus- 'Large Flowered Mixed'
Potentilla- 'Fireball Mixed'
Silene- 'Shell Pink'

even more manure, snow and cold

more manure, shed tidy out

more manure, turned compost heap

sat am and afternoon, built woodburner for house, cleared beds, dug over beds, tidy greenhouse,

Cut back more hedges and had a fire. Dug over one plot. picked kale for tea

Veg Seed List 2010

Here is my seed/ plant list for this year. I am trying to narrow down what we all like to eat and picking good varieties that are not readily available in the shops.

Artichoke: 'Green Globe'
Asparagus
Beans
French Dwarf: 'Ferrari', 'Tendergreen'.
French Climbing: 'Kentucky Wonder Wax', 'Cobra', 'Blue Lake', 'Borlotto'
Runner: 'White emergo', 'Streamline', 'Lady Di', 'White Lady'
Beetroot: 'Cylindra', 'Detroit',' Boltardy', 'Burpees Golden'
Broccoli: 'Calabrese', 'Di Cicco', 'Romanesco', 'Early/Late Sprouting', 'White Sprouting', 'Marathon'
Carrots: Early Nantes', 'Gonsenheimer', 'Sugar Snax', 'Autumn King', 'Rocket'
Cabbage: 'Negra', 'Picador', 'Chinese Rocket', 'Ormskirk'
Cauliflower: 'All Year Round', 'Violet Queen'
Chili: 'Anaheim', 'Hot Cayenne', 'Jalapeno', 'Hot Wax', 'Hot Patio Sizzle', '', 'Czech Black', 'Habenero'
Courgette: 'Dundoo', 'Defender', 'Zucchini', 'Bianca de Triese', 'Kojac', 'Jemmer'
Cucumber: 'Marketmore', 'Cucino', 'Minature White'
Fennel: 'Florence'
Kale: 'Dwarf Green', 'Nero Di Toscana'
Leek: 'Longrow', 'Musselburgh', 'Lyon Prizetaker'
Onion: Sets: 'Sturon', 'Stuttgarter'
Onion: Seeds: 'Ailsa Craig', 'Karmen', 'Utah Jumbo White'
Pumpkin and Squash: 'Hooligan', 'Ghost Rider', 'Cheese Squash', 'Hunter'
Pepper: 'Roberta', 'Sweet Mini'
Peas: 'Meteor', 'Kelvedon Wonder', 'Rondo', 'Lancashire Lad', 'Ne Plus Ultra'
Potatoes: 'Belle de Fonteney', 'Juliette', 'Vivaldi'
Sweetcorn: 'Incredible'
Swiss Chard: Bright Lights'
Tomatoes: Bush: 'Sub Arctic', 'Garden Pearl', 'Red Alert'
Tomatoes: Tall: 'Roma', 'Golden Sunrise', 'Marmande', 'Moneymaker', 'Alicante', 'Gardeners Delight'
Salad: 'Pak Choi', 'Mizuna'. Lettuce: 'Salad Bowl', 'Lollo Rosso', 'Little Gem', 'Rocket', 'Oriental Salad Mix', Basil'. Spring Onion: 'White Lisbon', 'Toga'.Radish: 'Saxa', 'Cherrybelle', 'French Breakfast', 'Sparkler', 'Rainbow Mixed'

Saturday. Cold but sunny. The ground was too hard to dig so i tidied one of the beds and hedges in the garden plot.

Ordered potatoes for this year. Belle de Fontenay, Juliette and Vivaldi.

Before and after on the south facing bed

The snow has finally gone so a good chance to catch up on some jobs before spring. Most of the beds have now been manured and a couple more turned into raised beds. Lack of wood has stopped this for now. The new greenhouse from the garden plot is now in place and just needs finishing off

Snow

Its been very cold and as you can see lots of snow, looks nice though