A good streak.

A good streak

In light of some pretty serious long-term goals, I’ve been hyper focused on the garden and getting stuff done.  The days end with a satisfying ache in the bones that comes from an effort well spent.  Not to be confused with pushing myself to the  point of exhaustion of breakage.  I’ve been there recently with my finger physio episode.  My best advice on this subject is work carefully and intentionally and use the right tools for the job to avoid mishaps and accidents requiring medical attention.   After months of regular assisted finger wiggling, I’ve graduated from physio, but things will apparently be back to normal by the summer! 

So, with a newfound caution adding a layer to my passion, creativity and need to get things done in the garden, I’ve been making great progress.  These are some of the things I have recently achieved in the garden. 

Sector One

This garden is completely ready for the new season.  All the beds have had their cover crops chopped down. Where the mustard growth was thin and straggly told me the soil needed a little more oomph, so I added in some blood and bone and Dynamic Lifter and tucked it all in with a layer of compost.  Not all of these beds had the cover crop due to the late lingering crops in the autumn that made it too late for sowing seed in time for active growth.  So, these beds just got the blood and bone, Dynamic Lifter and compost treatment.

As this is the first sector as you enter it feels encouraging and motivating. 

Sector Two

This is half done but shouldn’t take long.  We’re eating leeks as fast as we can, so we don’t waste the last few lingering there.  I would chop them up and freeze them, but we haven’t gone through the ones that are already in there.  The lettuce and brassica have finally come to an end.  The last succession lettuce that we should be eating now were helped to their demise by chickens who slipped into the garden through a hole in the fence that is now fixed.  These along with a few remaining beds need their  garden beds who need the blood and bone, Dynamic Lifter and compost treatment.   I’ve been chipping away at the fence line to control shifting sands and out of control weeds that took advantage of the situation. 

Sector Three.

I need to call time on the lingering crops.  The silver beet agrees with me by sending up its seed head and the chickens will love the spent plants for a nutritious snack.  The potatoes are in, and the garlic and asparagus are doing their thing.  We are very much enjoying the daily asparagus harvest, and it hasn’t got to the stage where we’re over the sheer abundance of it.   Although the garlic is starting to show signs of early rust, which is disappointing but not a deal breaker for the crop at this point.  It won’t be a stella harvest, but I don’t mind peeling fiddly cloves.  I grew it – I’ll eat it!

But essentially this collection of garden beds needs a day or two of serious effort to be ready for the new season of planting.

Sector Four

This is the bitsy area that includes the greenhouse, a collection of beds, the pond and the plants languishing on the deck around the office.   I weeded around the pond the other day and finally planted out the spent iris.  I ‘d planted the bulbs  into pots because I knew I’d struggle to find the time to weed around the pond to create space to plant them any earlier so and that’s where they flowered… unceremoniously in their pots.  Next year they will be magnificent. 

The greenhouse is pretty much organised and hasn’t descended into chaos, which is wonderful.  Normally by now I’m in the middle of a mess with things discarded willy nilly in the midst of the busyness.  But with a staggered approach to seed sowing and transplanting, small bursts of activity in the greenhouse gives me the time and energy to tidy up after myself each time.  The downsizing also has an effect.  It feels like there are a lot less plants in there.  Well – there are, but I feel like I’m missing something.  I have sown all the seeds except for those that need to be direct sown when the time is right, but I will be  going back through my seed tin to double check and resow any gaps.  There aren’t too many gaps as the seeds were all new and fresh. 

The rest of sector four is in complete disarray, but I’ll get there and aren’t too worried about things at this point. 

Sector Five

This is the fruit section, and it is in relatively good shape aside from a jolly good weed.  The gooseberry seems to have died, but it has been hanging on for several years and finally I get it in a protected position that it should like, but it was too little too late, and it hasn’t come back, and I need to replace it.  And I need to build a blueberry cage to protect my harvest from the birds and other creatures. 

The Palace

I can happily say that The Palace is ready for the season.  Room One has had the rosemary hedge trimmed, the pavers and the chamomile weeded, and it is all looking sharp. 

Room Two has been weeded within an inch of its life and its edges have been tamed.   The plants are filling in to the space nicely, although there a few gaps to fill.  The bark mulch needs a refresh, but there is no point doing it until the exposed sand in Room Three is covered over with a finished garden.

There are some behind the scenes maintenance jobs that need attention, but they don’t detract from the garden itself. 

Room Three is well and truly underway and more will be revealed later.

And that is the state of the garden right now.

Come again soon – there is still much to be done.

Sarah the Gardener  : o)