We have lodgers in the conservatory …
Several clumps of frogspawn were laid in the field about three weeks ago but we were still prone to bouts of frost, so Jon insisted that I rescue some before they were all killed off. As it happens, the other clumps seem to be surviving pretty well but the ones brought into the relative warmth of the conservatory are several weeks ahead of their siblings / cousins, which are only just starting to differentiate into discernible shapes rather than balls. The most developed of ours, on the other hand, have left the safety of the jelly and are merrily swimming around. (I would have taken photos of the tadpoles when they were first brought in to chart their progress but I couldn’t find the charger for the camera …)
Outside, we have seeded the bare earth round the table area, potted up our first early spuds, and are in the last stages of planning what to do with the veg patch and what was formerly the rose garden. Current thinking is that the rose garden is going to be given over to main crop spuds, with rhubarb growing in the relative shade of the hedge. Decking can wait another year. Peas, beans, mangetout and leeks will be planted in the veg patch intercropped with more herbs. We’re also thinking of relocating the fountain to the middle of the veg patch, a bit radical I know, but we can’t dig a hole deep enough anywhere else in the garden before we hit bedrock. The stone sundial and bird bath have already been moved next to the stone bench and I spent several hours over the weekend transferring the top layer of mulch from the ex-rose garden to the rose and perennial beds. Next step is to dig over and apply feed before planting so that needs to be done pretty soon. However, next weekend may be a little busy as we hope to take charge of some new arrivals.
