I’ve been very remiss updating the blog recently, not that we haven’t been gardening, but my default Internet browser page usually displays eBay at the moment. My best sales so far have been three broken, plastic watches and used ticket stubs. How bizarre! Back to the garden though. If (no pun intended) Telly Savalas was correct and a picture paints a thousand words then this photo should have quite a bit to say for itself:
The lowest bed contains lines of rhubarb, main crop potatoes, and early croppers which are just starting to show. In the bottom row of the potager we have culinary herbs, behind them the cloches contain cos lettuces, radishes (slugs had a good go at them despite the beer traps) and spinach that were all started off indoors. The twine rows indicate where the leeks were sown – although the hens have been playing cats’ cradle with the strings - intercropped with spring onions, garlic and more radishes. Runner beans, mangetout and peas seedlings, again started off indoors, are being trained to run up the canes. Calendula officinalis and nasturtiums have been sown directly into the ground, whilst livingstone daisy seedlings surround the fountain paving stones. Okay the daisies aren’t edible but I had a surplus of them and they are pretty. To complete, creeping herbs, such as thyme and chamomile, have been dotted around to spread and deter weeds. That’s the plan anyway. I’ve just had to do a major weeding session as they went wild as soon as we had a spot of warm weather and I suspect I may have inadvertently disturbed or weeded out many of the naturtiums and marigolds.
Meanwhile, the hens are settling in nicely. They’ve had a few adventures: the odd run-in with the younger dog who still can’t believe that they don’t want to play with her; made sworn enemies of the jays; murdered a few slow worms in cold blood (that did not go down well!). But apart from one day when Gabriella got spooked, first by Megan and then by the gale force winds, so hid until bedtime, they pretty much rule the roost. They’ve made themselves at home by creating various dustbaths round the garden. Very cute, especially when they get too excited and roll over down the garden path steps.
