Friday 25 March 2011

Catching up on the Plot

I have been busy on the allotment since last week as I'm sure most of you have too what with this amazing weather we have been having ( well it has been here in Hampshire anyway !) I actually spent from 11.30 am to 4.55 pm on Tuesday up there digging and shifting manure by the barrow loads, and I have finally got the bed ready for the broad beans to go in over the week-end or early next week. See how they have grown it's amazing how sturdy they are and the roots are coming out the bottom of the root trainers.

As they were from a few weeks ago


















And here they are today
The bed is all ready and when I get them in I will cover them until all frosts have gone, even though they have been hardened off each day for a couple of weeks . You can see the bed where I added lots of manure. The plot is looking bare now but I have so many seeds on the go that it should look very good in a couple of months. I also planted spinach on Tuesday, so that should be up as it takes no time at all to appear.


The potatoes are chitting and I will also get them in next week as they are first earlies, so maybe should have been in by now. We don't eat a lot of potatoes, so I don't grow that many now.
My garden is looking pretty and there are lots of lovely spring flowers about the place. The Hyacinths are fantastic and fill the air with the most amazing scent, especially in the evening. They are just outside the kitchen door and placed near a seating area so we get a whiff of them every so often, I must grow more next year. They seem a popular cut flower too, even Tesco has started selling them in their flower section, but at £5 a small bunch it's got to be cheaper to grow a bed of them to cut on the allotment.










The heather behind the Buddha is looking great I love the colour, it's a welcome sight and it's been flowering for ages. I am so glad I didn't pull up the Rudbeckia  plants that i grew from seed last year, I thought they were dead but I spotted this one sending up a new shoot this morning.
I hope you all have a great week-end and that you get done all you need to do in the garden or on the allotment.

11 comments:

Deb said...

I didn't know you were in Hampshire (I am too, on the border with W Sussex)! It has been lovely weather and I'm very impressed with all your work! Your pots of flowers are lovely too.

Pam's English Garden said...

Dear Maureen, You say your weather is amazing - so is ours, but not in the same way, as you will see when you look at the pics on my latest posting!Your allotment looks great, and your garden truly wonderful. I can almost smell those beautiful hyacinths. Have a wonderful weekend. P x

Maureen said...

Hi Deb, we are on the Hampshire/Wilts-hire end of the county. Thanks for your comment and I hope you are all getting better now.

Hi Pam, I just popped over to your blog and I see what you mean about your weather !! SNOW !! unbelievable. I am so glad to hear that you are out of hospital and on the mend. Have a good week and let everyone spoil you.
M x

Jan said...

Hi Mo...you are one busy lady! Spring has sprung, I can see that! Love looking at all of your hard work. I have some hyacinths but they aren't planted near where I walk so I haven't enjoyed their scent--I think I need to move some of them to pots on the deck so they'll be more appreciated! It's been chilly this past week...thank goodness we worked in the garden the 2 wkends before this because it feels damp and cold out now. The weather forecast is calling for up to 3 inches of snow tonight...I think I'll try to just go to sleep until it's all gone. I'm so DONE with snow and cold weather and ready for warmth to stay! I think the weatherman must be wrong;-)

Maureen said...

Hi Jan, it's so nice to hear from you. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I must come and see what you have been up to. I hope we don't get anymore snow, it's unlikely but it has been known before to get snow around Easter. You should move your Hyacinths to your deck, the smell is so lovely and it's a shame not to get the benefit of it.
Have a good week.
m x

Pam said...

Everything is looking so fresh and healthy Maureen. Such a great time of year isn@t it?
P xx

Mark Willis said...

Hey, those Broad Beans look fab! You will be eating your before mine are six inches tall.

I like your collection of pots too - especially the blue glazed ones. I have a bit of a weakness for things like that - I'm forever looking for excuses to buy more of them.

Janet/Plantaliscious said...

Impressive broad beans! I need to start some more off, and plant the ones that are hardened off now. Must dig out my spinach seed packet, I could do with some early success to fuel me for my first year on the plot.

Maureen said...

Hi PAM, yes it is a lovely time of year, my favourite actually, I prefer the mild weather.

Hi Mark, I haven't put the broad beans on the plot yet but hopefully tomorrow it will get done. I do love blue glazed pot's they always go with most planting scheme and look cheery even when empty.

Hi Janet, I wish you luck on your first year, it's so exciting getting that first years harvest.

green fingers mum said...

Love the pics - your broad beans are doing fantastic. Loved reading your blog.
http://greenfingersmum.blogspot.com

Maureen said...

Hi GREEN FINGERS MUM, thanks for the comment. Your blog is good, I just popped over and left a comment.