This has been the first weekend that we have spent a decent amount of time out in the garden since the autumn. The weather was mild and sunny, particularly on Saturday, and we have managed to get a lot of sorting out, tidying and preparing done.
Yesterday I had a big sort through of all my little plastic seedling pots and other bits of paraphernalia and it has all been tidied away properly in the shed. I also made a sturdier base for the cold frame using some pieces of wood we had spare and covering them with some of the ground sheet that we use to cover the paths around the raised beds. I tried a gravel base last year, however this just gave the slugs somewhere to breed baby slugs without being seen until it was too late and they had grown up enough to eat some of my seedlings! I wouldn't recommend having a base of gravel in your coldframe.
James finished preparing the soil in my cuttings garden (a tiny area but big enough for a few flowers) and then today, dug over the back border whilst mixing in some good old manure.
We have also decided to cover the paths with ornamental chipped bark which looks really quite nice. It is much nicer to look at then the black plastic ground sheet anyway.
Next week we'll hopefully manage a trip to the garden centre to get some willow screening to cover the left-hand fencing and once that is up, we have bought some blue slate chippings to cover the unsightly concrete. Hopefully these cheap and cheerful methods will provide a much softer backdrop for the plants.
The arrival of spring also means the return of Gardeners' World on BBC2 and it was great to see the hour long programme on Friday. I really miss it when it isn't on over the winter.
Yesterday I had a big sort through of all my little plastic seedling pots and other bits of paraphernalia and it has all been tidied away properly in the shed. I also made a sturdier base for the cold frame using some pieces of wood we had spare and covering them with some of the ground sheet that we use to cover the paths around the raised beds. I tried a gravel base last year, however this just gave the slugs somewhere to breed baby slugs without being seen until it was too late and they had grown up enough to eat some of my seedlings! I wouldn't recommend having a base of gravel in your coldframe.
James finished preparing the soil in my cuttings garden (a tiny area but big enough for a few flowers) and then today, dug over the back border whilst mixing in some good old manure.
We have also decided to cover the paths with ornamental chipped bark which looks really quite nice. It is much nicer to look at then the black plastic ground sheet anyway.
Next week we'll hopefully manage a trip to the garden centre to get some willow screening to cover the left-hand fencing and once that is up, we have bought some blue slate chippings to cover the unsightly concrete. Hopefully these cheap and cheerful methods will provide a much softer backdrop for the plants.
The arrival of spring also means the return of Gardeners' World on BBC2 and it was great to see the hour long programme on Friday. I really miss it when it isn't on over the winter.
The back border freshly dug over...
The few containers in use - garlic, blackcurrant 'ben sarek', ornamental bulbs, lemon balm and rosemary..
The garlic has started off well in a container and will be replanted into the raised bed shortly
...and the paths now covered with chipped bark
2 comments:
That bark looks really good! Just the kind of thing I need for my paths in fact. :)
We got ours from AHS Direct (see website links on the right for the web address)
They do a 3 bag deal which is pretty reasonable...
Its lovely to walk on and smells quite nice too!
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