It's April and things are getting busy in the vegetable patch. In previous years I have been thwarted by the weather in early April with cold northerly winds drying out the soil but leaving the temperature too low to sow anything. This year it is warmer, there is no wind and the soil is drying out to a nice workable tilth. As a result I have been seed sowing like a mad thing. Today for example spring onions, beetroot, chard, broad beans and carrots went in. With the favourable weather everything is also growing well. My mangetout and early broad beans are up as are toamotes and courgettes in the polytunnel. Out in the garden I snapped these pictures this week:
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| New growth on a shallot |
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| An explosion of pear blossom |
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| We will have strawberries this summer |
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| Dinner from our garden and smallholding |
And I have even found room for some gladioli and dahlias to be used later in the year as cutting flowers in the gite. A bargain too as they were on special offer in the garden centre - I do like a bargain!
How are things getting on in your garden this week? Are you primarily as veg or a flower gardener? Is the weather being kind to you? Please do let me know in a comment and I will do my best to reply to each and every one. For more garden inspiration you may want to hop on over to Annie at Mammasaurus and her "How Does Your Garden Grow" blog link where you can see what other gardeners have been up to this week.
It all sounds wonderfully prosperous out there, and you've a great level of self sufficiency going. I like the cut flower idea, too, especially as it's a bargain!
ReplyDeleteIts nice to eat veggies from your own patch cuz you know their history! Fruit err I mean Veggy of your labor =) #HDYGG
ReplyDeleteWe have combined both vegetable and flower growing to our garden. We are very lucky to have a long garden which has a vegetable patch separated off from the main part. We have 3 sections to our garden, the vegetables and chickens end, the middle is for the ball games, swings and trampoline and the section closest to the house if the twins and family area where we have our flowers, my herb garden, the BBQ and outdoor table. Like this we have the best of all worlds :-) Your meal looks delicious! x #HDYGG
ReplyDeleteI'm so impressed and envious :)
ReplyDeleteyou have been quite busy. and leek and potato soup? yes please!
ReplyDeleteGlad all is growing well, it must be lovely to eat the vegetables you have grown yourself! Very rewarding! xx #hdygg
ReplyDeleteMmmm, leek and potato soup! It's one of my favourites but I bet it tastes even better made from home grown vegetables. The pear blossom looks amazing :)
ReplyDeletewow, it sounds like you've made a great start to the veg growing! lots of our seeds arrived today so I imagine I'll be planting like mad over the next few days! roll on summer! x
ReplyDeleteOh my how I want to come to your house for Sunday lunch!
ReplyDeleteSuch shallot growing in your garden *boom boom*, I know it's the way I tell 'em ;)
Ooo strawberries - I must try and grow some this year if only in a container!
Thanks ever so much for joining in again xx
LOL - it doesn't leave mushroom for anything else though ;)
DeleteHow wonderful to have leek and potato soup especially with wine. An essential element of any meal. I love the pear blossom and how great to have strawberries coming - reminds me of a vegetable patch we had when I was a child :)
ReplyDeleteThe pear blossom looks beautiful. I also planted some gladioli bulbs this week, never grown them before and looking forward to their blousy show in the summer.
ReplyDeleteAmazed you have grown enough potatoes to keep them in storage this long:) I too love the planting of the veg seeds #hdygg
ReplyDeleteThat pear blossom looks absolutely stunning - beautiful. We'll be looking at getting our leeks in soon
ReplyDeleteOh yes please! So nice to grow your own veg.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment we are mainly growing flowers with a bit of fruit. We are waiting for a spot at the local allotments, if we ever get one then we will grow veg.