No, not me -, this time (*wink*) - but the garden and countryside that I came back to after my holiday in England. When I left Normandy it wasn't that green but when I came back the change was so noticeable. Everywhere was looking so green and so gorgeous:
- Hedges and trees have sprung into leaf
- Wild flowers are everywhere and the bluebells in particular are fabulous this year
- Tiny tomato seedlings are now bursting out of their pots, demanding to be transplanted in the polytunnel beds
- Pumpkins, sweetcorn and runner beans have germinated I am now harvesting lettuces galore
- The rhubarb has grown HUGE - I'm going to be busy bottling and freezing this over the coming weeks
- The grass is almost long enough to let the pigs out into the fields - but whilst they are still inside, they are able to enjoy cut grass for their tea. The sheep are however very happy!
- Weeds! Weeds everywhere!
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| Seedlings waited to be transplanted |
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| Runner beans and sweetcorn |
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| Lettuces ready to harvest |
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| RHUBARB!! |
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| Green and gorgeous |
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| Veg patch at Eco-Gites of Lenault - Aprils 30th 2015 |
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| Spring at Eco-Gites of Lenault |
All in all a great leap forward but it also means I have a huge amount of work to do. So I have drawn up a:
May Gardening To Do list:
Outside:
- Keep mowing grass
- Keep on top of weeding
- Remove kale etc that has gone to seed
- Prepare areas I manured and covered in the autumn/winter
- Sow seeds - too many to list!
- Transplant seedlings (broccoli, cabbages, chard and beetroot are all ready to go)
- Plant remaining potatoes
- Keep picking rhubarb/purple sprouting broccoli
- Re-weed strawberry patch and infill gaps with new plants
- Remove dead jostaberry plant
- Place weed suppressing fabric around fruit bushes (oops this was is left over from my DECEMBER list)
- Weed herb bed
- Put up more bean poles
Market
- Buy seedlings - aubergines, peppers, maybe just one cucumber (I am a failed cucumber grower but I don't want to be beaten) and possibly an, as yet unknown, plant that just takes my fancy!
Polytunnel
- Keep weeding and watering
- Transplant tomatoes, peppers etc
- Harvest some young onions to free up space for the above
- Clear parsley that has gone to seed - feed to fussy goat
- Harvest and eat the last of the leeks
- Pot on seedlings
- Sow more seeds
- Harden off seedlings - courgettes etc ... but also remember we can have late frosts. We had one yesterday.
AND BREATHE!! It was lovely to be away but it doesn't half create a backlog of gardening work when I get back. I think I may be seeing rather of lot of this corner over the coming days and weeks:
Are you really busy in the garden now are you all under control and relaxing with a glass of your favourite tipple enjoying the fruits of your labours? I'll be off the Annie's How Does Your Garden Grow linky shortly to see what other gardeners have been up to. Why don't you click on the link below and have a look too?
That has just made me feel much better, someone else who has a list of gardening jobs as long as their arm! It's the time of year, just so much to do and everything grows overnight!!!
ReplyDeleteWow, look at that rhubarb. That's the trouble with this time of year isn't it, everything springs into life, including the pesky weeds! It's always a busy time.
ReplyDeleteWow everything seems to be growing so well with you, that's not rhubarb it looks like a bush.
ReplyDeletebusy, busy as well. but how nice to come back from holiday and find everything green. every time we go on holiday i cross all my fingers and hope that nothing dies. hope you had a great time!
ReplyDeleteOh my days - the rhubarb has grown Goliath! It was just poking up when I was there - I ca't believe the difference already.
ReplyDeleteYou are going to be one busy bunny, but productive busy.
Out with the weeds and off with the rhubarb - Roger that?
*mwhahaha!*
Thanks for joining in again Rosie, as lovely as your visit over here looked it must be nice to be back home. Say hi to the piggies for me x
I think that might be the biggest rhubarb I've ever seen. It's huge!! I've been very busy in the garden and allotment lately. All the seeds I planted seem to need potting on at once, my gardening to-do list is also pretty long :)
ReplyDeleteGreat isn't it! Everything is looking wonderful, the rhubarb is enormous! I know how you feel with the long list of jobs, and the damn weeds are growing quicker than the seedlings.
ReplyDeleteAmazing the transformation in such a short time! Love your May lists too.
ReplyDeleteLush! I had the same, went away to Cornwall for a week and came back to a late spring jungle. Lost a few plants as there were several dry days but actually some miraculously came back after soaking. I've pumpkin seeds germinated so hugely excited now. Busy garden time definitely in motion.
ReplyDeleteGreat list! Lovely veg photos! We stupidly put out some cucumbers with no cover and the frost got them, I was fooled by the warm weather we had last week! Most of our plants were under bottle covers and seem ok, the rhubarb is getting big already! Just can't get the courgettes to germinate! :) x
ReplyDeleteOh wow I'm so impressed with the amazing vegetable patches and your organised lists. I can understand it's probably need though to keep on top of everything! PS, giggling at the thought of a fussy goat x
ReplyDeleteThat Rhubarb is bonkers! That lot will keep you busy! Thanks so much for linking up to #TheList x
ReplyDeleteyou've got it well organised there! I have tomatoes and various chilli plants growing from seed, no time for much else!
ReplyDeleteA combination of your planning & organization with that climate and just look at the results! It is LUSH :-D
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful.
what a fantastic crop, my lettuce growing attempts start this week
ReplyDelete