Stephanie's Garden Blog

Well what a battering we have taken this week in the kitchen garden. This time it was the turn of storm Gareth passing over us, reported to be 1000 miles wide. But at last the strongest of the wind has gone and now the tidy-up starts.

As we have not experienced any really hard weather here this year, the apricot tree 'Tomcot' is now in flower which is a lovely sight to see on a cold grey day. The peach and nectarine trees are also now in bud but no flowers yet. Once they start to flower they will be given a helping hand by pollinating with a paintbrush.

Well what a week it has been weather wise. This time last year we were staying indoors, only going out if it was really necessary! It had been snowing, there was ice and the day time temperatures didn't get above freezing and the Beast from the East had arrived!

It has almost been like summer, not spring, with the warm weather we have been experiencing. Most days there has been full sun and blue skies which has been brilliant as that has given me the opportunity to get out and really start clearing the flower borders and beds.

Well the weather this week has been a complete change, with us having the warmest valentine's day in 21 years. I have seen out in the garden a butterfly, a very large bumble bee, other solitary bees and numerous other bugs and flies, the weather is really teasing us.

For many gardeners, a greenhouse is not just somewhere to grow your plants it is also a design statement. So if appearance is one of your main considerations then a Greenhouse would be top of your list. However, where simple practical covered growing space is required, you will be getting much more growing space for your money if you choose a polytunnel.

The news we've been waiting to share - It's not everyday our factory here in Suffolk looks like a film set - and we would like to thank all at Nike for the experience!

This has been a week about finding jobs in the garden that keep you warm. We haven't had the heavy snow like some parts of the country but we have had some very cold nights and frosty starts the following day.

Well the week started with a couple of tons of farmyard manure being delivered. Most of this was to go in the kitchen garden so with wheelbarrows and spades at the ready, it was time to shovel manure. We have put about 50 barrow loads onto the kitchen garden plots and the remainder has been stored to go over the flower borders at a later date.