The recent warm spring weather has brought a growth spurt to all areas of the garden, rhododendrons are beginning to flower and our young vegetable plants are getting bigger by the minute. Unfortunately the weeds are also enjoying the conditions and are thriving! The kitchen garden is almost weed-free following the digging of the beds over the past few weeks, however in the ornamental gardens they are colonising the bare soil between the perennials.
It won’t be long before the perennials fill out and cover the ground, smothering any weeds, but in the mean-time we will be out with the hoes and hand forks teasing them out of the ground before they set seed. It’s a delicate job as the tulips are a few inches tall and we will need to be careful not to damage any before they flower.
In the kitchen garden we will be planting out our shallots and onions. These were started off in trays in the greenhouse and transferred to the cold frame once they had sprouted. They are now ready to be planted in their final growing space in the raised beds outside. We will also be planting our early potatoes, we normally do this on the traditional Good Friday, but Easter is late this year and the soil is warm enough for them to get started early. The main crops will be planted in a couple of weeks.
We are experiencing quite a dry March this year and have already been watering fruit bushes and plants as well as pot grown plants. This week we will continue watering our garlic crop. Its important that watering is consistent for garlic to avoid rust developing later on so we are giving them a good soaking once a week while we are waiting for rainfall.
Our peach tree, planted 18 months ago, is a blaze of pink blossom; causing much excitement in the garden. There are bees around the trees, but we will be giving them a helping hand by pollinating the flowers with a paintbrush. We have high hopes for a good crop this year.
