After my painting, I had a bad reaction to all the fumes and this lasted quite a while. I also then had an accident when trying to prune my acer tree and lost my hearing in one ear. Neither was 2018 a great year in my garden due to the strange weather and the lack water and a saga of broken hosepipes. And my camera and computer needed replacing. So I focussed on learning to knit and this year started my knitting blog at www.wickedwoollies.co.uk on my new, self-build pc.
Meanwhile I started 2019 hopefully that this would be a better year for me. I bought my seeds and made my plans. I started the seeds according to Charles Dowding calendar and waited for nicer weather. The nice weather came but only for a few moments now and then. The wet weather made the weeds grown and it was too wet to get out and do much.
Then the weeds took over and then my gardening help had a stroke, I found myself having to figure out what to do with a strimmer and a hedge cutter myself. I learnt to use the strimmer but have not yet got courage enough to try the hedge trimmer yet.
I took a few weeks and strimmed where I could, then focused on the veg areas of my garden, starting with the plastic square foot beds which are the easiest to weed and prepared. I had started seeds off in compost and kept on the windowsills in my house as it was too cold outside in the greenhouse. Fortunately the spinach, beetroot and the lettuce seedlings grew well enough to start planting out in late March.
The lettuce took a while to get going but I took a few leaves now and then by May. But as the weather got colder and wetter, my desire for salad leaves dwindled and by June the lettuce were filling the bed.
And the beetroot and spinach did well also. I had loads of spinach on my sandwiches before it bolted at the end of May.
I had planted some pots with garlic at the end of last year as none of the veg beds were ready to grow anything.
I had never grown garlic in pots before so not sure what would happen. Fortunately by June they were still growing and had not died.
My two blueberry plants were keeping them company. I planted these late last year and am not sure if I can keep the birds/sqirrels from stripping them bare.
The mid and top terrace areas were weeded and prepared (a thin coating of manure compost). I also put plastic down to stop my cat digging. My mesh bed was created and plantings were some kaibroc or sticcoli, red shallots and red and purple carrots. The black plastic was uncovered for 5 varieties of potatoes (red scarlet, elfe, kestrel, Vivaldi and arran).
The potatoes have been growing well in front of the mesh
and behind.
In these areas there are 5 varieties of potato (red scarlet, elfe, kestrel, Vivaldi and arran). I can not tell from the plants which is which as they all look alike and are the same size.
Under the mesh the onions are a bit slow to grow, and the carrots are not doing well. I have only got 4 out of probably 100 seeds that have germinated. Looks like I need to sow some more.
One carrot look like it might take over the whole area though!
