Cleared out the old seed heads and some weeds- but there is still a lot to do. Thinking of moving the hellebores to the raised bed by the patio so we can see them more easily and from the house. Also planning to add more herbs and plants which need the sun as this is likely to be a hot bed in the Summer.

I thought we had a series of stepping stones- turns out it is a more extensive path. Not exactly pretty , but gives the garden more ‘structure’. It is probably very old as it appears in some very old photographs we have of the place and it is quite low comparison with the surrounding grass.

Just wanted to remember where they are.

Made my very first sowings of the season to go in the heated propagator. I have sown tomatoes, jalepeno chilli peppers, aubergines and sweet peppers. Not sure how much space I will have in the greenhouse and I  may have overdone it. Also sowed agapanthus seed as an experiment.

Also planted some supermarket ginger in pots to go on the bathroom windowsill until the greenhouse is warmer- another permaculture experiment.

One of the best things about he snowfall last night is that I can see who has been visiting. It really showed just how many animals call our garden home- the rabbits had clearly been all over the place running in circles and criss-crossing the field. I also saw the footprints of a badger near to the woods and a fox in the field area:

I always wanted a garden that would be a home to wild animals and have gardened with that in mind. However, before I have done anything in this garden it is bursting with wild animals. In the last few days we have seen; a pheasant, rabbits, a rat, numerous garden birds including jays, woodpeckers, tits and finches. My difficulty now is when I consider my planned vegetable patch. How to keep all the hungry animals like rabbits and rats away from my veg while supporting the more beneficial ones? Looks like I will need lots of fences as I don’t want to lose the wild animals altogether because I love watching them- but I would also like to eat some of my own carrots and lettuce.

I did the birdwatch today for the first time in this garden. I watched between 11.00 and 11.30 and 1.00 and 1.30. Lots more birds and varieties than I had anticipated.

4 Great Tits

2 Blue Tits

1 Chaffinch

2 Robins

3 Blackbirds

2 Magpies

1 Dunnock

5 Long Tailed Tits

2 Jays

1 Thrush

1 Greenfinch

1 Collared Dove

2 Greater Spotted Woodpeckers

1 Wren

Lets compare next year..

Cleared out both the shed and the greenhouse this weekend and now just have to clean the greenhouse glass and guttering. It was good to clear out the stuff left behind and to make the shed my own ready for the growing season. I plan to buy some cheap staging for the green house to maximise space for growing seedlings and there is also a gravelled space for growing plants in pots. The greenhouse is large 10’x 8′ so there is plenty of room. I have bought lots of seeds. In the greenhouse I plan to grow;

Tomatoes ( Ailsa Craig and and Rainbow mix), Jalepeno Chili Peppers, Sweet Peppers, Aubergines

Outside there are four beds 10’x 5′ so I should be able to grow plenty of food. I have the seeds to grow;

Runner beans ( snowstorm), French beans (cobra), Sweetcorn ( lark), Leek (musselburgh), Kale ( darf green curled), spring onion ( white lisbon), Broccoli (summer purple), Fennel ( victorio), Beetroot ( boltardy), Sage, Carrot ( flyaway), Thyme, salad leaves, basil, coriander, rosemary.

I should also get some early sprouting broccoli for next spring. I also want to develop some perennials along with putting the strawberry seedlings in the long containers Stuart already put alongside the greeenhouse.

I will especially concentrate on growing herbs which this garden lacks and I plan to make a herb garden near to the house, perhaps in a new bed in front of the french doors.