Primroses

Primroses have found their own home tucked against a tree trunk in the veg plot.

Genie and I added some more hopefuls to our little greenhouse.  Current residents: Basil, parsley, mint, corriander, butter beans, French beans and peppers.  

Shedding a Winter Coat

I've been saying for two winters that the shed will have to be replaced.  Pippy painted it a about three summer ago, it was looking tired even then. On Saturday the wind blew the felt up and over the ridge. It was a cold easterly, and it must have taken the shed by surprise.  Fortunately the felt was still attached.  I hadn't noticed.  Rob kindly texted me and even offered some spare felt, but the rain was threatening, so a few minutes manic staple-gunning, like a frantic primary school teacher, will have to suffice. Anyway, it would be a a shame to waste new felt on a shed that's coming down soon. So that's settled (as far as anything is at the moment): the shed is this summer's project.

We have a beautiful Magnolia stellata which is just showing its first flowers.  (This is just to prove it's not all about rotten sheds and compost.)

Counting on Onions

Took to the veg plot with some onion sets. A bag of 80 actually had 94 ,so we got an extra row in.  We chose the sunniest part of the prepared ground.  There's room for a couple of rows of beans, which will go in later when they have germinates. Here we are:

Germinatio!

I planted some seed on 5th March. Through the magic of germination, the first seedlings up: corriander.

Voyage of the Lawntreader

A beautiful weekend, sunny and bright.  Thunderbird 2 was looking at me meaningfully from it temporary home at the back of the kitchen.  I had words:  Once you've got all dirty, you have to live in the shed... Still it looked back at me.

First, I mowed the lawn on a fairly low setting.  This was the second cut of the year, and the grass is thick and lush, so many trips to the compost bins with grass cuttings.  Post cutting, it look tidy:

Tea break, then the scarifier.  The moss was really thick on even the most exposed part of the lawn (right of photo). The grass box (moss box?) was not picking up the er, scarifications and the motor stopped frequently - maybe there's too much moisture in the lawn.  It worked better without the grass box, but of course left the moss on the ground.  I called in reinforcements in the shape of Genie.  We spend the rest of the day scarifying, raking and carrying moss.  I was expecting the lawn to look a little battered afterwards, and so it did.  But not all the moss is out by any means.

And the compost heap:

Thunderbird 2 is now in the shed.

Everything's Coming up Rhubarb

Working from home this week, and for the foreseeable.  Today is the first really sunny day for quite some time. The veg plot is a sun trap, which Pippy called 'Spain' for its warmth. I've rarely sat out here midweek, but I can see now why Pippy loved it - to get out of the house and into the sunshine and birdsong.

Scarifier

Well, I've un-boxed and assembled the scarifier. It's now awaiting better weather.  Then I'll tackle the lawn.  The main lawn area looks okay, but beyond the silver birch and the hedge there is probably more moss that grass.  I'm itching to find out. The instructions recommend waiting until April and May when the grass is more vigorous.  I'll see how long I can hold out.  Weather permitting.

So now it sits at the scruffy end of the kitchen, waiting. A hungry alligator, a Thunderbird 2 pod, a rally-tuned AC Cobra.

British

Racing

Green.

Old boy's toy

Rhubarb

General tidying This afternoon. I'd left piles of brambles ready to be collected in the green wheelie bin, emptied on Wednesday.  Checked in rhubarb forcing - it's about double the size of the unforced crowns.

No sign of seeds germinatibg in the greenhouse yet.

Grass

Fired up the Rotary! Just enough patrol left in the can.  High cut for the start of the season, though the grass never really stopped growing this year.  Can't say it really looks tidy yet - short and scruffy from minimal maintenance.  Scarifier next, given some dry weather.

Herbs

Assembled mini greenhouse this morning (£60 from Homebase in Kendal). Put the greenhouse on patio near the house.  It only gets sun from about 1pm. There's nowhere with more light near the house.  Alternatively, I could put it in the veg plot ( which is somewhat self-defeating)  or possibly make a space for it near the shed when I rebuild it, though this area gets more afternoon shade.

Potted up herb seeds with Genie's help this afternoon, and placed in greenhouse.  Parsley, corriander, basil.  Also tomato (Alicante).  Last year, I didn't plant the tomatoes quickly enough.  

Dug out the stone mint trough, which did almost nothing last year, and re-potted some roots.  Also started some bits of root ok n the greenhouse.