Everyday Stuff

Gardening, unlike blogging in some respects, isn't just about the exciting first steps, the big project and the grand finale. Especially at this time of year it's more to do with the little steps. The unglamorous jobs. So in that vein here is half an hour in the life of me and my plants.


The Preparation

It's the start of April so I pull my lists down off the wall, unearth all the seeds that I'll need for the coming month. I do my daily task of putting out the babies in their little cloches. I pick jobs for the day. I need to sow beetroot later this month in my salad trugs so the winter salad needs to go. My butterfly annuals also need to go in so I'll manage some nice, nectary colour later in the year.The Legacy of Winter
Butterfly annuals sown it's time to take up the winter rocket. Now is a good time to take stock of the winter crops. My insurance policy of kale failed. Most likey drowned out by the spinach beet and chard who have grown vigorously in November then steadily over the cold season. I've been eating the chard over winter. It's livened up my plate to no end this week. And the spinach made a special appearance at Christmas.

The salads where less successful. Mainly through neglect. I never did get that jumper for them. The lettuces survived until, as I mentioned, they where snowed on. The onions came to nothing. The rocket on the other hand could not be stopped. Until it bolted that is. I left the flowers untill I needed the pot for something else and pulled them up today.
The Appreciation

No trip onto the balcony is complete without an appreciation of all the wonderful things growing out there. For special mention I selected this Snake's Head Fritillary which was planted from Sainsbury's own bulbs. Looks good enough to be made into a handbag. Between this and the crocus I think I did well with my bargain basement bulbs.

Coming into The Warmth

The newly sown babies and indoor plants needed a good water. Can you tell what this one is? It's a peanut, just opening. There are two others in the pot and they make attractive plants. And good conversation pieces. You know, if we weren't antisocial and had people over.