Our gardening endeavours are coming along but they’ve not been totally straightforward.
When we first prepared the plot we decided to put some seeds straight into the ground. The weather was mild so we thought they would stand a chance. Sadly, none of these took. Maybe it was because the soil wasn’t fine enough to allow tiny seeds to survive, or maybe it had something to do with the seeds being past their use-by date (we were given them by a friend). Whatever, after 2 or 3 weeks of watering, we finally decided that the only thing coming up was new weeds – and lots of them!
So we bought some fresh plants. Tomato, pepper and cucumber were the first to go in. About 10 days ago we supplemented these with aubergines and courgettes and all were settled and growing well. But then we got rain – a couple of days of fairly heavy rain with grey skies and a definite drop in temperature.
The surface of the plot had been covered in small lumps of soil. Small but hard, as my knees learned when I decided to weed the plot. The rain changed the surface completely, breaking the lumps down – something that daily watering wasn’t doing. When the sun came out this now-smooth surface set hard, and then began to crack as the upper layer dried out. It looked like a dried river bed that hadn’t seen water for years. Ken had to get back down there and weed again, an urgent job as the rain had really brought the weeds out in force.
Fortunately our fledgling plants survived the deluge without any damage.
French beans sprouted in just a few days
We also decided to try seeds again, this time new stock bought from the local garden centre. We planted French beans, peas, and broccoli – but this time in small containers filled with compost. And this is where you really notice the difference in climate here. Keeping the seeds watered and putting them out in the sun during the day but bringing them inside at night, I was amazed when the beans and peas started to sprout within just a couple of days. And once they’d started there was no stopping them. Each day we could see the difference as they grew into strong young plants. Today, only a week or so after they first sprouted, we’ve planted them out, and this time we’re confident they will produce food for us.
There were some vegetables we couldn’t find as seed or small plants, so I asked my sister to send them from England. Two of these, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, were put into compost last Wednesday afternoon. Just 3 days later there were already several tiny shoots on the surface. For me it’s amazing that it can happen so quickly. We’re just hoping this quick growth spurt doesn’t mean we get weak, spindly plants.
And we’ve got strawberries. I split a single plant into 5 smaller ones, all of which have survived. Okay, so we’ve only had 4 strawberries ready for eating so far, but there are some more coming, and once the plants throw out runners we’ll be able to add to our stock.
Did I mention we’ve also planted potatoes, lettuce and red onions?
We know our timing may be wrong with some plants but for now we’re experimenting, learning the best way to do things, seeing what will happen as it gets hotter and drier, and how much attention we’ll have to give to our garden. But it’s really great having the time and space to grow our own food. Seeing it all happening is like becoming a child again, fascinated to see life evolving before my eyes.
I’ll probably become a gardening bore, but for now I’m still caught up in the novelty and excitement of it all. I hope it doesn’t wear off too soon.
