One of my favourite things to do is to sit in the garden during the summer - either reading, eating or just relaxing. When I moved in with my boyfriend, two years ago now (!?), it dawned on me that I should make the garden a little prettier and I got hooked on gardening.
At the moment it's become even more important to me - being able to get outside and think about something else for a few hours is so good for my mental health. I've decided this year I'm going to write monthly garden updates on my blog - I'm not sure it anyone will be interested but I like using my blog as a personal space for looking back on.
I started getting outside again after the winter on the first weekend of April. We've been so lucky with the weather for the past few weeks so I wanted to make the most of it. My first task was to clear out the borders - it's the most boring task but they fill with weeds and grass so nothing can be done without doing some weeding first. A few hours listening to podcasts on a sunny day and the task was completed. I discovered some sweet peas that survived the winter so I've tied them up again and they are growing again. As well as a few annuals that deserve the space to thrive.
Another task I had been putting off was repainting my little green house. It was a birthday gift from my parents last year and it has been outside all winter so it needed some TLC before it fell apart. Then the area needed a general tidy - I'd kept somethings in pots that I probably should have cleared up last year. There has been a lot of tidying in April... it needs to be done so we can get around to the fun part of gardening.
Speaking of fun, my favourite part of gardening is growing things from seed. I bought this neat, little propagator from Home Bargains last year. If I remember correctly it was around £4.99 and the compost is £1.99 - if you are in buying essentials then I'd recommend picking it up. This year I've already planted cornflowers, poached egg plants, marigolds, poppies, celosia and sunflowers. I actually didn't have any sunflower seeds this year so I did an experiment with planting the bird seed I have and they seem to be growing!
Straight outside I've planted some chard and salad seeds in planters in a sunny spot. They are growing slowly at the moment but hopefully they will get there. In my little greenhouse I've also put in some nasturtiums and borage because they are hardy enough to grow. I also had some flower seed mix that is to be planted directly in pots leftover from last year so I put that out too.
While flowers are my main passion I do also try to grow some vegetables in the room I have available with the help of my boyfriends dad. A few weeks ago he dropped off a planter he made himself which will eventually be home to beetroot as well as sweet peas. He also gave me some peas which can be grown in a pot - they've already doubled in size since I put them in. The courgettes have already been put into the ground and am having to protect from the slugs. The onions have been planted in a container and seem to be okay too.
April showers bring May flowers so hopefully there will be more colour by my next update. I also post some photos of my garden on Instagram if you want to give me a follow.
Post a Comment
Would love to know what you think about the post! I read every single one but if you have a question tweet me @gisforgingers. P.s. Comments make my day...