I've wanted a raised bed for over a year. But CBC wasn't sure about it and I wasn't sure whether it was too late or where it would go. So it didn't happen last year.
This year, with the current situation, I said to CBC, I wished we'd gone for the raised bed last year as it would be good to be self-sufficient. To my surprise, he suddenly was keen and wished we'd done it.
We went to the garden centre near closing time, the weekend before lockdown to go and get compost and plants and seeds. We ended up going to a local farm to go and buy railway sleepers and got compost delivered.
CBC was super motivated and he got to work cutting up the 3rd sleeper into two equal pieces and then digging the ditches and turf for the raised bed.
And here you can see it. In front of the bamboo.
Subsequently, I have planted pea plants (bought from the garden centre) in it.
A row of chard seeds, radish seeds and rocket seeds have been planted out.
Inside, I've got tomato seeds, climbing bean plants, pepper seeds germinating (I hope!) - one tomato has popped its first leaves above the parapet (2 of the Roma seeds Sophie!) but nothing else so far.
I've also got some Welsh onion babies my Mum gave me when we last saw her 3-4 weeks ago which I really need to get planting as they are still sitting in the kitchen. I've got some salad leaves to plant and I'm seeing how that goes! I feel like I've got children at the moment. I woke up dismayed this morning because I'd accidentally left the runner bean seed pots outside last night and there was a frost. I ran outside and watered my babies. I keep looking to see what else is going on and to water things. I don't think I've ever been home this much to be able to tend plants before.
I've taken a leaf out of Vix's book and decided to garden in an Indian vintage skirt.
I wasn't sure where my stash of plant labels was so I've improved to demarcate the rows- a snapped drum stick from school with a Drywipe pen marks the peas,
Some old wooden plaques and garden ornaments from our predecessors have been written on with a ballpoint pen to mark the other items. Finally, I've used a few old pieces of twiggage from my prunings to mark the rows.
Very pleased with the bed. Spent some pleasant times in the garden.
Whilst CBC was working hard digging the raised bed, I worked on cleaning out and pruning and cutting back all the pots. The herbs are all growing again (which is a wonderful miracle when you see how dead they look in the Winter!) and I've been using them lots!
I also cut back dead wood from lots of other shrubs and planted the 4 native Bluebell plants we picked up at the Garden centre that last time.
Tomorrow, I hope at some point to get to work on the Ivy which has gone made behind the compost container and plant out those Welsh onions. Pot or raised bed? Don't want to run out of room!
How have you been getting on with gardening this year so far?
Been getting on with a variety of jobs and things the last couple of days- sorted out the epic pile of clothes of doom in my bedroom (you know the pile you blogged about, Sophie?), resorted the utility room, put clothes away, tidied things in the spare room, created Music Vocabulary Bingo game resources for all year groups based on what the children have learnt so far this year. Almost finished those and will post them on my music blog soon.
I took CBC for a pleasant walk yesterday through the fields- we met no one on the way. Today, I went a different way through the church yard and had a very pleasant walk through the fields. I sleep much better when I've had a walk.
Hope you are well.
xx