Another look through the potting shed window.
Winter has finally arrived in the garden and snow is now covering much of the plot. It does make my gardening view look rather magical and has the advantage of disguising the bits that still need attention.
The weather’s been freezing for many weeks and so gardening has been limited to indoor tasks. The greenhouse is now home to the first seeds and the potting shed is gradually filling up.
So far, I’ve sown just sweet peas and chillies. Sweet peas have long been a bit of an obsession (you can read about last year’s trials here) but chillies have been something I’ve only dabbled in – until now. So many gardeners I’ve spoken to are chilli enthusiasts, I decided it was about time I tried a few more. So, I asked for suggestions and chose three: ‘Aci Kil’, ‘Biquinho Yellow’ and ‘Hungarian Hot Wax’ from Sea Spring Seeds, who have more than 70 varieties of chillies. There’s no sign of germination yet – I am checking daily!
Being driven indoors has made me finally clear the garage and sort out the huge pile of flower pots that has accumulated over decades of gardening. Apart from some large pots for tomatoes, I’ve never bought a plastic flower pot other than when it had a plant in it. (The pile speaks volumes about my plant-buying habit!)
I’ve kept about half of the pots, including small ones for the early days of tomato and seedlings and mid-sized for peppers and those chillies.
Those I didn’t need have now gone to Dundry Nurseries, which recycles old plastic pots. So much better than sending them to landfill.
I’m hoping that nurseries will move towards biodegradable pots or even sell plants bare-root so that I don’t start building another collection.
A selection of the smaller pots and seed trays have been washed and put into the potting shed. Seed-sowing and pricking out will start in earnest over the next few months.
Sorting the garage has also unearthed wicker baskets and pots that are now being used to store labels, pens, knifes and other gardening bits and pieces in the potting shed.
There’s now a hanging bar for part of my collection of hand tools – some are definitely showing the signs of age. One of the most used is the daisy grubber, which is perfect for removing weeds from tight spaces.
I did brave the cold recently to prune the gooseberries, black and redcurrants, cut back the autumn raspberries and weed the beds, while more mistletoe has also been removed from the apple tree. It’s an ongoing battle and there’s still more to be cut out.
Finally, the bulbs are starting to appear under the apple tree, which is going to really improve the gardening view. So far, the snowdrops are up, there are the first of what I hope will be a real spread of crocus and the daffodil leaves are poking through. Fingers crossed for a great spring display.
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