Happy New Year 2016

So, here we are again at the start of another gardening year.

Lots of seed catalogues to look at, things to order and planning what to grow, to eat and to cut.

My current fave is the Sarah Raven website

https://www.sarahraven.com/

mostly because last year this was the only convenient place for me to obtain Ratte potatoes which are totally our favourites.

Small main crop potatoes with a great buttery and slightly nutty taste these are definitely the pick of the crop.

As usual, planted too many but came in useful to trade with fellow allotmenteers for their surplus goodies. 

Just yummy.

Plus, not wanting to pay further postage costs I wanted to order some annual flower seeds for a cutting garden in the allotment.

These especially were brilliant.

Ammi majus

White Scabiosa

Centaurea cyanus

Cosmos sonata

All of these grew brilliantly.

Have spent some time again looking at heritage and heirloom seed sites. The range and names always bedazzle me and I get totally carried away.

This is one of the more quirky heritage ones, which needless to say appeals to me greatly but it's also extremely informative.

http://thomasetty.co.uk/seeds/veg-flower-2016.pdf

How can anyone not want to grow Spignel Meum?

A member of the carrot family, both roots and leaves can be eaten.

And who could refuse Good King Henry seeds from

https://www.victoriananursery.co.uk

Think the leaves give this one away - similiar to spinach, can do everything spinach can but with the added bonus of the young shoots, tied in bundles when cooked and eaten taste like asparagus. You can even saute the flower buds in butter.

Must stop now.......getting totally carried away!

Getting there

Been busy doing brick wall and fencing for back yard at home. Not finished yet but getting there. 

All of the wall finished and two thirds of the fence.

Five extra courses of bricks to give the plants a fighting chance. Although this may all change when the courtyard is dug up to route the new drain.

But why does every job always seem to take longer than you think it will?
Notwithstanding the peculiar weather - our efforts have been intermittent. 

Rain and then hot sun, the yard faces south east and gets plenty of everything. 

Here's the fencing above for the climbers - plants (a Rambling Rector rose, a Mrs Cholmondeley and a Warszawska Nike clematis) are in. I do think next door's cat currently uses it as an assault course but with a little luck next year we shall have a green barrier too dense to scale.

I've protected and painted the fencing with a coloured preservative to match the brickwork so the fence and the bricks tone in and the effect is visually co-ordinated.

In small areas it's important not to get too many different colours or materials or the area looks even tinier.

Use the KISS rule - "Keep It Simple Stupid".

Some new plants (Echinacea Purpurea 'Bressingham hybrids') now flowering and giving life to the space.

With the usual potted violas, pelargoniums, bacopa, trailing lobelia and ivy moved around to suit the mood.

We have cut and come again lettuce (in a window box) 

and spinach in a bucket/basket with other vegetables ready to harvest. 

The potatoes are in a dustbin,
  

 the tomatoes in a recycling box, 

the courgettes, peppers and chillies in growbags. 

Small space but good to sit in, relax and enjoy the fruits of one's labours.

And maybe have a glass of wine?