Venturing into the Garden at Last

After working all day Tuesday at the CS, I woke up on Wednesday morning feeling exhausted and just had to have a lie in with a good book and the dog at my feet. (She has a lie in too, if she senses that I'm not going to get up and about early).  By about 9am I was ready to get up (don't judge me please!) and by 10.15 am I was out with the dog. 

It was a lovely sunny morning with blue skies and much milder than it's been of late.  It felt instantly like spring had finally sprung and was just what I needed. I've had enough of the cold, wet weather and a bit of sunshine felt so good. On the way back home, I promised myself I would make good use of the weather and either spend some time at the allotment or in the garden.

In the end, the garden won out, as I decided that I would sew some seeds in the raised beds and get the growing process under way.  It didn't take too long before both beds were fully sown, one with several varieties of my favourite lettuce seeds from Lidl and the second with a variety of root and other vegetables.  I'm not sure they'll all germinate, as some seeds were older than others, but I can always over sow with something else if nothing happens.

Here's a picture of the beds once sown:

Once I'd done this, I decided to tidy the decking up a little bit and plant some bulbs I'd bought back before Christmas. Yes, I know it's way too late, and some of the bulbs had rotted over the winter in the cupboard, but some seemed okay, so I went ahead and planted as many as I could in the garden and in any pots I could find.  There's still a few left to find a space for, but I might buy a new pot or two this week and use those.

Whilst getting out the bulbs, I also discovered that my potato tubers had also sprouted madly whilst being stored in the cupboard.  I was going to  throw them out, but decided instead to nip the shoots off and then try to chit them again ready to plant out at the allotment. It may work, it may not.  We'll see, but I couldn't bring myself to waste them.

Finally, whilst out in the garden, it was good to see buds on some of my fruit trees and the first few stems of rhubarb poking through the soil. Some positive signs of the growing season ahead. I still need to clean all of the pots I used last year and that will be my next garden job when I've got some free time.

It felt so great to get outside and get my hands dirty again.  I forget how much I miss it when I don't do any gardening over the winter.  It's so therapeutic and a great way to reduce any build up of stress after work. I think, if the weather holds, I will forget about house cleaning this week and spend some time at the allotment, as we plot holders are expected to start cultivating our plots by the end of this month. 

Expect more gardening posts in the coming days and weeks.