This April has seen an upsurge in our activity attributable to our recent viewing of a programme on BBC I-player. Climate and conditions looked familiar (even though they are several hundred miles to the north of us) and thus a handy tip from the Scottish Beechgrove Garden prompted a search for bio-degradable pots. I have now sown broccoli and carrots in these in the potting shed, to be transferred to the greenhouse once they have germinated. With our shorter growing season and cold soil the idea is to give these vegetables a head start before planting out.
The geraniums formerly overwintering in the greenhouse are now planted in the front garden, and the strawberry plants from my sister have been moved. So all our permanent fruit is in the back garden. The strawberries are in a long narrow bed next to our wall where I hope they will enjoy the mid-day sunshine. The geraniums are sheltered by our front hedge and we hope they will benefit from the heat of the surrounding pavers. We toyed with Beechgrove's idea of growing salad intensively among pavers, but it seemed too much of an upheaval (literally), so rather than creating a pattern of extra veg. beds in our front we are sticking with squash in containers under the bay windows. My hopeful husband has sown saved seed of butternut squash and winter squash in the aforementioned bio-degradable pots. These are 'heavy feeders' so last week we made a return visit to our source of free horse manure which is now mixed and ready to go.
I am also delighted that the radish seed I saved from the allotment has begun to sprout next to the rocket. Today I thinned the rocket for our first taste of home-grown micro-leaves.
* Finally, we aren't actually located in Lancashire's famed lowland farming country - The Fylde. But it is only about six miles to the boundary.
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