April planting

Hurst Greenshaft peas planted at the end of Feb 2025.

As April draws to a close, it's time to begin planting the seedlings that have been nurtured in the vinery over the past couple of months. Earlier this week, I found myself running out of space in the vinery (my plant nursery), so it was necessary to do some major tidying-up and begin moving some plants into their final planting stations to create some much-needed room.

Location, location, location

I am constantly learning and trying new things in my gardening endeavors—I never stop acquiring knowledge. For instance, last year I successfully grew a wonderful crop of sweetcorn in the outdoor allotment. However, while I was patiently waiting for the corn to ripen, I arrived one Sunday to discover that every single ear had been stripped bare overnight, resulting in the loss of the entire crop. Runner and French beans were also a favorite among the local wildlife, which ate two successional plantings down to inch-high stumps before I decided to invest in some bird deterrents (it was definitely 3rd time lucky). Planting legumes three times last year was certainly a record for me! This year, I have decided to plant the corn and beans in the kitchen garden in the hope that the cats act as a better pest deterrent. I'm also going to place any crops that need regular attention or picking in the kitchen garden so you expect to see courgettes, peas, beans, and lettuce as I try to avoid having bolting plants, stringy beans, and huge marrows!

A gift from my lovely sister

Lavender plug plants

I love lavender, and I'm working towards lining the front garden path with it so that when you brush past the foliage, the air is filled with their beautiful scent. This week, my sister very kindly sent me some lavender plug plants, which survived their second postal journey by the time they arrived with me. I have planted the little plugs up in a multi-celled tray and will be growing them on in the vinery until they are big enough to plant out.