Strawberries & container planting

I planted the six strawberries we got last weekend. Also cleared some more weeds from the bed.

If this can be called bed.

I was also reading a couple of articles (1, 2) in RHS and decided to plant a few things in three large-ish pots I found in the shed. One has 4 types of onions, another two types of chard, and another low peas Karina. I would have sworn I bought some carrot seeds recently but I cannot find them...

I put compost from the bag on the bottom, a little cow & chicken dried manure, and seeding earth on top. The pots are in the kitchen now.

Germination!

A marmande tomato

6 days!

More seeds

I could reach the aveve close to the train station before it closed. I found a single pot of white muscari (all the bulbs I've been seeing were pink or purple) and got some more seed packets.

I planted the Chinese chives and the yellow tomatoes.

I didn't mention before but I have the tomato and pepper tray in the kitchen and these include planted today as well. The rest is at the back, which is much colder.

The peony looks nice. I can't get my phone to focus on small, close things without putting my hand right behind.

Cleaning up a little

Redneck garden nearly ready for another growing season

Hibernating critters have probably already moved on so I started cleaning up the tomato corner. Pulled up the dried up tomato, pepper, pumpkin and the loads of nasturtiums.

I also trimmed the lavender, sage, thyme and the potted rosemary (just a tiny bit).

A whole big bucket of herb trimmings, not nice enough
for food, pity we don't have any barbecue planned.

I haven't removed the few weeds yet, but already tossed some dried cow&chicken manure.

We have three berry bushes to plant, but Pim was busy with other things and my sciatica hurts too much to handle a spade. And it's COLD today. That and the strawberries are then for next weekend.

And more movement:

Bulby things under a willow that I did not plant.
They were already here. I think they're bluebells. 

I think this is a hyacint

Red or white (I can't recall which of the two we planted
in the "dead zone" is definitely dead) currant
is waking up very nicely all over the branches

Rosa mulliganii fron David Austen

The ancient white currant I trimmed savagely last year is waking up

And. Pim installed an exterior tap for the hose! We're set for summer.

Planting seeds

Yesterday we got a small fig ( <3 ) at the garden centre. They had 20% discount on everything so we got a lot of stuff. Two gooseberry bushes, a yellow raspberry bush, this fig, pot for it, seed trays, some herbs, liquid fertiliser, a pitchfork since ours broke recently, some seeds...

I planted peas and spring onions in toilet paper rolls, I read about this in the garden center magazine, seems good to give a start to seeds you'd plant directly on the ground. Last year I didn't have any luck at all with the pole peas I planted. Not a single one. The year previous the low peas did relatively well. Onions have also been eaten in the past, by larvae I suppose.

I planted some herbs on pots, parsley on a jardinière (?), since out in the garden it gets eaten by slugs, and added more ground and liquid fertiliser to the chard that has survived all winter in the windowsill :D

I hope to plant some of the bushes tomorrow. The fig will stay indoors for now. What will be the kitchen one day is rather cold, like a greenhouse, and has a large window.

Strawberry patch

Little helper

Today I cleared the strawberry patch from grass and weeds. I was completely covered! some leaves are popping up.

I also added some fertilizer to the patch and to the apple tree (dried cow and chicken poop).

Strawberry leaflet

Apple tree buds

First one out!

We made a trip to the garden center and got lots... photos tomorrow since it's now dark.

I think someone has dug out the horseradish and eaten it

Some more bulbs

I planted this today. Top row was bought yesterday and last Saturday. Bottom row in November or something. The ranunculus didn't look worse for wear, but the ornitogallum did. Had to toss about half (hollow, moldy) in the compost pile. Well see about the rest... Better now than never I suppose.

Dug the ground a little bit and removed the largest clumps of grass, then I planted them behind the large rose towards the fence, and also dusted the area with a wildflower mix (boerderij tuin from Aldi) and a small packet of poppy they gave me in the Body Shop (?!).

I should go through the rest of the bulb packages and my old photos and see what else I planted these last few months.

Today it was very warm and sunny. Yesterday I already took out the solitary bees who've been hibernating in the shed. I think there's some parasite damage.









Pim and Loki were with me in the garden.

Buds stirring

There is some movement in the garden. Unlike the blog for the last months ;)

I (Pim helped me) did plant a few bulbs from december up to... now I guess. Back problems, much cold (which wouldn't be a problem if not for problem number 1), too wet, too busy (just moved... what was I thinking buying so many bulbs??) made it a bit difficult, so some of the bulbs have slept in the shed, and I got a few (very little) more a couple of weeks ago (again, had a trip last weekend, what was I thinking?)... so hoping to plant the rest, if they are still ok, this weekend.

I did take pictures of the packages, so I guess I have somewhat of a record somewhere if I can be bothered to check. I still have the packages in the shed, as well.

Another thing that needs sorting is all the seed packets, whatever is left of them, which are also in the shed...

Anyway, it is getting a little lighter and so I took the camera out to the garden today. Just some pictures... all taken with 50 mm (and a cat on a leash so I couldn't pay 100% attention to wha I was doing).

These large leaves look like they might be hyacints or narcissus

Same here

Some munchin' but we'll prevail

Flatter leaves, other type of bulb

Cat with droplets

This is also something smaller I planted

Loki is leashed in the garden

Pussy willow

Un-identified bush/tree

Pussy willow

Rosa mulliganii

Same

Hawthorn

Fern fronds waiting to unfurl
These ferns were already here and/or spontaneous

Same roses, the bush next to the fence is at least 4 times smaller than
the other, but the leaves are already unfurling

Moss taking over the grass (good in my book)

Clematis (joe)

Already??