March | 2020 | Dreamwalker's Garden

Another Month has gone, and either ‘Time’ is flying for you right now, or it is dragging out… So what are you all doing in your Lock-down time? Have you taken up your artist brushes, or you ladies, sewing or knitting. Or maybe you found some DIY jobs you needed to do if you had the materials in before the lock-down… If you are lucky enough to have a garden have you been busy in it enjoying getting out in it as Spring starts to bloom.

Have you been creative?? Have you been bored? Why not give something new a try…

**I felt like creating something different, and found myself painting in aboriginal art form. This is just part of that watercolour painting**

Or are you perhaps seeing this time as a time to reflect and put into perspective all our blessings.. Maybe you are volunteering your time helping others, or maybe you need help. If you do need help, then do not be afraid to reach out to your neighbours, never be too proud to ask.. There are many who are willing to help right now.. I am witnessing some wonderful neighbours within my own community and a band of volunteers are organising through our neighbourhood watch scheme, and its heart warming to see.. What ever you are doing, where ever you are, I hope each and everyone of your are well, and stay well.

Have you been able to walk the dog, keeping your social distancing? or have you found time to dig your plot and garden and prepare your gardens ready for the growing season?

We count ourselves very fortunate in that our allotment plot is only a five minute walk away, and when we go early in the morning we hardly see anyone or meet anyone. When we do, we respect each others distance and get on with the job in hand of planting our crops.. ( If you right click the photo’s you can open up to view larger )

We have been busy busy, as those of you know this is sowing time. So In went the potatoes.. Hubby did this in gradual steps, digging two rows each morning, digging out the deep trench mucking/ putting manure it and placing potatoes in.. Covering up… Hard work, and when you are Three score year and ten plus it doesn’t get any easier..

**Hubby has now put in Nine rows of potatoes. Two early variety is called Foremost, and seven main crop are Picasso.**

While Hubby was busy digging in the potatoes, I got stuck in one morning and planted the onions and shallots.. The quality of the photo below is not good.. It was pretty cold that morning, as off came my gardening gloves to click the photo.

**Onions and Shallots setting, I planted Two rows of each and one row of red onions. Which are Turbo, and the shallots are Golden Orbit.**

The next morning while the potato rows were growing, two by two 🙂 I set too and planted a row of peas.. Growing in the cold frame.

**First lot of Peas sprouting, It was the second lot which the mice ate..**
**These are Hurst Green-shaft.**

**My row of Pea planting.. I would be lost without the kneeler. My knees did take the toll. Hubby later came to the rescue with his rolled up jacket as a cushion on the kneeler.**

These I set in rows of three.. And boy did I know about it with my knees and back.

Once the row was set, Hubby helped me put metal steaks in and we put wire netting either side of them. This is for support when they grow

**Peas now in neat rows with wire netting each side to help them grow up and support .**

Remember the sweater I was knitting and making up as I went along with left over yarns.. Well hubby took a photo of me wearing it as the peas we netted and I was raking the footprints we had made…

**Me raking up my messy footprints after the pea row is planted and covered with nets until they get a little bigger to flower… Otherwise pigeons and sparrows love young pea-shoots.**

Another morning I put the nets in place along the trellis which was where for years we have grown loganberries.. But as these have not been there best for several years, so we decided to dig them out in the autumn.. And I had a plan to plant sweet peas along the row… Hence my dismay in my last post when the mice got in and nibble their way through them… But my new plants are now growing and in the cold frame. This is where they are going.

**I mucked under the trellis work in the beginning of January, and now I put netting up for the sweet-peas flowers to climb up when big enough to plant out.**

The greenhouse on is still full of seedlings, brassica’s and leeks, lettuce etc.

**Seedlings and dahlia tubas. There really isn’t a lot of room.. But some now are out in the cold frame.**

**My Flower bed in the allotments.. Space for Dahlia’s at the side of the sheds.**

Well my friends, that’s all for now Stay safe and well and See you next time.

This is the time when we get busy again with our plots and gardens, as we prepare the ground to plant our seeds and soon we will be planting our early potatoes at the end of March..

Now I could have shown you rows and rows of seed trays we had set.. We set our pea seeds and I set my Sweetpeas in February. My hubbies peas were just starting to sprout, when we had a little visitor sneak into our allotment plot greenhouse and who merrily nibbled their way through every tray…

So we have had to both resow again… And I alone set 100 sweetpeas, as I bought lots of different varieties this year… So we had to repurchase and start over… And its amazing how mice will nibble through the harder husk of the peas and take the tender centre and leave the husk on the surface of the compost…. Any how Hubby has found where he/she or them were getting in and so far so good.. But I am not risking my second sowing of sweetpeas being eaten again so they are now on my home window sill..

While the weather has been up and down, I have been merrily knitting.. And while it may look at the moment a mixture… I know what I am doing as I make it up as I go along… lol..