Miracles in March.

Crocuses in pots

Each year Spring pushes her bulbs and green shoots through the ground I marvel at the miracles in nature.. Each time I plant a tiny seed no bigger than a full-stop on the page. I marvel at the wonderment of how each tiny cell knows exactly what to be, a leaf, a petal, or stem..

Such are the Miracles of Birth, and the best Miracles of all are ourselves and how each of us are unique in form and personality. And just how precious Life is.

This month on the gardening front, has been a mixture of cold, wet, and snowy conditions, which I feel we still have not seen the last of. But the plot is all dug over, and Hubby has already started to clear out the overgrown area at the back of the sheds which for the last two years we used a huge composting pile…

Behind the shed, clearing out the old compost pile and deep rooted nettle patch

As you can see there is still more clearing to be done, and its been hard going, getting the nettle roots out which have spread. but I have asked Hubby to leave me some of the nettle patch in tact, as I gather in spring and dry out for tea. It will not take nettles long to grow.. And so long as you wear a good pair of thick gloves when picking them from getting stung. How and when to Harvest is within the link, and you can find many Nettle Tea recipes on line.

Nettle Patch, and the brambles in the background are Blackberries.. Which if not kept in check also run rampant.

Also remember Nettles as well as being nutritious with health benefits for us, they are food for certain caterpillars, which butterflies use to lay their eggs in. Such species as The Red Admiral, Peacock butterfly, and the small tortoiseshell butterflies as well as the Comma Butterfly.. Keeping a small wild patch on your plot or in your garden is helping to keep these butterflies to thriving.
More information about Nettles and Caterpillars can be found at this Woodland Trust Link, this is an organisation I support on a regular basis as it preserves old woodlands https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/07/what-do-caterpillars-eat/

We are also trying an experiment starting this Spring, as I came upon this website on Electoculture Gardening Techniques. By which you plant rods of coiled copper or brass into the ground… As you know we do not use any chemicals, pesticides or herbicides on the garden and source manure from Organic farming. But this year has been harder to get hold of our usual manure supply as farmers are keeping extra now back for themselves and its in greater demand since the price of farm fertilizers have shot through the roof.

Experimenting with Electro-culture, I put a copper coiled pole in the ground. This is supposed to help yields and enrich the soil.. So I put the rod where we are to plant potatoes this year.. The Energy of the rod travels out into the soil.
” On average one 6 foot antenna can cover about about 225 sqft.” according to the website.. We shall see how it works tthis year.

Potatoes Chitting

Onion and Shallots getting started off in pots in the greenhouse

Potatoes are chitting, and Shallots and Onion sets are getting an early start in their pots before being planted out. Also we have set some onions from seeds.. I intend to do more pickled shallots this year, as everyone I gifted them too over Christmas enjoyed them so much..

For a more detailed account of how Electroculture works, the link for their website is above and below in the quote. Basically it is energising the soil and a quote from their website is as follows

Electroculture is the an ancient practice of increasing yields utilizing certain materials to harvest the earth’s atmospheric energy. This was presented in 1749 by Abbe Nollett, in the 1920s by Justin Christofleau, and 1940s by Viktor Schauberger. This energy is always present and all around us also known as Chi, Prana, Life force, and Aether.

https://cultivateelevate.com/electroculture/

Our new Allotmenteer neighbours of two years, two plots down from us, who are a young family, managed to source some Manure from an Organic Farm, and asked if we would like some manure, So we insisted on going halves with them with the cost when a Ton of Manure was delivered… We were giving them starter plants last year, and they introduced us to the Polish Tomato they grew in abundance in their newly built Polytunnel. And its wonderful that they are not afraid to ask for advice either.
We were gifted by them a few weeks back with a packet of Polish Tomato seeds. ( I had already saved some seeds from their tomatoes gifted last year, as I thought their huge size ideal for making soups and sauces ). The packet straight from Poland was a bonus.

I just love the way people in the growing community are sharing and repurposing everything. We have always given extra veggies and flowers away to neighbours and family.. But this year already several neighbours have donated wood which they no longer want to see if can use on the allotments, and some clear Perspex plastic alternative to glass sheets which were not wanted.. Of course Hubby was very grateful for, he can use the Perspex in the greenhouse and the wood he has already made a couple of cold frames using both.

New Cold frames in place made from wood and Perspex repurposed

To finish off this months post I will leave you with the Gallery of photos of some of the plants indoors and in the garden.

Enjoy and Happy Planting

Hyacinth and primrose

Pink Striped Orchid

Jill the scare-crow with some miniature daffodils

Daffodils primroses and fairies.

Crocuses in pots

Pink striped Orchid, Can you see the cat like face?

Dendrobium Orchid, second year of flowering since this was gifted me

Until Next Time
Happy Gardening!

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