We are well and truly into spring now, although if someone could let the weather know we’d like a little less of the wintery stuff that would be fab.  Now we are past the equinox and currently the days are just as long as the nights, but with each passing day the daylight hours will get longer and longer.  As an added bonus, like the free stamp you sometimes get with a coffee club card, daylight savings has started the ball rolling by giving us an extra hour to our evenings.   And for the keen gardener this can only mean one more hour in the garden!   

It has been great to see all the garden plans come in so far.  Taking the time to work out what you want to grow before you grow it can save so much time and effort and helps to create a vision for a dream garden rather than the haphazard plonk and plant approach.  Vegetable gardens can be beautiful places as well as functional and with a bit of planning you can have an amazing garden. 

If you haven’t made a plan yet, FRIDAY 1^st OCTOBER is the last day to get your entry in for this mini challenge.  Don’t forget to check the what’s going on tab for all the details – or ask me below…  

In the garden we are entering a lull in the spring gardening activities.  The first flurries of sowing seed and preparing soil is mostly taken care of or not far from being done.  The seedlings still need a close eye on them, and from time to time they may need moving on to bigger pots.  But aside from the hardier seedlings like peas and brassica etc, it is still too soon to plant out most of the summer season plants as it isn’t warm enough yet and spring is still too unpredictable to be trusted.

But there is still plenty to be done in the garden – keep a watch out for weeds.  As the weather warms up, they will pop up faster than ever and if you turn your back on the garden for a few days… they will take advantage of things.  It is also a good time to think about your structures and get them ready to go.  It is always best to put these in before the plants to avoid damaging plants doing it the other way round.   

Try to visit the garden every day so you are able to notice things that are amiss straight away.  Also, at this time of year the weather can catch you out and after relying on the rain to water the garden, you suddenly realise it has been a while and the soil is drying out…  But not only that, the sun can surprise you leaving you with a rosy warm glow at the end of the day.   It is always best to avoid that first unexpected sunburn so have a hat and sunscreen at the ready – and remember the ‘crescent moon’ area on the small of your back where your shirt and trousers don’t quite line up when you are bending over in the garden.

Today in my garden I’m off to write a very long list of all the things that need to be done in the garden to get it ‘up to date’.  If there ever was such a thing.  I have decided to employ one of the Teen Lads to help in the garden for a few hours a week after internet school.  It’s not like he can go off anywhere with his time so I might as well take advantage!  Hopefully I will feel ‘in control’ with the extra help. Whose idea was it to have such a large garden and a handful of other garden projects on the go in the spring?!

Happy gardening and as always – if you want to get in touch leave a comment below.

Sarah the Gardener  : o)