Sunday 7 February 2010

Spring planning

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The garden today, at the beginning of this new gardening year, with most of the beds now covered with goat manure.

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This morning we spent some time in the sun in the garden, planning this year’s planting and pruning the apple tree and the roses.

 

DSC01539 DSC01528 The autumn-sown beans (left) are growing well and have recovered from the frost we had a few weeks ago.  We’ve transplanted some lamb’s lettuce seedlings (above) into  some of the lovely compost we’ve made

 

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Our first crocus of the year is flowering and another one will be out soon.

 

DSC01554 This Red Admiral butterfly was enjoying the sun. DSC01564

 

DSC01572 The chard leaves are beginning to grow again now that the weather is a bit warmer, so we picked some to make one of our favourite quick lunches – pasta mixed with chard, pancetta or cured ham and chopped garlic, topped with grated cheese and put under the grill to brown.

6 comments:

impoftheyard said...

It's lovely to see the spring flowers begin to open. It will be a while yet here, I fear. That pasta is making me want pasta... Looks yummy!

Jan said...

No bulbs here yet, but I planted them a bit late really so it's not surprising. I do a similar dish with the chard... in fact that would be perfect tonight for after our Catalan lesson, so I'd better go and pick!

easygardener said...

Please send some sun over here. Our weather keeps going all warm and then cold - it's exasperating.

MulchMaid said...

I wish we could begin working our soil. It's just a bit early in this wet climate: I don't want to compact my already clay-y soil.
The butterfly is lovely and lunch looks delicious! Do you add the chard to the pasta so it just wilts?

Kate said...

Autumn-sown beans? What did you sow C-L? In South Australia we sow peas in autumn but beans in spring / summer....maybe you mean scarlet runner beans? Or broad beans? Interesting.

chaiselongue said...

easygardener: it's similar here - a lovely spring day on Sunday, cold and wet today, but improving slowly!

Jane/Mulchmaid: the chard needs a bit more cooking than spinach - we simmer it in a little water for about 5-10 minutes.

Kate: We sow broad beans in autumn, then another sowing in spring so we get two crops. The same with peas and mangetout peas. I don't sow runner beans as I don't like them much, but you wouldn't sow these here until March or April, I think.