Seeds – and a path….

We were delighted to have a visit ten days ago from Ecologist Michael all ready to help us plant out our first seeds in our new raised beds!

The seeds had come from Garden Therapist Shey (see her at Keep Calm Garden ) – thank you Shey – and initially we used the beetroot and the carrot. Here is Michael planting them out!

Meanwhile, I had been raiding my good friend Matthew’s garden next door to our old house in Belsize Park. Matthew does not know much technically about gardening but he has the greenest fingers of anyone I know – anything that he plants just grows! So I am hoping that some of his magic will have remained with the plants that have now moved to Highgate! First the rhubarb, sitting here in a pot waiting to be planted out….

… and then the raspberry canes. They look very very stick-like and unpromising as yet but, as instructed, I dug in lots of manure and have covered them in two inches of ‘magic mulch’ so here’s hoping.

And here is Matthew’s gooseberry bush, tucked in here with my redcurrant that had been sitting in a pot for 18 months waiting to get planted out. They are both a bit straggly right now but hopefully will bush out soon. I am now watering them since we have had no rain – and they have lots of nice bark round their feet so I have great hopes for them.

And nodding over the edge of our new beds is our little plum tree. This had been entirely overshadowed by the apple tree but last autumn Matthew and I cut back quite a bit of the apple and pulled the plum out so that it got some space. Last year it only managed to produce one plum – although it was a delicious plum! So I am hoping that this year it might do a bit better – it is certainly ‘blossoming’ better.

Meanwhile, last week Steve and Stephen were back and were getting stuck into the path. Our idea is to lay out a sort of ‘stepping stone’ path, and then to ’embed’ the stones in grass. I had done this in my garden next door and it had worked well. However, ‘setting’ the stones required a good deal of sand and cement.

Next they needed a plumb line to make sure that the stones would be level.

Then each stone needed to be carefully bedded in and levelled. (This is Steve senior hiding from the sun under his hoodie!)

An then finally holes needed to be made in the drying cement to allow any trapped air to escape.

And here is the path……..

Next jobs…. Finish off a few bits of path (for which we need more sand and cement) and get that pond built! Well, the pond is already dug and lined but Steve has great plans for a water feature in the corner so watch this space.

Meanwhile, the trellis for the mirror on the back wall has just arrived and yesterday in Columbia Road market I picked up four little tomato plants for the middle of one of the other planters. Just off to plant them out now – and I think we will surround them with some lettuces, mizuna and chard – a delicious salad ready to go!