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Maggie’s Blog – MayThe gardens are looking a treat at the moment with all the spring flowers in full bloom. Once the daffodils have finished flowering don’t forget to deadhead them so that all the strength goes back into the bulb rather than into producing a seed head.The peas are coming along nicely under the protection of the cloche. I will remove the cloche in a couple of weeks and put twiggy branches into the soil alongside the plants to support them. If you have not planted your pea seeds yet here is a tip to get them going. Spread them out on a windowsill on damp kitchen paper. Keep the paper damp and, once the peas have sprouted, plant them in the normal way. Using this method means that you do not have gaps in the row where seeds have failed to germinate.I have a very large pampas grass in my back garden which had got very messy, as it had a lot of dead leaves in the middle. I had read somewhere that you can burn off all the dried, dead leaves so, with my heart in my mouth, I put a match to the plant last year. It went up like a flare, and I had been wondering if I had, in fact, killed it because it looked so blackened and scorched. I am now pleased to report that this spring new leaves have grown from the middle of the plant, and it it is well on the way to recovery. I did manage, however, to kill a rose bush at the side of it so if you try this method of regeneration, just make sure there is nothing planted closeby!I have lots of vegetables in my greenhouse which I have started in seed boxes. Broad beans, french beans and leeks are all doing well and will soon be in the vegetable plot. My runner beans have germinated, but will not be planted out for a few weeks yet. As always, I have grown them in the middle of toilet rolls. I stand the cardboard tubes upright in a seed tray, fill them with compost and plant the beans into the cardboard tubes. It gives greater depth for the beans roots to develop, and when the time comes to plant them out I just plant the tubes into the soil. The cardboard disintegrates away and the roots have a good start because they are not disturbed when being transplanted out.My blueberry bush is in flower, so in a couple of weeks, once the fruit begins to form I will be putting a Planto Tomato Fleece coat onto it. It will let the plant breath, and let moisture through, but protect the fruit from the hungry birds. I have picked and eaten my first aparagus spears of the season, and what a treat they were! My asparagus bed is now into it’s fourth season, and I have planted a new bed alongside the existing one. I will not be able to pick from this new bed for a couple of seasons, but that will not matter as the first bed is well and truly established now. An asparagus bed will last for about 10 years, so it is better to keep planting new plants in order to keep up a constant supply.Happy GardeningImage: Planto Bio Tomato Fleece Hoods |
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