I’m not sure if the collective noun for worms is “an excitement of worms”, but when we emptied one of our compost bins last week, the excitement to see so many worms was palpable! Our compost that has been so patiently brewing all winter did not disappoint us. It has gone into the layers of ‘matter’ that is filling two more small planters. Our great hope is that these planters will be able to survive the boggy end of the garden ( they are metal, as opposed to wood, and less likely to rot).They are also positioned under netting and should provide a good spot for summer crops.
The layers that we have added to these new planters include cardboard ( to quash weeds); sheep pooh; pea straw; compost, and horse pooh. We are on the lookout for a supply of topsoil, so if anyone out there has a supply , and a generous heart we would be most grateful. You can either leave a message on our FB page or drop by on a Wednesday morning and have a chat.
The excessive rain , followed by frosts have made us cautious about getting too much into the ground to date, but we are now raising seeds…peas, beans ,zucchini, and cucumber for planting in a week or two, and once the new beds are topped up, we will go ahead with planting lettuce and other salad vegies. Likely in about two weeks’ time.
We are still harvesting cabbages, caulis, celery, beetroot, spinach, fennel, kale and rhubarb. It is available from the Larder each week.
Past experience has steered us to leave tomato planting to the traditional , post Labour Weekend period. Hopefully, by then most of the frosts have done their worst and the tomatoes can get a clear run on production.
Spring is always such an exciting and busy time in the garden and the Community garden is no exception. We now have a good number of bee friendly plants, and others that are regarded as decoys for birds and beasts, so that plants are healthy and well pollenated , and pests are kept at bay. They also add to the colour and general ambience of the garden and have become an integral part of our planting plan.
Enjoy your spring gardening!
