Spring planting has begun

The weather yesterday, Thursday was glorious, t'shirt weather and rather than sit in the kitchen and wire up the beads that I should have done I couldn't resist the pull of the garden.

 

Gordy, our little cat with special needs, also seemed to feel the pull of the sunshine, he hasn't been outside in a while as the wind and rain scares him and he just sits and shakes, but there was no stopping him yesterday, so out we went.  It soon became clear that having Gordy outside and doing anything wasn't going to happen as he was feeling very adventurous and Defi (my youngest Golden) kept showing Gordy how to go through the hedge and look into the field beyond - we are getting sheep in the field and my son was putting up the electric boundary fence (he works for the farm) the other day so the dogs know what is coming.  Unfortunately we have stock fencing on the other side of the hedge which does keep the dogs in but Gordy can fit through the gaps and being brain damaged and not able to look after himself something had to be done for safe garden play. 

 

Gordy's harness and lead were put on but the lead isn't very long and I wanted to dig the veggie plot over and plant the summer potatoes, that wasn't going to happen if I had to hold the lead, so I rooted around in the cupboard and found the long training lead that I used when Iz was a puppy...a very naughty and not easy to train puppy!....this extra length gave Gordy lots of 'free' play whilst still being safe and not in danger of running off and getting into trouble.  He didn't seem to mind, he had relative freedom and could sniff in the flower beds, chase flies and watch bumble bees come and go as well as come into the veggie plot with me if he wanted or lie in the sun with Defi.

 

Problem sorted.  Digging began.

 

 

Gordy resting in the long grass, we desperately need the mower fixed!

 

 

Last Autumn I cut back the enormous Buddleia bush and took a few cuttings, I just stuck them in the old veg beds and left them too it, they rooted and so yesterday when I cleared the old beds I potted them up, I think I will leave them a bit longer before I decide where to plant them.  The joy of a big garden is being able to have big shrubs.

 

 

The new vegetable plot, which is the old chicken coop, its all still fenced in so the dogs cant dig anything up.  I had to re-dig it over and do a lot of pulling up big weeds, back breaking work but worth it.

 

 

The planting has begun.  Just the potatoes are in at this point.  My studio over looks the veg plot, I used to love looking out and seeing the chooks running around, they were free ranging but their food and water was in the coop so they used to pop back and I could watch them.

 

 

I dug over the old veg beds and harvested the last of last years crop, some carrots and technically leeks but they are small so great spring onions.

 

 The old veg beds before I started digging, they are all clear now and waiting for flowers.  I am turning these into raised flower beds and have a lovely selection of bright colourful seeds to throw into them and make them a ladybug, butterfly and bumble bee attraction.

 

 

I rather like this photo of the potato rows looks like a line of small graves, a bit macabre but after the loss of the chooks due to foxy loxy and badger its rather apt!

 

 

Its misty here this morning and I really do have to finish wiring up the beads, I started last night but was too tired to finish, so I joined a very sleep Gordy, Iz and Defi and had an early night.