The snowdrops are out in Enbrook Park, and Imbolc (Gaelic/pagan festival of spring) has already passed us by. So very tempting this time of the year when the sun comes out, to go get the seeds and start sowing, but not before St Valentine’s Day! There is just one more week to wait.
The rainfall for January was 49mm which seemed to have happened on the 8th when it rained all day. After that we did not see any substantial rain and we have had to water the pots several times. The plants taking shelter in the cold frames were removed this week as they can dry out too quickly once the sun starts to shine for any length of time, and the weather does not look too cold for the foreseeable future.
The pond edges got weeded, a few spare plants planted around the edges, and more time spent fishing leaves out of the water. Another bird box was kindly donated and fixed to a nearby tree, and a wooden handmade planter, also donated, was picked up with thanks. Time was well spent litter picking and tidying the little green outside the Fish and Chip shop in the High Street. It is good to see that the bulbs planted back in the autumn are starting to come through.
Although too early for sowing seeds it is certainly not too early to start off your potatoes. Seed potatoes are available now for ‘chitting’ where the ‘eyes’ of the potato seeds are allowed to grow shoots before being planted at the end of March or early April. Always tricky to recommend varieties as you need to consider what works best for you, as well as your growing conditions and personal taste. All varieties have their own merits but the main thing is they are grown by us and nothing else will taste any better! There is just no comparison with anything bought in a shop.
Some of the netting was temporarily removed to mulch the base of the overwintering broccoli and kale to give them that extra boost now they are building up to their main cropping time in March and April, perhaps through to May. It was surprising to find a caterpillar or two still grazing amongst the brassica leaves. It feels incredible for February but it seems not unusual as we have heard reports of other caterpillar finds in local gardens and in the UK south.
Since reporting last week that there were various growing projects being initiated in and around Folkestone, even more garden organisers have been getting in touch to highlight their plans which is really good news. So much is starting to happen locally, and it is very encouraging that these projects are reaching out to make connections because as we already know, having links with other community groups has certainly helped us. Swapping seeds, seedlings, plants, information, even just visiting different sites can inspire and give ideas.
There is a new project happening in Fremantle Park this week, as many have noticed that two concrete bases have been set into the grass close to the playground. One of our gardener’s children thought with great excitement that they may be rocket launching pads, which sound like a brilliant idea; however, they are in fact bases for two picnic benches. Let us hope that their disappointment of reality is short lived.
What’s next?
- Get the garden signs painted and up;
- Get those flower seedlings potted up;
- Sort out the tayberry plants;
- Start splitting up the many mint plants and repot.
