Last Sprouts and a Surprise

Today we have made our first visit to Freshwinds Garden for 2013. It was a damp, miserable day but we stayed for a while. 

A not very inspiring view! As you can see the grass has not stopped growing.

We picked the last of the sprouts and then pulled up the plants. Steve had to cut them up with secateurs before they went on the compost heap otherwise they will take too long to rot down. Next time we will take the chopper. Some of the rotting leaves were quite slimy. I have heard recently that this slime is one of the main ingredients of mayonnaise!!

The sprout harvest has been disappointing but at least we had enough for Christmas dinner.

This year will be better.

 

We were very excited to find this lovely Romanesque cauliflower, almost perfect. We had cauliflower cheese with a baked potato for dinner this evening.  They have taken a lot longer to form this season.

 There is quite a lot of colour if you look for it. This photo shows two different varieties of sedum, growing well, in readiness for the cob roof.

 This hebe is a welcome splash of colour in the butterfly garden.

We did take tea despite it only being a short visit. We used our lovely new flask and cups....a present for Steve from my niece, Hazel and partner Andy. The cups are insulated so we can wander round reviewing areas, with tea in hand.

The common mint is out of hand and invading nearly every section of the herb garden. Quite why I thought a row of bricks would stop it spreading, I really don`t know. That will be one of my first jobs.

 The mud round the cow barn is pretty bad. I don`t think Andy would get his truck out if he delivered any chipped bark. When I see the field like this, I wonder how the grass ever comes back but it always does. Unbelievably the garden once looked like this, with bare earth right through the middle.

 

 I went to see the pigs and I am sure they have grown. I wish they had names. I am tempted to temporarily call them Pinky and Perky. I had a good chat with Marina and Lola who were grooming the white horse in the stable yard. Next time I might half-hitch the horse hair groomings to keep slugs away from choice plants. I think you need to cut it up a bit first.

I checked on the scarecrows in the barn. They seemed quite happy in the warm and dry. Thinking they might get a new set of clothes each this year.

At home the seeds are sorted and we are raring to go. Just the whole house to declutter first!!! We are planting by moon phases again this year, using the book 

"Gardening and planting by the moon,"  by Nick Kollerstrom, which charts when to plant, whether it`s a root, leaf, flower or fruit day. It works very well. 

My Grandad always planted his runner beans by the moon phases.

A very happy new year to everyone for 2013. 

This year I hope to have more followers for my blog.