This Week in the Garden

May 05, 2015 by Natasha Seidel in Outdoors

This weekend was all about gardening with the two smallest helpers and still managing to get some REAL gardening done. My husband had his heart set on planting hundreds of potatoes. They dug up the area between the polytunnel and the kitchen garden. He had a dedicated 4 year old assistant.

She helped with digging compost and planting the potato seeds.

I had a very conscientious 2 year old helper who helped fill (read: over filled) seed trays with compost.

We managed to get quite a few seeds planted despite her help. We also did get the potatoes planted eventually.

What I remember most about this weekend in the garden is that we had a wonderful day with our two smallest children. Days like these are the ones to cherish.

This Week in the Kitchen Garden

April 29, 2015 by Natasha Seidel in Outdoors

I did not get much opportunity to spend time in the kitchen garden this week. A combination of the cold weather and ill children. Usually I would panic about it, but this year I am going at my pace. So here's what I did get done.

There is a hose in the pollytunnel that has a gentle sprinkle. I'm so pleased that my husband and a friend managed to put it in on the weekend. It was shockingly dry in there. The spring cabbage are the first to be planted in these beds.

The early strawberries look much the same.

The later strawberries are beginning to grow flowers. It really needs weeding and some attention. This is definitely one of my next jobs.

I'm so proud of my red onions, it's the first year that I have managed to grow onions. In the past I have planted them too deep and they never flourished.

We managed to get pea seeds sown directly in the ground. Most of them are planted along the fence, it makes a great support for later.

The rhubarb is growing like crazy. It was actually flowering. I read that the flowers need removing, so I did remove them. We have enjoyed delicious rhubarb and custard already.

The apple tree inside the fruit cage is growing beautifully.

That's it... I'd love to hear how you are getting on.

Natasha x

Sensory Play Friday: Garden Explorers

April 24, 2015 by Natasha Seidel in Outdoors

This morning we took a blanket and went down to the bottom of the garden to lay under the blossoms. We also took a large tray for gathering all our flower samples in. Lyla and I walked around the garden talking about all we could see. We gathered a few flowers and blossoms.

Underneath the tree, the canopy provided a magical view.

Doing this activity makes you acutely aware of how much of nature we take for granted. Lyla smelled every single flower with such gusto. Collecting these flowers with her was a fun experience in itself.

When we had all we needed we sat down to explore them closer.

Lyla explored all the flowers by touching, smelling and feeling with her lips. (Do you know that small children do this because the lips are more sensitive than fingers?!)

'GORGEOUS!!!!!!' she said.

We spent almost two hours out there doing this. Delightful. I am so grateful for the time to share this with her.

Kitchen Garden Progress

April 22, 2015 by Natasha Seidel in Outdoors

I am feeling so inspired to get on with my kitchen garden planting. I have been attending a course called Kitchen Garden Through the Year . It is organised by the talented Arne Maynard and led by the informative and knowledgable (and funny) James Clapp. James has and still does work in a number of impressive sites including Riverford. The course consists of visiting Arne Maynard's kitchen garden at various times throughout the year whilst learning about what happens in the garden at that stage. I have grown my own fruit and vegetables for about 8 years now. This is the first time I am planning more carefully and keeping notes of my practice.

I have a number of beds and , new for this season, a polytunnel. (I also have a stash of beautiful bell cloches, ready for use). We rent the house we live in so we had no real choice as to where the garden is situated. Usually my husband goes crazy at the garden centre and buys many seedlings which we transplant. However, I remember the joy of starting with a seed and I really want my children to be a part of the whole process. So this year we are trying to grow exclusively from seed. I will keep you posted as to whether we achieve this.

Also we are trying to grow more organically this year too. We have set up our very first compost bins at the edge of the garden. It is still a learning process for us and we are still having to remind ourselves to compost suitable waste. We did get three big 'bins' because its a long term process.

I bought my seeds in February. Unfortunately we have been so busy, I have not managed to get much planting done. I have rhubarb and strawberries as a permanent part of our garden. Also we do have a number of fruit trees. A few months ago I removed all the weeds from the strawberry beds and tidied them up. So today I thought my job would be relatively easy. Today's tasks were to sort out the early strawberries and plant some seeds.

The strawberries were extremely dry. The first thing I did was wet them. Then I removed weeds. It was far more manageable due to the previous maintenance. I also added some compost to the beds.

These early strawberries are so encouraging. They already have flowers and we can see the mini strawberries appearing.

This means we really needed to cover them with netting so that the birds do not get them before the children. Last year we had a terrible system. The netting was so awkward and difficult to lift that we never removed the weeds. It just became over grown. I was determined to improve it this year.

It took me a few tries, but I am very pleased with the end result.

My daughter was a great help. She set about planting some of our seeds.

We mixed seed compost with our courser green compost. Then we wet it thoroughly. She managed to plant all varieties of cucumber.

It was definitely a perfect way to spend Earth Day. Hope you had a wonderful day too.

A Moment in the Garden

April 15, 2015 by Natasha Seidel in Outdoors

Today was a gorgeous day. The sudden hot weather really has had a noticeable impact on the garden. Blossoms and flowers everywhere.

All this beauty needs to be celebrated. This is my weekly celebration.

Riley has enjoyed the freedom of summer clothes and long light evenings.

I saw this tree and thought I have found the perfect home for a fairy, don't you agree?

Delicate and so beautiful.

We are still filling our bird feeders, they have brought so many visitors.

The Kitchen Garden has suddenly shown signs of growth. I am not as far on in my planting as I would have liked, but there will be more time next week.

The potatoes and red onions look so promising. The rhubarb has suddenly flourished. I have grown rhubarb for six years. My husband loves it. I tasted it for the first time about two months ago. So tart and delicious, I am looking forward to cooking with it this year.