With so much work to be done over the autumn and winter, I haven’t felt the urge for the new gardening year to begin until just now. But then I got a seed catalogue from The Seed Co-operative, a company who I believe are the way forward in terms of seed production.
I also noticed that the soil on the top of the bog garden is starting to compact,
no doubt because of all the vegetable washing up water I’ve been sloshing on that spot. Since the current pond liner is going to be replaced in the not-too-distant future, there’s no point in filling up the pond itself. But the bog garden could do with some plants growing in it as soon as practicable to protect the soil.
I also still need to order the other trees that I intend to plant before March. I’m sure you must have heard the phrase that the best time to plant a tree is last year, so definitely waiting another year will not do!
It must be something in the air! I sent my seed order off yesterday. I buy from Real Seeds who are based in Newport, Pembrokeshire so I know that what grows well for them will probably do well for me. Encouraged by them,and using the instructions on their website, I now save as much of my own seed as I can but there are always things didn’t seed well or I didn’t save at the right time plus new things to try so I will always be a customer!
It’s great that you have a supplier who probably grows under the same conditions as you. One of the suppliers for the Seed Co-operative is Botton Hall, in North Yorkshire, so not too far from me.
Off you go – get ordering 🙂
😊
Wonderful! Now I feel like it’s almost spring:)
The sun has also come out this afternoon 😃
Sun makes all the difference!
It does!
Ha ha seed catalogues have that effect! I haven’t heard “the best time to plant a tree is last year”, but I really subscribe to that. We planted two apricots “too” late in autumn last year (got them at a clearance at the nursery) and the one gave us a few amazing apricots already! So plant those trees 🙂
The trees have been ordered 😊. Great that you got apricots from trees planted so recently.
We buy from a co-op as well -FEDCO seeds. We were even one of their growers for a few year, delivering say 2 lbs of just one variety of tomato seed, 20 lbs of say a rare snap bean seed.
That’s great! I could possibly be a supplier for phacelia but not sure I would classify as organic (eg with neighbours who like to burn plastics just over the fence). Maybe I should enquire as to their standards and stipulations.
An excellent idea! USDA Organic standards require a 16 foot buffer between us and non-organic land -more if they can see a contaminent like an oil well or conventional field upwind. But I’m sure you could find some opportunity with someone if only your neighbors. Perhaps set up a neighborhood seed swap?
I think that is extremely unlike, Luke 😊. My neighbours are getting rid of their lawns for tarmac…. but I do give to friends and family.
They are also right next to me, so no buffer zone.
I know you will be happy when your new tree arrives and you can get it into the ground.
Sometime next month – there are three altogether: a yew and two hazels.
I’ll check out that seed link. I think I ‘ve got most of my seeds now for this year, but still room for some more!
Sometimes our eyes are bigger than our bellies… I’ve got seeds for more beans than I have room for. I’d like some lupins and I still need butternut squash as my fruit last year didn’t develop any seeds, though.
I think I’ve some blue lupin seed if you like? It’s been doing well for me for the last three or four years. Just plain blue flowers, about 3ft. I think they breed butternut to have fewer seed. It would also be important to have an open pollinated variety rather thsn f1, since the offspring could otherwise be a bit diverse. I was impressed that you got fruit!
Thank you, blue lupin would be brilliant!
I took the seeds from an organic butternut squash I bought, so the seeds should have been viable for more seeds. However, I don’t think my fruit were mature enough to produce their own.
I should have your details still – (and some soapwort this time!). I can’t help you with butternut squash, although I still have a sharks fin melon from 2017 that I’m hoping to get seeds from this year!
Thank you very much. And I hope you get seeds from the sharks fin melon 😊
Oops! Looks like I got overexcited – I’ve had a look through and can’t find the lupin seed sorry! I think it must have been one of the ones I took as gifts to the west country. However I do have some soapwort cuttings. The plants are quite dormant at the moment – just a few shoots peeking, so probably a good time to send them. I also can’t find your address so could you email it to me nancy at p6resthome dot co dot uk? Sorry again.
Hi Nancy,
Your recent comments got swallowed up in the spam folder but thank goodness WP hadn’t done an automatic delete!
Anyway, no worries about the lupin seeds. Soapwort would be great, though. I think some of my seeds might have finally germinated but I can’t quite be sure, so I’ll email you my address. Thanks very much.
I wondered where it had gone, sorry about that. I might pop some other seeds in that you can use or pass on. I’ve been having a sort out…
Thank you very much, Nancy.
Yes seed catalogues are lovely to look at this time of year, I’m doing the same. You will be planting trees Helen, I am dying to see photos and hear which ones and how that project will go.
All will be revealed in the fullness of time, Agnes 😊.
🙂 🙂
You have convinced me to put on many layers and go and sort the borders out.
Brr… it is cold out there but it will be satisfying to get the work done!
I’m sure some mulch would help ..
Unfortunately, I can’t use my own compost as it is full of lemon balm seeds and I refuse to buy unnecessarily. As it’s a bog garden, any mulch might lead to anaerobic conditions in the soil perhaps?