Author: Sue

Progress with Photos

Our Garden Last Year

Our poor veggie garden did not get much attention last year as Eric and I had various health issues meaning it became neglected and very overgrown. It looked a very sorry sight over the winter. As soon as the milder weather came in April I was determined to get things back in order and have a productive working vegetable garden once again. The weeds were about 6 ft high so we flattened them down ready to burn to clear space to make growing areas.

Time to Dig and Plant

Once the weeds had been burnt I could make a clear planting plan. The weather had been cold at night through April, too cold to put young seedlings into the ground. We had been scanning the weather forecast for days trying to calculate when it would be best to plant them out. Now, finally after masses of digging and the risk of cold temperatures at night gone, planting could begin.

We had lots of old bricks lying around the garden so I made a shallow wall to protect the cucumbers. Our dog, Haley is an expert digger so hopefully it will deter her from going there! We planted 2 sorts of cucumber….mini ones for pickling and preserving and large ones for salads. The aim is for them to make use of the fence to climb up.

We live in watermelon country and have bought HUGE melons in the past so thought we would give them a go this year. Eric made a frame from leftover wood and then covered the frame with clear plastic. We shall watch the local farmers and wait to remove it when they do.

These are peppers, grown from seeds collected from our favourite Hungarian Paprika Pepper inside until they were big enough to plant out. They will be small red and spicy, planted in a raised flower bed to make it easy to water and eventually pick them.

The tomatoes have been given the Haley treatment…roped to prevent her running over the plot. Tomatoes grow well in Hungary and are very productive and bear lots of fruits. The unattractive poles (taken from an old swimming pool) are ideal, they are hollow and deep watering is achievable by putting the hose into the tubes! This year I have used crushed egg shells under each plant to help their calcium levels and to ward off Blossom End Rot.

One of our flower beds had been overtaken with mint and it was time to take action. I cleared as deeply as I could the invasive roots and put a few in a pot. We use mint regularly in salads so need an endless supply. I will not be planting it into a flowerbed this year as the potted version is doing fine. The lilac sprout was taken from an existing tree and is doing well in this pot. Once I have decided where its permanent home will be I shall plant it out.

I treated myself to a Black-Eyed Susan and hung it on the veranda, this is the view from inside, isn’t it stunning? The bees love it too.

We have a top garden that is full of blossom trees looking beautiful in the spring. The top garden is a future project, once we have sorted the lower gardens.

Wooden Leftovers

My clever husband decided to make a couple of window boxes from wood left over from our veranda. I had been asking him for ages for something to house my geraniums in and to add a bit of colour to our newly decorated home. I was extremely pleased with the results fitting on the windowsills perfectly. He also made a bird box for the resident bird population. We love to sit with our morning coffee and watch their activity.

We have fruit trees in our vegetable plot, almond, apple and cherry and just recently added some raspberry canes. I hope to add a plum tree at the end of this season.

I shall be updating the garden progress regularly and show you other parts of our massive garden. I hope you have enjoyed my start to the busy growing season…lots of work and weeding ahead.

Do you have a large garden, what do you use it for, I would be interested to know?