Garden 2 - 25th February

Decided that since the cranes are flying over on their way north that it must be spring. Erected the tiny plastic greenhouse and planted some seeds in it, indoors. Just a few of lots of things in modules to see if any germinate and if not I can have another go later. Tomatoes, peppers, sweetcorn, sunflowers, aubergines, chillis, basil, courgettes, melons, cucumbers, sweet peas, morning glories, lupins, verbena bonariensis, cosmos and zinnias. Bon courage mes petits.

(03 03 10 peppers, lupins, morning glories, cosmos, zinnia, aquilegia, agapanthus and achillea germinated - yay am so proud of myself :-))

Weeded the broad beans. Now know why the man down the road only planted his about a month ago. I decided to be organised and plant them in the autumn so that they would get a good start. They got a good start and then got frosted! Most of them are now reshooting from the bottom and have filled in the gaps with new seeds. The man down the road has neat rows of tiny plants that don't seem to be bothered by the frost and snow. Reminder for next year - wait until you see him plant his.

Took cuttings from the weeping willow tree in the empty house next door. These may be a bit late but have done as instructed by Geoff Hamilton so fingers crossed.

Feeling grateful that we have dug lots of narrow beds that can be reached without having to get on them at all. The broad bean bed was way too wet to walk on but because you can kneel all round it is easy to weed. Lots of edging though.

Trimmed what will be the box cubes. When we came it was a huge mass of box at least waist high and about fifteen feet across. When we cut - and cut and cut and cut - found that it was actually four plants and with the courage of the RHS pruning guide cut it back to four stumps which are now shooting happily and turning into cubes! Box here grows happily to twenty feet or so. I think originally it must have been a neat hedge around a vegetable plot with orchard beyond but that was a long time ago. One day ......................