Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 16th March: Sow yet more seeds with the promise of better weather.
This week has seen the return of plummeting temperatures, below average for this time of year. Just as the newly sown seeds were starting to romp away, basking in the glorious warm sunshine of last week, they have now slowed down and have hardly put on any growth at all.
However we have braved the cold and continued to prick out yet more cabbages and sow yet more seeds with the promise of better weather this coming week.
The kale had decided to rise up in an attempt to flower and so we took them all out to harvest the leaves and compost what was left. The rhubarb seems to be appreciative of the cow manure mulch and is looking sturdy with lots of green leaves appearing.
Time was well spent retrieving some of the wood chip paths where either the mole or the birds had disturbed them; throwing the chips into the compost beds and making them untidy. You can see from the picture below that we are now ready to fill those beds as soon as the plants are ready. We have kept an eye on the hops which were dug out and split a couple of weeks ago, keeping them watered and checking on any signs of new growth.
We had heard from two friends of the garden, Eddie and Rita, on holiday in the mountainous region of Taiwan being taught how to pick tea by a minority indigenous tribe there. Apparently the whole area is strictly organic, and no chemical sprays are allowed. What an amazing experience that must have been and look forward to hearing more about it.
What’s next?
- Prick out more calabrese
- Sow some of the more hardy companion plants
- Transfer some of the nasturtiums in the asparagus beds
- Transfer globe artichoke
This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.