my gardening DIARY

MONDAY

It’s a good time to sow a few annuals directly. I’m broadcasting seed of a white and a wine-coloured opium poppy. Poppies make their own mind up about when to germinate so I’m just crossing my fingers!

TUESDAY

Mice or voles, or maybe even squirrels, had a banquet of tulips in one of the iron pots. So I’m doing what we saw gardeners doing on a recent working trip to the Italian lakes and transplanting spare flowering tulips from an extra pot to fill the spaces.

WEDNESDAY

Planting a second batch of ‘Pink Fir Apple’ potatoes. They have the most delicious flavour. We don’t peel them but parboil them, then cool and peel off the skin easily before returning them to finish cooking.

THURSDAY

As part of our new ‘plants for free’ strand on Gardeners’ World, we’ll be propagating all sorts of plants from cuttings, including some salvias I grew originally from cuttings. In preparation

I’m cutting back dead extension growth and repotting to give us strong new shoots to use.

FRIDAY

Discovered a couple of neglected pots of chives that have suddenly sprung into life. I’m separating each tiny plant and making a little row across one of the veg troughs.

SATURDAY

Some of our first sowings have developed their first true leaves.

There are going to be thousands to prick out and move on over the next few weeks, so there’ll be lots of work to do. I’m starting with cosmos ‘Purity’.

SUNDAY

Although tulips are just coming into bloom, it’s time to plan later plantings to take over in their pots. Dahlias will hopefully be one of the most important ingredients, as well as cannas, nasturtiums, marigolds and sweet potatoes for some delightful trailing foliage.