My gardening diary
MONDAY
We’re harvesting fresh herbs as we need them, mainly parsley and dill, but it’s worth sowing half seed trays of them on a regular basis. Hope we can keep them going right through the winter.
TUESDAY
In the top raised beds that were originally meant to be exclusively for vegetables, herbaceous perennials have moved in and are taking up more space every year. For the most part you can’t eat them, but lining them out so we can bulk them up for new ambitious schemes in the garden is a worthwhile exercise. We’re spli ing phlox and asters this week.
WEDNESDAY
Wish we’d grown more winter veg. Apart from our chard and some beetroot that looks like it’s made reasonable-sized roots, there’s nothing much going on. It’s early for New Year resolutions but we’re taking a comprehensive look at best varieties of leeks, purple-sprouting broccoli, winter cabbage and parsnips.
THURSDAY
Cu ing back in the long bed that runs down the side of the brick garden. Among others, this is the home of helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’, a giant, or should I say giantess, of a plant. This year it has been healthy but the year before it suffered from a fungus disease. All the more important to cut it back and collect all the detritus around its stems. It will be burned rather than put on the compost heap.
FRIDAY
Our huge bay tree has had large chunks stolen in past years for Christmas decorations. Most of the time we’ve taken lower branches, or at least the parts of them, that were protruding on to the path. We’ll need to use a ladder this time to even things up by pruning some of the upper branches.
SATURDAY
Many parts of the garden are both damp and shady and most of our soil is slightly acid, especially under the trees. This encourages moss, and though it’s a welcome feature on the boles of the beech trees, it inhibits some plants. Having removed it in some places, we may try mulching with mushroom compost which is alkaline. Will it stop the moss regrowing?
SUNDAY
Two weeks until Christmas and we’re feeling generous. We’re wondering whether or not to put out some peanuts specifically for the squirrels way down the garden and away from the bird feeders. Will it persuade them to concentrate on their own designated supply or merely eat twice as much?