This Sunday, 4th May, it will be lovely to be back at Wolvercote Community Market at The White Hart in Wolvercote between 10.00am and midday. The hot, bright weather has been great for the tomato and courgette plants which have been soaking up the sun. There will be a selection of both on sale along with a small number of healthy, pollinator friendly perennials.

If you would like any plants put aside for pick up at the market, please email before Sunday morning: thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

Hardy Perennials & an Annual

All these plants are raised in peat free compost by me from divisions, cuttings or seed using an organic approach. They are beautiful and also very attractive to butterflies and bees. They are limited in number this week before the cosmos and other hard hardy annuals are ready.

Achillea Summer Berries: a brilliant plant for pollinators, these lovely clusters of colourful flowers are a gorgeous mix of shades – both bright and pale pinks, together with coral, apricot, red and purple. Brilliant filler, both in the border and in a vase –  long lasting flowers which are a bonus for butterflies and bees.  Tolerates a range of conditions but enjoys sun 2ft (small to medium pots £3.50)

Salvia deep pink/red: a lovely, healthy salvia grown from cuttings – no name as the label for its parent plant has been lost. The original plant is reliable, has shrubby growth and grows to around a metre. Flowers appear from May to the frosts. It likes sun and free draining soil and is very happy in a pot if you don’t have the right conditions. Don’t cut back until April as the top growth protects the plant. Prune to healthy new shoots when they appear. £3.50 – £5.00

Salvia Gold and Wine: a very pretty salvia which looks better in real life than in the picture. It is a new favourite with healthy growth and extremely attractive flowers. Has proved itself to be hardy over Winter and can be grown in a pot or in the ground in a sunny spot. Same care as other two varieties above. Can grow to 70cms or more. £5.00 a medium pot

Cerinthe Major an annual: highly attractive to bees and other pollinators with its  lovely nodding deep purple-blue flowers it is also a very eye catching, pretty cottage garden plant. The flowers are surrounded by rich, metallic bronze bracts and it has blue-green fleshy leaves which are part of its appeal. Although a hardy annual you will have it year on year as it gently seeds itself. In my garden it regularly sets seed which flowers in the same year. It likes sun, but can tolerate part shade. Ideally, soil should be moist, but not water logged, though it does flourish and return on my heavy clay soil so it is very forgiving. Honeywort is also happy in containers. £1.50 a small pot & £1.75 a medium sized pot

Tomatoes & Courgettes £1.50 9cm pot & £1.75 for 13cm

These first tomato plants will need hardening off and protecting from any late frosts and cold nights. The warm weather forecast has been perfect for this, but there are some cold nights coming next week which means these tender plants will need some protection. It is best to plant tomato plants when their first flowers appear and, if planting outside, when night time temperatures are warmer. Then they will need regular watering and weekly feeds with either seaweed solution or tomato feed. All tomatoes and courgettes enjoy sun and can be grown in the ground or in containers in a greenhouse or outdoors in a warm spot.

The first three of the four varieties below are of the indeterminate kind which means they need support (tying into a support such as a bamboo cane) and to have their side shoots removed as they appear. This may seem a lot of bother, but it is worth it for the delicious taste of a home grown tomato. The fourth variety, Lizzano is ideal for containers or hanging baskets.

Gardener’s Delight: a reliable, old favourite cherry tomato – very tasty.

Tigerella: Delicious, medium/standard size tomato.

Stupice Polni Rani: another medium sized tomato with a great taste which is resistant to blight.

Lizzano: a determinate variety which branches out and is ideal for pots and hanging baskets. Has resistance to late season blight. It tastes good and is prolific.

Courgettes £1.50 a 9cm pot

Varieties: Defender and Romanesco which are both delicious and reliable. These will need hardening off and some protection when planted out if nights are cold.