Getting Closer

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Homesown@thedevelopingplot

Finally got to the plot yesterday morning and was hoping to catch sight of colour as I approached, but what is growing is still an energetic and cheerful green. Most of the plants look robust and healthy and some of them are nearly, nearly blooming, but not quite. There is a tantalising red flush in the tulip buds as they stand in healthy ranks.

Tulips not quite ready

Tulips not quite ready

The hesperis is lush and strong and surely must be about to show off flowers. Peering very closely at the cornflower, definitely saw little buds coming. Of course I should have been sensible and pinched these out earlier, but they aren’t too spindly and I want to see their blue as soon as possible.

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Tiny buds on cornflowers

Back at work now some pragmatic and not necessarily pretty decisions need to be made about tackling the plot as time and energy is limited. Having dug across its bottom boundary and planted sweet peas, the challenge of digging the rest is back achingly clear. So, I have covered the weed-ridden, undug section with thick cardboard and black plastic. Hoping this will allow me to weaken the weed growth while I gradually make progress digging new beds. I will have dahlias and all sorts of seedlings to plant soon, but this year (and maybe next) these will have to be nurtured at home and planted out when they are strong enough to thrive and I have had time to prepare the ground properly for them.

A good use for cardboard packaging

A good use for cardboard packaging

The challenge now is not to lose anymore of the planting pace and to keep sowing seeds. Still haven’t got round to zinnias or sunflowers and I would like sweet peas later as well as black cornflowers and black cat scabious and everything else that I love which I am in danger of forgetting in the maelstrom of other things  that need to be done. Have to remember that seeds only take seconds to sow.

Selling a selection of plants at the Farmers Market in East Oxford this Saturday was such a pleasure as they sold so quickly and were bought with such  unexpected enthusiasm. Surprisingly, my achillea and moth mullein stocks are almost gone. People buying loved the plants I love and this is definitely something to keep going. So back to the sowing…

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What a Difference a Day Makes

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Homesown@thedevelopingplot

After surviving lots of digging, weeding and lifting on the plot over the holidays, I managed to hurt my back simply picking up my bag of work for school. As a result last Tuesday and Wednesday I was in a dark room, barely moving for 36 hours. When I properly got up Wednesday afternoon, it was as if I had missed a month.

One of many tulips newly flowering

One of many tulips newly flowering

Suddenly new tulips of all colours were opening in the sun, the blossom on the cherry trees and amelanchior had burst open while the quince blossom was just getting ready.

Slow growing quince in lots of bud

Slow growing quince in lots of bud

Stumbled into bright sunlight and the worry of watering which couldn’t do much about, but obliging daughter gave the plants a kind splash.

Not mobile enough to set off to the plot and went back to work with painkillers and  a slow walk on Thursday, but thinking about the plot am hoping that the hesperis might be near flowering and that the Autumn sown cornflowers might even have evidence of buds. The tulips at the plot were only just emerging last week, but surely they will have put on a bit of a spurt.

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Help from my Flower Friend Developing the Plot

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Homesown@thedevelopingplot

Yesterday was a lovely productive day at the plot with flower friend. My not so flower enthusiastic partner kindly worked on the metal supports for the sweet peas and the grid was erected twenty four foot across the back of the plot. It is 6 foot high so should give enough room for the plants to climb. It looked a wide expanse, but after planting sweet peas front and back, there were still quite a lot left over. I kept the ones I forgot to label for at home and think they are matacuna mostly. These are beautifully scented, but tend to have short stems so probably not as useful for flower stall sales. Planted achillea at the feet of sweet peas as advised by Georgie Newbery and am looking forward to seeing how this works.

Solid metal support for climbers

Solid metal support for climbers

The digging was tough going and think my flower friend put her back into it more than me as I dithered about planting distances and what to plant where. Between us, we planted a couple of white penstemons, the sweet peas, achillea, small ammi, verbena bonarensis, nigella and euphorbis oblongata. These needed to be put where there was space so the plot is developing a little randomly, but this will have to do this year and things can be moved.

Small and perky ammi plants

Small and perky ammi plants

Realised yesterday that this year there can be no direct sowing of seeds as the soil is too heavy and will need much more preparation and time to break it down. In parts found blue clay which means it will be fertile but also that it will be unforgiving for awhile. So I am back to seed sowing at home which is fine. Zinnias and sunflowers on the agenda today.

Starting to put plants aside for first market this Sunday and thinking there might be small bunches of home grown flowers too as the sun is opening the tulips and daffodils up so quickly.

Fast blooming daffodils

Fast blooming daffodils

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Supports and Structures

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Homesown@thedevelopingplot

As the sweet peas are mostly hardened off and ready to go out, some decisions need to be made about how they should be supported. My developing plot is a piece of land in my friends’ beautiful space and within view of their house. Have felt anxious about the chicken wire fence since it went up – it is not the most lovely of barriers. My hope is that it won’t be particularly noticeable when there are bright flowers catching the eye through it.

A rabbit proof fence

A chicken wire fence 

Now comes the decision about what the sweet peas should climb up. At the allotment, a few years ago, I borrowed an idea from the local and wonderful Worton Organic Garden which is to use tall panels of  metal grid (normally used for reinforcing concrete). Upright, fastened to high wooden posts, it looks surprisingly attractive as it rusts; it is also very sturdy – perfect for sweet peas.

But at the developing plot I might not want such a semi-permanent structure as the sweet peas won’t want to be planted in the same spot every time. Another option is pea and bean plastic mesh, but this always gets into a tangle (and me into a bad temper) and I can never seem to  save it to be used a second time. There is also the left over chicken wire which I hugely over-ordered, but there’s a lot of chicken wire already…

The prettiest option would be pea sticks. We went to see what we could forage from kind friends’ woods, but the bed is long and too many hazel sticks would be needed to be realistic. Need to decide soon as the sweet peas are ready to be planted on the plot.

Sweet peas ready to go to the plot.

Sweet peas ready to go to the plot.

Some are loved and familiar like Matacuna while others are new to me including Mollie Rilestone, Barry Dare and Royal Wedding which were recommended in Georgie Newbery’s ‘TheFlower Farmer’s Year’. Am hoping there will be a wall of colour and scent in the summer and that the stems will be long and strong.

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Homesown & The Developing Plot

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Homesown@thedevelopingplot

Before I was loaned a plot of land to develop for growing cut flowers, I already had a front and back garden and three quarters of an allotment. The allotment is still a work in progress after 10 years or more and the front and back gardens are the same. Perhaps that is why the progress of the plot is slow…

Work in progress on back garden

Work in progress on back garden

For quite awhile now, the front and sides of my house have become a small scale, homespun nursery for the plants (flowers and veg) I grow to fill the different plots.

Makeshift nursery in front of house

Makeshift nursery in front of house

Sometimes, in fact quite often, I sow all the seeds in a packet and end up with literally hundreds of small plants. This was how the very small business I run with my flower friend started. She is also a keen grower of plants, but more knowledgeable (being RHS trained) and circumspect when sowing seeds. In September 2013, we decided to see whether we could sell our little plants at a local farmers market in Wolvercote to make some room at home and to raise money for more seeds and plants. We wanted a name for our stall and settled on Homesown and lots of lively and optimistic planning conversations have taken place with wine and food in Oxford.

More moth mullein than I can fit in my garden

More moth mullein than I can fit in my garden

So we experimented and sold our healthiest and toughest plants once and sometimes twice every spring and summer month and then started supplementing plants with cut flowers from our gardens which is how the idea for the developing plot has come about.

This Sunday is the first farmers market of the year for us and it is going to be mostly perennial plants with, if we are lucky, a few bunches of unusual daffodils and tulips. At the developing plot, the sweet rocket is healthy and the cornflowers are bulking up, so hopefully flowers from the plot will be on their way soon.

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Blue and Bee Anxiety

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Homesown@thedevelopingplot

A mixed day of darting into work to collect all that needs to be done and driving the car to see if it’s fixed (it’s not) and walking the poor old dog. Somewhere in the middle, managed to sit in the warmth of the sun and plant some seeds of cerinthe, lupin blue javelin, sweetpeas and lavender into pots. Completely concentrating, it was happiness  almost without even noticing it.

Later, walking the dog a random thought started to bother me: why hadn’t I noticed that all the flower seeds I had planted were blue? A quick mental reminder of everything else I had sown was reassuring as the still plentiful achillea are definitely cerise. The hesperis is almost definitely white as is the ammi majus. There isn’t a blue tulip and the daffodils offer a rare splash of yellow.

Lots of blue

Lots of blue

While I was out sowing the seeds bees were buzzing crazily in the sun around the euphorbia. Frenetic and swirling, it was almost impossible to tell how many there were which made me wonder how there could possibly be a Great British Bee Count. Checked that it isn’t an April Fool. It isn’t and starts on 1st May for a month. There is a free app which I will download and use. It is going to take a fair bit of concentration.

While I have been busy not achieving much, my (mostly) patient life partner has been putting up a fence. With panels of hazel and willow, it looks pretty and perhaps rustic, though it wasn’t his original plan to have a patchwork.

Willow fencing behind the apple tree

Willow fencing behind the apple tree

No damage from wind at the plot and the sweet rocket is living up to its name and shooting away.

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Other plots and plans

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Homesown@thedevelopingplot

After the hours of digging last week, the plot has had to develop without any help from me. Now the neglected allotment and garden need a little effort and attention. Have also been busy trying to get organised for the first stall next week at Wolvercote Farmers Market. Definitely won’t be any flowers from the plot, but daffodils and tulips in pots might be ready but the ranunculus have a way to go.

Daffodils (cheerfulness) in bud

Daffodils (cheerfulness) in bud

There will be different small (and slightly larger) plants for sale though for the Homesown stall I run with flower friend. The achillea Cerise Queen is looking fine; the moth mullein are also vigorous and the Geranium Phaeums flourish. The chocolate mint plants are growing on and filling their pots too.

Chocolate mint getting bigger

Chocolate mint getting bigger

My (mostly) patient life partner will be pleased for some space to walk around the outside of our house so I hope some sell. If not, our garden and the allotment will be beautifully crammed.

The wind is blowing in fury as it has done all night. Another cold frame is missing its lid and the plants outside have been given a bit of a bruising, but I am going out to weed and mulch and if I am brave enough, inspect damage to the slowly developing plot.

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Holiday Catch Up

Posted on March 27, 2015 by Homesown@thedevelopingplot

This must be one of the very nicest of times for a teacher/ gardener/ developing flower grower as it the Easter two week holiday and Spring is definitely here and the clocks are about to change and there will be an abundance of light and time that there hasn’t been yet.

Healthy blue clary seedlings ready to be potted on

Healthy blue clary seedlings ready to be potted on

Unlike my lovely colleagues, I am not the type to be disciplined and work tonight and tomorrow to get ahead. Instead, I will be hazily hatching plans for the plot and the allotment. Thinking about all the things I will do tomorrow which might, in fact, never get done. But there will be time to prick out the Cosmos ‘Purity’ seedlings, along with the blue clary and pot on the tomatoes.

Stocky Gardener's Delight almost ready to be potted on.

Stocky Gardener’s Delight almost ready to be potted on.

With two weeks to catch up (and even get ahead). it couldn’t feel more hopeful.

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Keeping Up

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Homesown@thedevelopingplot

Getting closer and closer to a school holiday when I hope to catch up on everything that needs catching up on –  from the neglected allotment to the front and back gardens and thedevelopingplot. The latter has had the most of my little attention recently, but the end of this week will mean more free and flexible time which is always precious.

While I am fretting about all the different complications in my work and family life, my little plants are growing steadfastly on – even surviving my lack of watering and casual neglect. The sweet peas I left outside by mistake seem fine as do the ammi majus and the little plants of moth mullein which have flourished in the sunshine over last few days.

Sweet peas growing cheerfully surrounded by moth mullein getting bigger

Sweet peas growing cheerfully surrounded by moth mullein getting bigger

Everything is putting on a silent sprint of growth, but like my marking they will have to wait for the weekend and holiday to be sorted out.

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Morning Glory seedlings in cold frame

Feel unexpectedly behind suddenly,  especially as I haven’t planted any seeds for the last week. Black cornflowers, calendula and nigella  will be sown at home and directly as soon as Friday comes. Not to mention larkspur, corncockle and scabious.

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Some Plot Developments

Posted on March 22, 2015 by Homesown@thedevelopingplot

It turned out to be a clear blue sky day when we got to the plot this morning. Last night, my oldest friend had driven up from London to give me some digging time today. The soil was still quite sticky, heavy and cold, but we got digging anyway. The roots of  some of the docks we levered out were huge and the brightest carrot orange I have seen. There are lots more to go, but we have definitely made progress.

The beginning of the plot

The beginning of the plot

Definitely some progress

Definitely some progress

With a brief stop for coffee and cupcakes in the sun, we dug for hours. So there is a newly dug bed across the back of the plot where it gets lots of sun. Added some peat free compost on top as a mulch, but it will need much more to improve drainage and break up the heaviness of the clay. Will also add pea shingle before putting in my sweet peas. These are hardening off nicely outside and in cold frames at home.

The new bed across the back of the plot for lots of sweet peas.

The new bed across the back of the plot for lots of sweet peas.

All the plants I put in the plot last week look healthy and settled in. The orlaya is a bit brown at the edges, but seems to recovering and the sweet rocket is shiny and green. More achillea cerise queen have been planted and have risked planting out some of the many moth mullein plants which have overwintered in pots.

Achillea cerise queen with small sweet rocket

Achillea cerise queen with small sweet rocket

Even though there are probably at least 4 more beds to be dug, feel that the plot has moved on noticeably. So many thanks to hard working, digging friend.

Will definitely be ordering ranunculus picotee now!

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