Beanpoles up 2016

So with the ground nice and soft after the rain , I dug down about a spade and a half holes for each pole , maybe a little more . Plant the poles and backfill with the earth one at a time .  I usually plant three poles at each end for extra strength and stability , but I think these feel strong enough this time .

Then off into the shed , where I carefully stowed away all the bits and pieces from last years beanpoles .
 It's that plastic coated wire I want ,hanging on the handle . Oh it's so good to see all this stuff here again !




Then back up to the veg garden..my little friend following me . She gets so excited when I get out my garden fork .

I now tread down the earth around each pole really hard to make sure it is a good solid Cornish storm force 10 proof structure . Also it is surprising  just how heavy a crop of runnerbeans can be , when in full growth and scrabbling over the top .



O.K. So the top horizontal pole is a bit wonky ..so this is not the Chelsea Flower Show !

I dug up that lovely leek with the purple leaves . I think it is a seedling from some Blue de Solaise leeks I grew last year  or maybe the year before . Seeing it made me get on line and order some D'hiver de St Victor  a heritage leek organic ,which is one related to it .
I do love leeks and am growing lots of them ....I know its a bit late now but I will squeeze then in and make them grow !

Next I sort out the cabbage bed ,which is at one end of the beanpoles ........

Back in the Autumn  , under an environmesh cloche ,  I planted  a small bag of Shakespeare onion sets, which are doing well , a row of some onions seeds which a friend recommended..nowhere to be seen ....and a mere sprinkling of  good old reliable Greyhound Cabbage seeds , also doing well .

The earth being lovely and soft , it was fairly easy to pull out the three thistles, one dandelion, chickweed and an a few damned Hairy Bitter Cress .
 The pigeons love all brassicas ,so carefully I pull the cloche back over ......in doing so I find a couple of large snails !

 Oh well ! That's that job done ! yawn ....maybe I'll put some flags up on it tomorrow .... for fun !

Preparing the Beanpole bed .

It has been a truly lovely day from beginning to end . All my washing dried on the line !
 Somehow I found the energy to do a few more things in the garden .

                                         I cut and tidied the labyrinth path .

                                                         
                                                                Before .
Then thought to put up the beanpoles , but as always seems to happen , something else had to be done first... weeding and digging over !

 So with a buzzard circling around overhead , I grabbed my fork and filled that wheelbarrow ..which was then too heavy for me to move . So I,ll leave that till tomorrow .

                                                                After.
                                  Well I,ve made a good start , most of the weeds gone .

                 My friend the lady blackbird gathered quite a feast to take back to her nest .

                         ........and I found a few more lovely leeks in amongst those weeds !

                               Even the moon was smiling down on us this evening .
                                              Good night and God Bless  !

Good morning !

Up early this morning to get the washing on ...this is the view across the meadow..I think its going to be sunshine and showers today ..hopefully some longer interludes of blue sky .
 All looking well in the veg garden , leeks and onions beginning  to grow away again ..I know you're thinking they look small , but after my op , I give myself a pat on the back for managing to sow these seeds and getting them into their final place in the ground , as late as the instructions on the back of the seed packet said you can .I will let them grow on to get a bit bigger ,  but will probably use these up as baby leeks , as I will soon need the space for this years crops .

I have three Rossignol Kale plants left here now and I keep picking those leaves and more leaves keep a coming , it is a wonderful plant and a super health food too .

                       I have had to cover these onions to keep a visiting cat off .

Sweet Cicely with its liquorice aniseed scented /flavoured leaves are flowering now .

As I walk on up to the greenhouse baby rabbits scamper away and a little Jenny wren flits about scolding me , she must have a nest near by .
 I take the leeks and shallots out of the greenhouse and stand them on a grid on top of the vegtrug away from hungry bunnies ....but I must get these in the ground soon ..where they will be surrounded with chicken wire .
  I have repotted the sunflowers into those biodegradable sort of cardboard pots ....not sure I like them , they were expensive and after watering the sunflower seedlings in they have gone quite soggy already , the only reason they are not completely collapsing is I have put them all very close together into a plastic bag lined banana box . I hate plastic and am trying not to use it , it upsets me seeing so much plastic washed up on the beach....oh ..grumble grumble grumblie old me today   ! : )

                     
         Anyway ....I picked a goodly handful of mixed salad leaves for my lunch !

The daffodils are nearly over now and the Gunnera manicata is flowering already .

        The absolute star of the show today is my beautiful Camellia "Water Lily"
                                              Put it on your " want  " list !
                                              Time to hang the washing out cheerio ...........