A wet and not very hot start to the year has been frustrating for gardeners. Luckily our greenhouse was ready for the start of the season this year so we were able to start things off early.
Last year's stars of the show were:
Tomatoes - many jars bottled and soups and sauces made and we are still eating them.
Beetroot - I discovered that it freezes well and when defrosted is just as good as when it went ohn the freezer.
Parsnips - delicious roasted and in soups
Chard - we have been eating it all year and just taken the last plants out recently. Another good freezer.
Failures:
Butternut squash - I made the mistake of planting into the only bed we hadn't added manure to!
We are experimenting with bag grown potatoes this year but other wise the same crops as last year. I am posting my first ever film here - not very professional and it certainly seemed to amuse my family, but you'll see what we have been up to.
The Source
We have three natural springs on our land and you may remember that there was an enormous bamboo swamp at the top of our land where the sources of the springs are. That was all dug up at the end of the year and now Michel and his digger have been back to finish the job. All the water sources are now entering into pipes that go to the lily pond and then to the main lake. The pond around the springs has been dug out and has filled up again with clear water.
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| The silted up pond |
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| The digger gets to work |
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| All clear and filled up by the three natural springs |
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| The ground all levelled and flat enough for mowing |
After being emptied, washed and cleared of all the water lilies it is now looking great. It filled up again quickly and we put back three water lilies, this time safely contained in baskets. Two of them are already in flower and the lotus has sent out a beautiful leaf so all's well in lily land.
More garden views
