Rain, rain and more rain! Will it ever stop? There are lots of jobs waiting to be done in the garden, but the constant rain is making everything so difficult. Luckily this week we have had two reasonable days which meant that a friend and her two boys could come and do some gardening; clearing and digging over the Sweet Pea bed was the main task of the day (see more below).
Our friend who helps came over and moved plants – that’s about all we can do at the moment. Sweet Peas – all of the sweet peas are now up and making good growth. Early February is a good time for Northern gardeners to start sowing. I now put three seeds in an 11 cm pot and find this works well – sweet peas have a long initial root so benefit from quite a deep pot to help establish a strong root system. Once again I have got lots of varieties growing, but I still need a few more, particularly Charlie’s Angel ( light blue/lilac) and Anniversary ( white with pale pink frills). These are both good and reliable growers.
We are opening the garden for charity on the first Tuesday of each month from May to September, and are highlighting some of the plants in the kitchen garden. Sweet peas are the choice for July, so I think that justifies my extensive seed list!