The area outside the greenhouse looks like a garden centre - as all the plants raised are coming out to harden off. Now is the time of year when we wonder if we dare to plant.. or will there be another frost.. all a gamble to get ahead or lose. The borlotties which I sowed in late April are all too big for their modules and I have started planting them anyway, and the same goes for the few sweetcorn the mouse did not eat of the first sowing, but I am still holding off on the courgettes, squash, pumpkin, gherkins, the rest of the sweetcorn, French beans, climbing French beans, celeriac, mustard and outdoor tomatoes. I really want to be planting them now…planting is fun, making the garden look complete after all this work (and before the slugs have their share).
But at this time…we along with other gardeners record the local weather.. read reports and go straight to forum whisperings of forthcoming frosts.. do I have enough saved bubble wrap ?.. could I make a hasty cloche?… I want the frost time to be over!
I really hope there is no more frost this year as I’ve planted out climbing french and borlotti beans - still got to sow the runners yet and the sweetcorn I sowed direct hasn’t shown yet (but the farmers round here have all sown their sweetcorn and it’s germinated). Pigeons are more of a problem just now - they had most of the red cabbages (luckily I had more as a back-up) and worse, I’ve seen a rabbit in the garden. I had terrible problems at my old allotment with rabbits but at least here I’ve got the dogs to scare them away.
its probably not too late to start some sweetcorn in pots if you wanted to have another go
First lot of sweetcorn came up while I was in England and I’ll plant a second lot this week - if it stops raining!!