Garden Diary: May

This is getting to be a bad habit! The photos were taken a week and a half ago...


I've now got 4 different types of potatoes in tubs or bags.

At the back, in the green pot: Swift, a first early with low foliage deemed ideal for container growing.

In the old compost bag, Rooster, some spud which chitted in the pantry so I decided to give them a go... I know you're not really supposed to, but though they are too big for containers, they look jolly healthy.

In the brown pot, with lettuces, King Edwards. These are giving some concern: they are very tall and thin, don't look right at all. They were seed potatoes so maybe it's just that they don't like a container at all. I've now extended the pot with a compost bag and will earth up with a mixture of lawn clippings and shredded newspaper (The Guardian - it has non-toxic ink...)

Not visible in the black tub: Pink Fir Apple. These only went in a couple of weeks ago, and are just starting to appear. I tried these years ago and was disappointed so thought I'd try again with a really big pot - but I used that for the first ones in, the Swifts.

In front of the spuds, the garlic with rocket seedlings in a terracotta pot. Going a bit droopy. The bulbs are filling out, but not budding off new bulblets - so far as I could see. Didn't want to dig them up!

In the mini-greenhouse: tomatoes, achocha, kohl rabi, french beans, three different sorts of courgette, basil, more tomatoes...

Out on the plot, the lettuces have exceeded all expectations and turned from pale droopy leaves to bright green hearts. The French beans (Brittle Wax) in the pots are now established among the lettuces. The radishes have got too big and have now been harvested, there are new ones on their way. Sugar snap peas and spinach are starting to appear in the centre. The propagator is protecting French marigolds from slugs. Coffee grains and egg shells are now doing this.

The rest of the garden is looking very lush and verdant. The transparent pots in the foreground are temporary cover for asters, snapdragons and phlox which I grew from cheap Lidl seed. I'm nomally more a marigold, Californian poppy and nigella person so this was an interesting trial.

Finally, indoors in good company with the cacti is a little troop of 'Ring of Fire' chillis. I first came across this when I was working at Ryton, and thought it must be a joke... but no, it's their official name. Thanks to Charlotte from Transition Nottingham for giving me the seeds.