Catching a chill

I spoke too soon - or did I plant too soon? Last night the temperature in Kennington dropped to around six degrees. The rain I had hoped for swept over without stopping so early morning watering was required and boy, was it cold. I have now replaced the plastic on the cloche although I have to say neither the rocket nor the lettuce seedlings looked any the worse for wear. But I fear those peas might sit tight for a bit - despite the sunshine during the day.

But I spent a chilly evening hour with a seed catalogue - endive, cucumber, chillis, leeks and radishes will soon be on their way, ready for warmer days. How long will we have to wait for the next one?

Time flies

This week spring arrived with a giant leap; blazing sun that would surprise us two months from now, never mind at the start of April. At this time of year and with this sunshine I feel I can't get seeds into the ground fast enough.

We've had to really enjoy the purple-sprouting broccoli because the heat has pushed it close to flowering. How surprising that the flowers are yellow. It's no hardship since it's in season for such a short time and everybody in the family likes it. The plants are

starting to look a bit spindly - the sprouting bits get smaller and the stems a bit tougher. It's getting to be a trade off between enjoying the remains and hankering after the space for something else.

We've also eaten the first of the rocket (and even that is threatening to fl

ower) and some baby spinach leaves. The latter came up really fast but it's worth picking and eating leaves in a salad before they get too big. Rocket and baby spinach, pepper and mild, go really well together.

All these started under a cloche but I have taken that away for now - poor things were sweltering away in there - but I have the plastic handy to go back. It's not unknown for frost and even snow in April.

I have managed to get a few things into the ground. I have some tiny "Arctic King" lettuce seedlings in. They won't mind if it turns cold again. And I have sowed some mixed leaves that have "year round" on the packet. Then, by day three of the sunshine, I really got into my stride and put in some peas "Hurst Green Shaft", beetroot and a new row of rocket. In a pot in the back garden I did basil, coriander and lamb's lettuce.

Lets hope my early enthusiasm isn't damaged by a late frost.

Fresh start

I'm afraid the gardening rather took over the blogging last year. So this year the blog has a new name and it's blogger has new resolve.

An update. The hedge is no more. Or rather, it is reduced to a number of two-foot long sticks. I am told I need to dig out the remains and I will - if I can. This may need more brawn than I have but a local gardener who trains horticulture students at tells me it may not be too hard..and if it is he offered to give me a hand.

There's now a good view over the wall of the beds if anyone at the bus stop cares to look. There's some rather fine Cavolo Nero (posh kale to you and me), purple-sprouting broccoli, garlic, broad beans, some tiny rocket, even tinier spinach and beetroot seeds. Overall it doesn't look half bad - and it's only March.

My allotment-ing friend gave me the best compliment. "No one at the allotment has this much now."

Salad days

This may just be showing off but I bring you a photo of my first lettuces. There were four of them, all as green and lush as each other. Of course I have been cheating. These were in three pots given to me by the wonderful people at Roots and Shoots. When everyone else was dinting shovels trying to get through ice-hard earth and snow, they were sowing winter lettuces in their polytunnel. My three specimens - which turned out to conceal a fourth in one of the pots - were the last on the bench and looked decidely puny. But look at them now - each one a moment saved in the vegetable aisle. From seed to plate - and yes the first one tasted very good - they score around 200 food metres apiece.

If you are interested, along the bottom is a row of shallots with twigs acting as barbed wire for the local blackbird that I mentioned earlier. And these are mostly concealed by a row of rocket. In my view, rocket is a prime crop for us urban gardeners. It grows like a weed, the bugs don't seem too keen on it and it costs a fortune in an oxygen-free plastic bag in the supermarket. This row has now provided us with three meals-worth and there is still loads left - not to mention the second row I put in a few weeks later on the other bed. Anyone got a recipe for rocket pesto? Happy days.

Private with privet

Should the privet hedge go? At the moment it's rather ragged and sits on top of the four foot high wall. I cut it last autumn but not very well. The top's not straight, there's a dead patch in the middle and viewed from the house the bit against the wall is just bare sticks.

My gardening friend thinks it should go. She says it will drink up all the moisture in the soil leaving my new veg thirsty and sad. I'm worried about this. Although there is a tap in the front garden there's a limit to how much trudging around with a watering can that I want to do.

However, it has proved useful. Without it, the bus stop outside would almost certainly have an extra seat - rather higher and accessible only to agile teenagers. Our view of the stop itself, and the buses that arrive, would be rather too good without it. And of late it has had a role in crime prevention.

When I first put in my shallots someone, or something, started vandalising them. Each morning they had left their snug burrows in the soil and lay scattered about. There were no foot prints and no signs of digging. Each morning I was out there - in my work clothes - getting muddy hands slotting them back in, each time more firmly than the last. By day four this early morning gardening was losing its appeal. But day five - I spotted the culprit. I looked out of the window slightly earlier than usual and saw a dawn-chorus-blackbird tugging away at worms in the beds - and uprooting my poor shallots in the process.

That dead patch in the hedge came in awfully useful. Chopped and snapped it made a wonderful thicket of blackbird-proofing when stuck into the soil. It even looks good like that - natural structure with my fresh green leave starting to poke through.

So should I go the whole hog and remove the hedge? Some screen between the garden and the 159 buses would be good....but what?

Somewhere to start

On a quiet day - perhaps a Sunday in early April - you can hear Big Ben chime from my new garden. Four bus routes pull up outside, beyond the patchy privet and waiting travellers peer over to see what has appeared. This blog celebrates the arrival of my new gardening space. Two rectangles of railway sleepers, each about one and a half metres wide and three metres long. My friend, who was responsible for the installation of the sleeper beds, thinks that here in urban Kennington we will be self-sufficient in salad stuff at least.
So far, leeks - donated by same friend - rocket, shallot sets, salad leaves and broad beans have started to grow in the soil. This soil, by the way, is 90% rich locally made Kennington compost and ten per cent shop-bought stuff for mulch. I am warned that weeds will have come too but so far the space is clear save for the few seeds I have put in that have germinated.
There is plenty of sun for the moment. A hacked laurel is trying to create shade along with the privet but both may have to go. In time, the larger trees in the nearby wild garden belonging to a school will rob some of our light. But in spring, it is all systems go.