#2 - Taking Shape
February is almost over, and while I haven’t done everything I set out to do just yet, the garden is really taking shape and I’m excited for the weeks ahead as I begin to sowing my first seeds of the season.
The Garden
A view of my garden from above
Clearly, there is still lots of work to do but I’m delighted with how this is looking now when I compare it to how things looked at the start of the year. Initially, I had 4 raised beds set up but filling them all with topsoil was becoming a real chore. I decided to remove 2 of those and set up one long bed directly on the ground with a layer of cardboard beneath.
The area covered in plastic will eventually be the lawn area. It’s currently covered in plastic to try and suppress any weeds from growing. The plastic will stay until around April when I will put down some grass seeds and hope for the best! Once I get the remaining rubble moved from the right side I will do the same there.
I have also built my greenhouse! I put down a double-height raised bed and built a timber frame on top of that. I then covered the whole thing in perspex cladding, adding double doors in the front and a little hatch door at the back. I also added some shelving inside so that I can pop in some seedlings before planting out.
DIY Greenhouse
Planter Boxes
Train Carriage Planter Boxes
One thing I’m keen to do is to bring colour to my garden. With that in mind, I’ve started making some planter boxes to sit out on the edge of the patio that will act as a break between the patio and the garden. I’ve made two so far and filled them with colourful flowers. When I made the initial box I was happy but I had the idea that I wanted to tie all the boxes together somehow. That’s when I came up with the idea to make each box look like a train carriage. I will then have a train-shaped box at the front of the line. I love the way they have look and I think it adds some fun and interest to the patio area.
Sowing Seeds and Planting Trees
Over the last few weeks, I’ve managed to plant a few fruit trees and bushes. In the break between the lawn and vegetable garden, I have planted an apple, pear, and fig tree. As well as blueberry, raspberry, blackcurrant, and gooseberry bushes. I can’t wait to start to see these grow throughout the season.
In terms of sowing seeds, I’ve done some indoor sowing to get a head start on the vegetables that I will be growing in the greenhouse. I have, chilis, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, and aubergine seeds sown into trays and left inside on the window sill. I have also sown some sweet pea and cauliflower seeds. Almost all of these seeds have germinated and the green shoots are growing by the day. I’m so happy as I check these multiple times a day to see the growth each time.
