Vernal Equinox

I woke up early today only to find it had not stopped raining all night. It was only light rain but it soaked the ground. I decided to have a proper breakfast just to use up some time and in the hope the rain would stop. Bacon, egg, black pudding, tea and toast went down very well. The rain eased but I had decided that the lottie would be too wet and the soil sticky. I decided that I would catch up sowing seeds instead. Sowing was overdue. The lottie is pretty clean but what is there to plant out? I have seed potatoes chitting, red onion set, Rhubarb corms growing in the greenhouse and a few pots with hardwood cuttings.

I had all the pots, trays and potting compost ready weeks ago. I filled both deep and shallow trays along with the small pots. The rain was pattering on the glass of the greenhouse, I could hear it over my Ipod. The small pots were the for the Sweet Peas. I sowed all the seeds, assuming they all grow I will have a lots of fragrant old variety Sweet Pea. I planted a couple of trays of Broad beans then Caulis, Greyhound cabbage, Silverskin onion, Golden Bear onion, Jolent Leek, Red Alert Toms then a bunch trays of flowers. I had a garlic bulb that was sprouting so a potted that up too. The new staging holds the trays without any problem. I cleaned out the watering cans then watered all the pots and trays. The greenhouse looks very full. So long as the weather continues warm up and the days are getting longer, I should have things sprouting in a few weeks. Today, interestingly, is the vernal equinox so today will be as long as tonight. The vernal equinox is also the official start of spring.

Since I still had lots of time I threaded the hose under the green house to connect up with the water butt I sorted the other weekend. I still have to get a jubilee clip and sort out the other end. Whilst doing this little job I disturbed an over wintering Frog and Toad. The frog looked very thin however the toad looked well fed. My neighbour still had a few of my growing containers from last year so I collected them and put them in the back garden. I used one to to hold the cuttings I took from my Willow hedge. The others are just parked up pending a use.

I had a chance to do another job in the back garden. I set about digging out a huge straggly shrub from hedge near the house. It took about half an hour. I bundled the cut down shrub and put it all in the back of Degsy. Then off to the tip. The border looks a good deal more open. Now all I have to tackle is the Ivy. One last thing to do was put the trays of early seed spuds in the greenhouse to accelerate the chitting. H gave me a shout to say there was a G&T on the side for me. That was the end to the day. The weather man promised a drier dat tomorrow. Let's hope so.