As our wet winter drags on, slightly lighter evening, snowdrops, crocuses and the green shoots of bulbs, all give us hope that eventually spring will be in the air.
Continue readingPatatas Bravas, and the portents of spring
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Tag Archives: asparagus
Happy Beltane from The Secret Acre
Here we are again, about midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice, at least in the northern hemisphere, with the garden once again bursting back into full life.
We may have to visit a Henge today to celebrate!
At least the Asparagus has been enjoying our wet spring weather, even if the seedlings have been suffering from the unseasonal cold.
Continue readingGood Things Come to Those who Plant
Last year we created an asparagus bed by the greenhouse, planted up with a mixture of purchased crowns, as well as some plants grown from seed by Emma the year before in preparation.
As the RHS advises, new asparagus plants take a couple of years to settle in before you can start harvesting, so patience is required initially.
Continue readingWhite Dog, Blue Bells, Slow Start
Despite our usual New Year optimism for the gardening year ahead, an unexpected combination of care duties, hospital treatment and Covid, meant that we are having a very slow start to our spring at The Secret Acre.
Continue readingBountiful July in the Garden
After a slow spring start, and flaming June, July saw the traditional arrival of glut on the Secret Acre veg patch.
Here are some picture from July as cabbages, onions, garlic, field beans, sugar snap peas, cauliflower, fennel, courgettes, tomatoes, purple French beans, apples from our very early Beauty of Bath variety, and more, all arrived in a bountiful rush.
Meanwhile, our newly created asparagus bed seems to be settling in, while gliders from the nearby airfield silently ploughed their way through the summer skies over the gardener’s head.
Continue readingGardeners Start Your Engines
A lot of people made a lot of banana bread during lockdown. We made red wine and cheese. But apparently, four-time Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel completed an internship in organic farming. He is not alone of course, 1979 World Champion, Jody Scheckter, owns Laverstoke Park, a biodynamic farm in Hampshire. Continue reading
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