HAPPY NEW YEAR!
This is the first newsletter of 2006, and I'm sorry there seemed to be no news at the back end of 2005. In fact, it was an enjoyable lead into winter, but I spent several weeks of it in my other incarnation, supply-teaching at the delightful Ruthvenfield Primary School. Had a lovely time with Primary 1/2 in the lead up to Christmas, managed to work most lessons round to bees, but the only horticulture I did was to recommend the Christmas Tree got watered! Anyway, that's why there was no news, and why the production of the new catalogue got delayed.
In the meantime, I did the last couple of markets of the year, sowed all the cold-requirement seeds, got all the tender stuff safely under cover, and made vague moves towards tidying the garden. Glad I didn't entirely succeed in cutting everything back, as the Bankfoot House Sparrow Flock ganged up with a load of siskins and the usual chaffinch hangers-on, and came marauding the seed heads of the oregano early in the new year. 
Currently, I am in the midst of seed sowing (the sea holly and Alexanders from Devon have been sown), and can report that the woad has already germinated, as has the Eryngium Miss Willmott's Ghost (well, one has, so far). My early bulbs, snowdrops and winter aconites are later than usual, but we have had some freezing weather, and a long lingering stretch of snow which may be to blame. But in the polytunnel, new bulbs like Three-cornered Leek (Allium triquetrum) and Saffron Crocus (Crocus sativus) are developing well.
Towards the end of last year I had managed to dry such a huge amount of herbs we decided to start packaging and selling them. I'll add them to the on-line catalogue next month, but for the meantime, I have 5g min. packets of "Savoury Herb Blend" - a very unusual mix I use for flavouring all sorts of dishes; Lemon Verbena; Eau-de-Cologne Mint and Lemon Balm (my favourite tea); Yarrow and sage (good for colds); Bay leaves. The packets are £1 each inc. postage, and all have the Green Man on of course!
If you can get into the garden now and the soil isn't frozen, it's a good time to be getting ground prepared and eradicating any weeds. Don't forget that a lot of pruning is carried out at this time as well, but check with your books if not sure. At this time you can have fun planning, too, especially if the weather is too lousy to get out.
Well, I'm away now in the pursuit of car-free fitness. Got a new mountain bike for Christmas, and to be honest its killing me, the uphill bits. But maybe - just maybe - killing me a little more softly than it was on Christmas Day when I took the first ride for *** years! |
