My first morning back at work (after a long Christmas break of naughty food) consisted of visiting each of my gardens and assessing any changes. Many plants had suffered with the frost, inside and out of the glasshouses, but the damage wasn’t too great. The worms in my wormery, however were behaving rather odd. It wasn’t that I expected to see them darting about the food scraps like it was summer, but neither did I expect to lift the first layer and find every one of them huddled together like penguins to protect themselves from the cold. It was quite sweet really, and made me wonder how they communicate with one another. I do feel sorry for the one on the bottom, though, suffocating.
I’ve begun digging bean trenches in the Compost Display Garden, which I’m completely new to, but the idea is relatively simple. In the winter months, or preferably six months before you plant out your beans (and outdoor tomatoes), you can add fertility to your soil by firstly dig your trench one spade’s depth and as wide as you need to (baring in mind how you’re going to plant your beans and if you’ve got enough food scraps to fill it). Next you line the trench with cardboard and then tip in all of your compostable food waste. I’ve read that you can also add a carbon contact such as straw but I don’t think its necessary. Just cover with soil and leave it to decompose for several months.
My seed orders are now finished for this year, a fun but laborious task, in which we trawl through several seed catalogues, and our own packets to find certain varieties. It’s very satisfying to have a list of everything to sow and plant throughout the year, and coupled with drawing out plans and sowing dates will hopefully make for a very organised year ahead!
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