18 - 20th May

My assistant gardener helped me do lots of watering. The 6 ‘turbo’ tomatoes I ordered came while we were away as well as my new strawberries (delivered to my wife’s parents). The strawberries looked healthy but the tomatoes were a disgrace. They are grafted ones and 2 were very poorly-looking up to the graft point after which, the plant ended. One looked salvageable, but the others look only good enough for the compost bin. My wife’s dad said they arrived in this condition. 3 of them are for a lady at work so I have to break the bad news to her tomorrow, before phoning up the plant company at lunch time.


The Eden Project



Inside the Mediterranean Biome (and the 2 following)

19^th May

After informing a very understanding lady regarding her tomatoes, I called the company concerned and although they had received no other reports of any problems, without hesitation or grumbling said they would send out replacement plants right away – if stocks allow. That was a relief. £9.95 for 3 plants is a lot to lose.

Today was the day for planting up the new strawberries, or at least preparing the bed. The only feasible place for them was the existing strawberry bed. The problem would be the potential build up of disease. So it was a case of excavating the soil down to the subsoil of sandy gravel, sifting out the stones and storing that to one side (for use in growing carrots in a tub). I had visited B&Q and found a special offer of 5 bags of sterilised topsoil for £10. In the hole I first placed some soil from the front and side of the shed – again, sifted to remove stones and roots. Added to this was sifted home made compost and manure, and a little of the topsoil. I was working until after 9.30 to the point I couldn’t really see what I was doing when I was at the far end of the garden. The price I paid was a very stiff back.

20^th May

I went to the allotment and filled up a bag and a bucket with manure for the strawberry bed. At work I found a small wooden box fixed onto two thick batons of wood. It was for an engine part of some sort and the wooden beams underneath were set so that the box could be lifted with a forklift. I enquired and found that it would be thrown away so I could have it. My idea is to drill holes in the base, line with plastic and fill with the sieved earth I have dug out of the strawberry bed and top it up with the new topsoil and some potting compost and place it near the back door and sow salad leaves for easy picking through the summer.

Back home, I chucked the manure into the strawberry bed, with some more compost and topsoil, watering each layer as I went. After a light raking the finished product looks the best tended area in the garden. The 1 year old likes it too; his feet are instantly drawn to it. I will let the ground settle awhile before planting.

I was going to wait until I had trimmed the rest of the garden after its burst of growth during our holiday before mowing the lawn so that it would be a last and instant big improvement. However, I couldn’t stand the long grass anymore, and with it being walked over and played on I did not want the long grass to simply be squashed flat. So it was a long mowing session with plenty of stops to empty the collecting box but the result is fantastic, and the compost bin is almost full.