I can stand the rain

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It has rained again overnight, but has eased off this morning. The great thing about rain is that it makes weeding much easier. I’ve just spent an hour outside (I’ve come back in for a warming cuppa) and cleared a decent length of border, which was coated with all sorts of pernicious little unwelcome guests. It really is amazing what a difference it has made.

I’ve also loaded a few more pictures, which I hope will be of some interest to anyone who likes to get a bit more out of their photography. The black and white versions, heavily Photoshopped (not really a verb, I know, but you understand) become very graphical. I like the effect, and hope to come up with an image I’m totally happy with one day! Doing this sort of stuff can be quite therapeutic when it’s not possible to do any actual gardening.

Spent a few hours last week clearing out the garage for the first time in months. As well as the aging Land Rover, the garage houses all the gardening tools, spare pots, various old bits of cane and netting and all sorts of rubbish which should have gone years ago. Well, it has now. Half a wheelie bin full. I now have a nice, orderly garage, with some space on the potting bench! Don’t expect it will stay that way for long.

The main thing this exercise brought home to me was just how many packs of seed I seem to buy and never use. Who knows how this happens? I made the decision to chuck out anything that was past its use by date (although most seeds seem to come up regardless), in an attempt to narrow my options down. I’m still left with more seeds than I need, but I have a definitive list of vegetable seeds I will not need to buy but will be growing this year:

Peas
Onions
Rocket
Spinach
Carrots
Chillies
Celeriac
Purple sprouting broccoli
Turnips

I’ll still need to buy sweetcorn, tomatoes, broad beans, french beans and leeks. As I’ve mentioned previously, some seed potatoes are bound to come my way in the next couple of weeks, and if I’m persuaded to grow runner beans again, I’ll pick some up at a plant sale. Which reminds me – advance notice of Percy’s plant sale (all proceeds to charity in case I get accused of advertising!) in Sherfield on Loddon, 10am, Saturday 9th May. I know most of you are too far away for this to be of much interest, but one or two might be at a loose end that weekend and fancy a trip.

I’ve just noticed that the rain has started to fall quite heavily again. The perfect excuse for a drive to the garden centre.

• 5 Mar, 2009
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