Making Seed Pots and Planting Garlic

OK, so I have to hold my hands up and admit that this post is not as promised/intended. I had hoped to report a freshly prepared seed bed, all ready to plant with wildflower seeds in the spring. Frustratingly, the weather has prevented me from getting out in the garden every day this week as I had planned and therefore there is still much to be done. I should be patient of course as gardening is very much about waiting, waiting. Waiting for seeds to grow, waiting for bulbs to come through, and waiting for the weather to brighten! As a consequence of this, gardeners also need a degree of optimism and, sometimes, acceptance.

I have not been completely idle in garden related tasks however...

Firstly, I finally got round to preparing some of my own seed pots from recycled newspaper. This is the first time I have tried this but thought I would give it a go in an effort to recycle and save money. I am so glad I did as it was much easier than I thought it would be!

There are a number of ways to do this. The simplest is possibly to mould pieces of newspaper around tins or jam jars and there are lots of tutorials showing this on YouTube. There are also multiple demonstrations showing how to make slightly more complex origami pots. I found "Crouton Crackerjacks" method for DIY newspaper pots simple to follow in real time and, after a couple of attempts, I could easily make them on my own.

These pots are fantastic as they can be stored flat and, once your seedling has grown, the plant and pot can be placed directly into the earth (making sure you create some drainage holes first) and the newspaper will eventually decay into the soil.

Of course, to make things even simpler, old egg boxes and toilet rolls can also be used in a similar way. A great way to recycle and use less plastic!

I have also planted some garlic this week. I realise I have left it relatively late in the season for some types of garlic and therefore I purchased "Marco", a variety which can be planted from October to March, from a local garden centre. This is a softneck garlic (literally meaning it has a soft "neck" or stalk at maturity) which is said to have a strong flavour and which stores well.

I have grown garlic from supermarket-bought bulbs (purchased from the "fruit and vegetable" aisle) in the past and this has worked well for me, though is not recommended as shop-bought varieties may not be suitable to our climate, may carry disease or could have been treated with chemicals to prevent growth. I am trying to do things 'properly' this year!

I am short on space in our vegetable patch and therefore decided to grow my garlic in containers this year. I moved two old Belfast sinks to a "sunny" position in front of the house and, after cleaning these out, added some gravel to help drainage and some soil from the garden (garlic does not like a heavy, clay soil, but ours is relatively free draining and therefore should be suitable).

By planting to the recommended spacing and depth, I managed to fit eighteen cloves into the two sinks, which will hopefully be ready to harvest in late Summer. Audrey Hepburn famously said that "to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow" and this is certainly true of bulbs! As I said, I am trying to do things in a less haphazard manner this year and follow the proper protocols but, truth be told, it is making me feel more uncertain of the outcome!

Later in the week, my daughter and I also had fun choosing and then planting these little bellis (daisy) plants in some old wellies. I think they make a lovely novelty container and look cheerful and welcoming by the front door!

Elsewhere in the village, the daffodils have started to show their bright sunny faces, though those in our own garden are still not fully awake. I love daffodils. Their little nodding heads are such a welcoming sight as they cheerfully herald the approach of Spring.

Daffodowndilly by A. A. Milne

She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,

She wore her greenest gown;

She turned to the south wind

And curtsied up and down.

She turned to the sunlight

And shook her yellow head,

And whispered to her neighbour:

"Winter is dead".

As the week came to a close, we "battened down the hatches" again in preparation for another weekend of stormy weather. Hopefully things will brighten next week!