How to make a raised bed!

During my first visit to St. Mary's School I found a really great and enthusiastic crowd of teachers, eager to get a school vegetable garden up and running... they had plenty of space, plenty of willing children eager to get digging. Two weeks on, two areas of turf had been stripped and we were ready to get going!!

When I returned I brought with me.....
eight lengths of roof perlins and 40 bags for decent compost!

I discovered a few years back that the cheapest way to build a raised bed (of any significance) was to purchase two 20ft (6m) long perlins,
saw them in half and nail them together!
Voila.. a raised bed within an hour!!

Then comes the heavy work! Several bags of compost later the garden begins to take shape! The heavens opened, we all got quite wet, but we soldiered on to complete the task and finally, within two hours we were planting... and sowing seed! Wow, all in a mornings work!

I'll be back next week to plant some more, but in the meantime, the childen are going to plant an apple tree, plant some seed potatoes in old car tyres... it's all action!!

A Right Royal Weeding !!

It's been a wonderful bank holiday weekend for gardeners.... hours of uninterrupted sunshine and a Royal wedding to kick start the weekend!
I must confess to being a bit of a royal wedding fan, but the moment they left the balcony, my gardening shoes were on and I was off!

In the spirit of spring, these are some of the flowers in the garden at the moment. These seem a little more regal that photos of dirty gardening shoes, spades, wheelbarrows and compost which would truly represent my weekend!

It may not look like it but this is a tulip, one of my favourites!
I thought it was an interesting angle and shows off the wonderful colours and patterns.

Blossom at last.... thanks to Sam and Jon's efforts pruning back the plum and apple trees in the old orchard we have an abundance of blossom, lets hope we get an abundance of fruit to follow!

I spent most of my weekend in the vegetable patch. It really needed some quality time! The broad beans and peas were put in about three weeks ago but with little rain, germination was slow!

Eventually they poked their little heads through and here they are! Since then, I've planted out some Brussels sprouts and Ailsa Craig onions (my daughter's called Ailsa so we have to plant Ailsa Craig!)

To keep the girls happy (and for their amazing flavour and texture) I've filled a bed with Anya salad potatoes for my youngest daughter Anya!
I adore these waxy, slightly nutty flavoured potatoes and decided a few years ago not to waste valuable space on normal main crop varieties but to concentrate my efforts on these amazing little knobbly spuds!

A Spring in our Step

The anticipation of spring arriving is as exciting as spring itself!

At The Pumpkin Patch we wait … and wait with itchy green fingers for the arrival of warmer weather, longer days and finally the happy chattering of the resident swallows.

It's so, so tempting to start planting and sowing at the first signs of spring. I have so many times, despite years of experience, turned the soil and failed to resist the temptation to beat the system, the books and my common sense … and sown runner beans and peas into the prepared soil. They look so good pushing their little heads through the bare soil (not a weed in sight – far too early and cold!!!)

The contrast of the green against the black soil is so full of hope and then disaster strikes – just one frost and the poor things have lost the battle. Silly me!

When will it be Spring?

It may still be cold outside but the first signs of spring are evident – if you look hard. Even without venturing outside the postman brings the first reminders that Christmas has been and gone and it's time to think ahead to warmer longer days. The seed catalogues arrive in abundance!

Early daffodils and primulas, followed by tulips, bring a real sense of arrival – the light at the end of the tunnel. Finally, wellies can be exchanged for gardening shoes, thick waterproof gardening gloves for a cotton variety, and eventually – before you know it – spring has sprung!

At the moment... this is all wishful thinking!! Outside today, is pretty awful! It started well, with bright sunshine and temperatures in double figures, but by lunch time.... rain,drizzle, rain. Tomorrow however, promises to be a better day, which is great because the Saturday Pumpkin Patch class love to visit all the farm animals, the vegetable garden and the greenhouse, just to spot the signs of spring. Last week, we prepared the seed potatoes and this week we'll check the wormery and compost bin and tidy up the greenhouse.

My favourite spring flowers...

but how do you stop them from falling over??

Any suggestions?

Happy New Year from The Pumpkin Patch!

Pumpkin Patch workshops start back this week after a lengthy break

thanks to the snow and the Christmas holidays!

For the first time ever the Christmas cakes will become 'New Year' cakes as so many children failed to make the last class of the year and enjoyed the early winter instead!

This has to be my favourite photo of the season!

Our holy tree under a blanket of snow!

If anyone would like to join The Pumpkin Patch at the start of
a new term ( and year!!)now's the time to do it!!

I have one space left on a Saturday and a few on The Pumpkin Patch MONTHLY class.


Please get in touch for more details.
Happy New Year!!