22. April 2026

In the garden and veg plot

Welcome to my garden and veg plot. Well, in truth more of a wildlife oasis than a garden! I am not a tidy gardener and tend to let mother nature have her way with things. As a result I have a lot of plants that most folk would consider 'weeds'. For me they are only weeds on the veg side of the garden where they compete with our food. On the other side I whole heartedly embrace them; currently nettles and dandelions dominate, loved by bees, beetles and butterflies. The veggie beds have sat empty for the last few years due to a lack of time and to be honest, inclination in a busy full time working life. Now, however I have time and have decided it is time to get back to growing our own, especially given the potential hike in food prices looming over us.

At the moment we have a nesting pair of robins with at least three chicks. They do not have to travel far for food as our garden is awash with invertebrates. This means that the parent birds are not expending unnecessary energy hunting for food. Sunday was spent clearing the veggie beds of the weeds that had taken root over the last few years. The robins soon cottoned on and came down to investigate what had been uncovered. The veggie beds became like a banquet table and the robins made the most of the all you can eat buffet we had provided by disturbing the soil! The male was much more confident, having become used to us when feeding his mate whilst she sat on the eggs. The female was a little more cautious, at least at first. Each time they returned to the nest we could hear the chicks. We are hoping to catch a glimpse when they fledge and then wait for the next brood to appear.

At the moment the veggie beds remain empty. I have always found this far north that later sowings tend to catch up and are not at as great a risk of frost. I once made the mistake of sowing early and following a heavy frost had to practically start over again. I have made some indoor sowings, mainly peas, beans and summer squash- more to protect against the pigeons and slugs than any other reason. A few years ago, after eating lots of the cherry blossom, the pigeon attacked my pea and bean sowings. I threatened him several times with going into the cooking pot with some peas, but he paid no attention! The slugs have previously decimated my courgette plants and whilst they are essential to the food chain they are one garden creature I just cannot get on with. Consequently they have earned themselves the name 'Donald'!!

Next time.....In the kitchen