March in your Garden

How are things growing in your garden in the month of March,  what tips and hints can you pass on to others.

First things first, I have to go out and airate the lawn and order a new lawnmower (since my shed was broken into on new years and my old mower got stolen). 

lol, no bunny, that was just a joke

at the moment its hellebors wild primroses,colembine and all the daffs but most of all its the creeping buttercup aaaaaag

Just started on my veg beds. all are raised - one I have put manure in and loosened the soil, one I have compressed ready for the brassicas

When tea finished am going to start putting rose fertiliser and manur round them.

Well I've been constructive as I've brought one of my plastic GH's into the kitchen (I have the room) so I can set some seeds away as time is getting on and no sign of any warm weather yet so at the moment I have the following with about 15 more to go

Trailing Lobellia...................Crystal Palace

Evening Primrose................Yellow

Gerbera.............................Mixed

Erigeron.............................Blue Fairy

Cosmos............................Sensation Mixed

Himalayan Poppy...............Blue

Poppy Shirley Single..........Mixed

Poppy Oriental ...................Dwarf Allegro

Sunflower...........................Teddy Bear

Rudbeckia..........................Gloriosa

Have just counted another 22 packets waiting to be sown,  looks like I could have a very busy weekend,  ohh and I have 3 packets of hellebore seeds to come yet at this rate I shall have to bring the other little GH in or maybe just sow some direct in April or May.

hi all i just bought two of those 4 tier plastic mini gh thought id have a go at growing my own plants as it cost me a fortune last year so need help,i know what to do with the seeds but do i leave the plastic covers open or shut and does it take a long time for the seeds to germinate help please

Right chica,  1st off,  if you have them outside I would try and secure them to a wall or fence because they are so lightweight they will take off in the wind,  mine did so now i have them fastened to the wall as you can see.

 leave the zip doors closed while the seeds are growing then when you have potted the seedlings on into bigger pots leave the doors open through the day then close at night as you need the heat still for them to grow, then as the days,  hopefully, get warmer and the plants get bigger you can leave the doors open all the time,  that's called "hardening off" I  do that for about 2 weeks then the plants are ready or should be to go in the ground,  I keep one up all year round and as you can see this one has tomatoes in then in late autumn I plant sweet peas so mine are in use 365 days.

Forgot to say that most seeds say on the back of the packets how long it will take depending on the temperature that's why I brought one in as at the moment it's far to cold as the seeds need to be at least 15c - 18c to germinate.

Well March is finally here and I'm...cautious.

I have fence posts and gravel boards sitting on my patio waiting to rebuild part of my fence that is wobbly. Next door is kindly helping with the heavy machinery and manpower but not until the frosts are over.

Luckily, the planting near the wobbly fence is mature enough to withstand heavy footprints or has been purposefully left fallow...for next year's planning I guess.

Although part of my 100ft garden is very mature, the rest is only recently cultivated so gaps are an issue. I've been seriously planning since 2010 so the saying "first year sleeps, second year creeps, third year leaps"  will be of relevance to me this year.

Of course I can't help moving things...my design flaw is that I can't really visualise until its growing in the ground, although I do learn from my mistakes, which is why I have spent the last six weeks meticulously planning my borders and am taking a delivery of some more landscaping materials at the end of this month to build two retaining walls and a paved area. I'm also heaping 18 bags of bark onto the soil as its thin and not yet as well nourished as I would like.

I wish I'd spent the last twenty years making compost, but I didn't. I've done a lot of things round the wrong way really, the hard landscaping seeming to go in last because I never used to have the money to make large orders, whereas a wee plant only cost a few quid.

That's half the fun of gardening Wintersong looking at what you put in one spot then deciding that maybe just maybe it might look better over there,  I find myself every year after it's all planted up thinking I could /should have put that plant there not there and now it's too late to move,  we are never satisfied at what we do in the garden that's what make's it fun.

Love the colour of your acer Rainjustlearning, I agree with constant learning, Even if you consider yourself knowledgeable, there is always a handy tip to be gleened or someone with better knowledge.