Growing in late April

28/4/11

The last week of warm sunny weather with the odd shower has really made the garden burst into life.

It is near... well actually it is perfect growing conditions and long may it last!!

In the greenhouse the sweetcorn that I sowed in my home-made newspaper pots at the start of last week has started to sprout up to my delight, i'm actually getting excited at the though of having the fresh corn cobs later in the summer!!

Also in the greenhouse the courgettes are just about ready to be transplanted out which is a lot earlier than last year but they look strong and healthy enough, i'll just have to harden them off for a few days first though.

Outside the Onion bed is growing well, everyone of them have sprouted and the salad bed is going great too with the spinach and rocket needing thinned out now at the weekend.

Spinach, rocket and runner beans which will grow up the trellis 

I had my brother Carl, his wife Denise and 4 kids Chris, Aaron, Niamh and Michael (and Benny&Izzy's pup Tilly) down visiting for the long Easter weekend so I spent most of my time in the kitchen cooking. This left Ciara to transplant the runner beans out and to do some weeding with the help of my niece Niamh and nephew Michael

Niamh & Michael (or Calvin from Calvin and Hobbs)

Something else i'm rather excited about is that from what I can tell I think we will get some pears from our 2 pear trees. the blossom has gone and there looks to be the signs of fruit appearing

The strawberries and raspberries are booming, as to is the pea shoots. they are nearly reaching the first run of the arch that they will grow up

We got to harvest some of our radishes over Easter and put them in a few salads along with spinach from the greenhouse. The radishes give a lovely peppery flavour

And my herbs are flying it, even the ones that were planted in patio containers from last year and the chives are producing their gorgeous (and tasty) purple flower

All in all everything is growing beyond expectations with the exception of the red cabbages which got wiped out by the slugs (oh well we can start again). There is a bit of weeding needed this weekend but its just any excuse to be out in the garden!!