SO MUCH IS HAPPENING IN THE GARDEN

8^TH MARCH – CENTRAL PORTUGAL

Well the switch has been thrown and the real ‘Spring’ has finally started with a vengeance. (Brilliant sunshine, clear blue skies, night temperatures above 12 degrees and the daytime warmth soaring to 28 degrees yesterday). Everything in the garden has finally decided to Grow, Flower or Fruit.

The blossom race this year has been a resounding success for the Damascus Apricot trees, closely followed by the Nectarines, with the usual ‘first blossom’ favourites, the Almond Trees, coming a poor ‘third’. The advantage this year of the seemingly endless ‘cold and frost’ of January and February has been the late evolution of the early blossom on the fruit trees, thus ensuring that there are plenty of insects to fertilize the flowers and little chance of further low temperatures to destroy the embryo fruit. Peach, Cherry and the first Plum blossoms are in full latent ‘bud’ and are anxiously awaiting their moment of glory in the Spring limelight. The potential for a highly fruitful crop is truly amazing.

The very first of the Almond blossom

Damascus Apricot blossom

The yellow and red Raspberry canes transplanted two weeks ago into a new growing position, augmented by two new Tayberry plants, are already in leaf and seem to be growing away to considerable success. The row of canes has been fully ‘Staked’ and ‘Wired’, with full access from both sides for picking (as per the explicit instructions of the Head Gardener, who knows about these things from past experience of ‘teetering’ on terrace edges, to pick the choicest fruit, in the Raspberry Bed’s previous incarnation).

 

Newly transplanted raspberry canes

The ‘French Bean’ (Haricot Vert) plot has also been prepared with fresh well rotted ‘estrume de cavalho’(Horse Manure in Portugal) and directly seeded - stand by for ‘lift off’. With this heat the germination should progress with great speed as it says on the packet that the seeds are ‘F1’ hybrids (might even be ‘up’ for the Australian Gran prix next week end to see Hamilton win again). The seed for the ‘Scarlet Runner Beans’ and the ‘Fagiolo Rampicante Violetto’(purple runner beans, only the Italians could make a bean sound so romantic) are already planted in the individual modules of the seed trays (seem to perform best when given a head start before planting in the ground at the end of March).

 The Cucumber seed planted on the 14^th February is now transplanted to pots and is growing ‘away’ well (variety is ‘Delikateb’ from Lidl seed).The first Tomato seedlings (Sweet Baby) and  ‘California Wonder’ Sweet Peppers transplanted from the propagator last week are also progressing so back to propagation of the more’ delicate’ varieties can now progress.

Germinated seedlings from the propagator

On the flower front, Primulas, Pansies and Petunias are in flower, Tulips are showing their ‘buds’ and the Roses are very active. The yellow ‘Banksii’ rambling rose is favourite for first flush of bloom and already has well in excess of one hundred flowering ‘spurs’. Rose cuttings taken and planted last Christmas are already in leaf and well rooted (still the cheapest way to fill your garden with magnificent colour).

Pansies in the sunshine

pretty selection of primulas

The first of the petunias

Lots of lovely spurs on the rambling rose promising wonderful shower of flowers

The new, experimental, Strawberry terrace is fully planted with four different Strawberry varieties in twelve troughs, which have been raised about 600mm above the terrace, on tressles, to give the plants maximum exposure to sunlight and allow for the ‘runners’ to trail down from each side of the troughs. A 60/40 mixture of new compost and ‘estrume’ is the planting medium and liquid fertilizer will be applied every week during the growing/fruiting season. (Many of the plants are already in flower with first strawberries forming)

Looking forward to a strawberry summer

Oh it really is an exciting time of the year, masses more to do. Was that the Head Gardener’s bell? New instructions expected on an hourly basis, so must dash.

See you soon,

Stuart.