Cardoons or Globe Artichokes?

My new gardening year is beginning to take off.

 Reighton Nurseries are just the real thing. A family business where the "rooms" go on and on . If it lives in Reighton it will live in Filey,so exposed and windy is it there on Wolds Edge. 20 years ago we bought a Eucalyptus  tree for 10p. They are still only 50p. I will coppice it in a corner of my new plot. St Oswalds will always have some. 

My mind is going round and round.I am letting my enthusiasm run away from me. In my minds eye I see happy rows of Clary and Cosmos , growing perfectly for the stone Altar. I see lunches in the yard where we tuck into salads of rocket and beetroot . I see my drawers full of lavender sachets , and in 3 years I will be giving Asparagus away to all my friends .

Tomorrow however the double digging starts in earnest as Imogen and Nick will come and help me. I will take a flask , Colin will have the small boys and I will do my best with the couch grass.

Mine is the RHS 

My allotment partner has got a greenhouse from someone and is busy levelling the ground for it.

It just doesnt get any better.

I have 

• 6 Asparagus Crowns
•  pack garlic
• Arran pilot First earlies(chitting nicely in the spare room)
• 3 packs green manure seeds
• 5 packets Chard seeds
• pack Romanesco seeds

Tonights dilemma to lull me to sleep will be Cardoons or Artichokes?

Fileygardener becomes a real one again

This is me a few weeks ago with Bernard my allotment partner .A year ago we were talking gardening after church and I said I would love an allotment again (22 yrs since my Surrey one). So we agreed that we would share one  as neither of us could manage a full one. A year later and we have it. 

Colin and I went to see it and I was overwhelmed! It is fantastic. It had been maintained up until back end, the soil is good loam, and it has a shed, two baths for rainwater, an incinerator ,an apple tree, gooseberries, raspberries, and 6 crowns rhubarb. Bernard is already negotiating the transfer of a greenhouse. He is going to be a great mentor for me, as I am a gardener of the slapdash sort , and he is neat rows and level ground, and everything in its place.

My mind is reeling with plans. 

On Friday I went for another look with all the grandchildren. (4 ,aged 6-9). They already know lots and were asking for their own bit for sunflowers, and doing the I Spy Garden book. I had forgotten just how enthusiastic small children could actually be, spotting wheelbarrows, chickens, cabbages,lawnmowers and compost heaps. I nearly forgot ; we have 2 compost heaps.  Today after lunch Colin and I , 2 small boys, Daughter and her Husband, the Filey domiciles, came for  a look. I and N have offered to dig my portion over for me.(!!) So I showed Nick how to do Double Digging. We will all go on Saturday next. I will have to give further instruction on removing all couch grass rhizomes. I saw that Bernard had already started a heap of not allowed on compost heap. We'll have a burn up in the incinerator when its dry. Daughter has asked for pumpkins. I am planning Asparagus bed and  a Lavender hedge. 

I am nestling up now with my Chiltern Seeds catalogue. I wonder if I'll get done if I try a few Echiums.