An Earthly Growerist.

Welcome. Croeso.

 

Here, in the WH HQ garden, our very own Eden, we have to make best use of the small space that we have, so, whereas a visitor might deem our set up nothing more than a simple kitchen garden, I prefer to term her (yes, she's female) ‘a French jardin potager’. 

 

Herbs are perfectly placed, within easy reach, just outside the kitchen door. The salad 'Trugg' is to the side of the house, south facing, whilst the tiniest of greenhouses stands proudly opposite. Mrs WH struggles to get two feet in there or even one when it's full. That said, it is useful, for it not only helps to establish young plants in the springtime but serves to ripen peppers and chillies in the summer. Whilst vine tomatoes grow perfectly well outdoors, along with onions, carrots, green beans and peas, the cucumbers perform at their best inside the conservatory. Fruit bushes are either in The Patch or in very large pots. Flowers are abundant for the bees, and there are lots of strawberry plants, excellent producers for the aficionado of preserves.

 

Sadly, we have no trees, as we just aren't set up to accommodate any but fortunately there are many all around us.

*Two plum trees have since been acquired this spring and are establishing themselves, 2024.

 

So, come January, I will be starting the first of my seed sowing, which means that my time will gradually begin to be eaten up with garden planning and preparation, a crucial component towards securing a successful year's harvest. Soups, stews, salads, jams, pickles, chutneys and various sauces, all start with a seed in some soil, along with a little love and attention.

 

Let us hope and pray for a glorious growing season and if you aren't growing anything at all, not even cress, why not? It's fun and after all, fresh is best.

 

Let me leave you with a short quote, worth remembering, particularly if you are a grower like me…

 

“Nature never quite goes along with us. She is sombre at weddings, sunny at funerals, and she frowns on ninety-nine out of a hundred picnics.”

 

Alexander Smith, 1829-67

 

Keep smiling 

 

Mrs WH