Ironic....

 

....that on the day the pubs are allowed to start serving out of doors, we have a significant fall of snow.  Two weeks ago it was short sleeves and 24°.  Hailstones yesterday.  I blame the government.

I was thinking yesterday about planting leeks and sowing carrots.  Perhaps I’d better leave that for a week or so.  It’s not long since I moved the leek seedlings into bigger pots, so it’s probably as well to let the roots develop a little more.  I read, by the way, that carrots and leeks protect each other from their common pests, so we’ll be planting them in rows side by side.  Mint is evidently another good companion, so we’ll have pots thereof on top of the walls of the raised bed.  Not sure if I can bring myself to plant French marigolds amongst the tomatoes, however.

In the herb department, some night visitor has been digging in the sink in which we have a clump of chives, and they look pretty bedraggled in consequence.  Whoever it was didn’t seem interested in the rosemary.  Thyme is growing well in another old sink, together with oregano, and in the sitooterie, the sage, tarragon and rosemary seeds are coming along slowly.  

I planted up a hanging basket yesterday with upright and training geraniums.  They seem to have survived the rather cold night, fortunately - they are in a very sheltered position.  The polyanthus they replace had not done very well (another case of neglect, I admit) so they are now planted in the soil next to their brothers, which have been giving us a fine display for some weeks now.  And are now snowed in....