Sowing Seeds

The weekend before last hubby and I sowed some seeds in cardboard cells using organic seed compost.  In the last few days some have started to sprout.

Beetroot seedlings

Cosmos seedlings

Leeks are slower to germinate.  These were sown in the cardboard tubes from toilet rolls.

Mystery plant

Can anyone please tell me what this is.  I think I must have planted it at some point, but I can't remember what it is.  I imagine it grows from a bulb.

It's Coming Along

I bought a few plants on Sunday to try and fill in some of the gaps in the garden.  I put a few in the rockery, which needs quite a bit of tidying, trimming and replanting.  I also bought some for the bed half way up the garden, which was looking sorry for itself by the end of the Autumn, so it needs more plants.  I think a lot was killed off the previous Winter and I mostly put annuals in the gaps and the dry summer and our 2 week holiday didn't help new plants get established.

So, I put some bulbs in, some planted this Spring are only just coming through.

Sunday I added some more plants so it looks like this

I've got some cosmos seeds I planted the previous weekend that have just started to sprout, so they'll come in useful for filling a few gaps more cheaply.

The First Day of Spring

Today is officially the first day of Spring and our cherry tree is in full blossom.  Last weekend it was still in bud.  I was really pleased to get this photo of a honey bee on the blossom.  There were several honey bees around and I also saw a bumble bee (white tailed, I think).

 The garlic I planted towards the end of January is looking good

and the broad beans, which I planted near the beginning of January have come up at last. I use Aquadulce, which is a hardy variety that can be planted in the Winter.  I prefer to sow the seeds in November when I can as this is meant to give the crop a head start where blackfly are concerned.

Chicken's First Dustbath of the Year

The chickens had a lovely time having a dust bath on Saturday while hubby was cleaning out their ark and run.  It is a great way for them to clean their feathers and dislodge any mites that might be lurking.

Later in the afternoon we noticed Robin was looking decidedly poorly and her crop looked pretty swollen.  When I felt it it was very soft and squidgy, a sign of sour crop.  About half an hour before bedtime she was sick.  Hubby put her up to roost as we weren't sure she'd manage to go on her own, but a bit later she came down for a bit of supper and a glass of water.  She was much better in the morning, but I gave them all some yoghurt anyway and more on Tuesday to help balance their microbes.  They adore yoghurt, so I can't give it to one and not the other.