Busy as a Bee

Gosh the weekend just gone must have been one of the most productive for a long while. It does help that here in Reading where the sun never shines, we had....sun and loads of it!!! That grey cloud lifted and left us with gorgeous blue skies and warm weather.

I sowed til I could sow no more:

Digitalis 'Camelot Cream'

Gazania

Purple Podded Peas

Dwarf French Bean 'Rocquencourt'

Climbing French Bean 'Borlotto'

Courgette 'Tromboncino', 'Cavili' and 'Parthenon'Cleome 'Cherry Queen' (will it EVER grow?)

I also planted out my spring onions as they were quite frankly annoying me with their slowness.

I read somewhere that courgettes can be just as hungry as runner beans so would adore the same pre-planting treatment we would give our beans.

I dug four holes in a raised bed circa 2m x 1.5m and filled them with some composted manure.

I then added a handful of shredded paper which I watered well.

I then filled them in and built up 'molehills' on top of the trench. I'll plant the courgette into the molehill so that when I water them the water will run into the surrounding moats instead of hanging around need the main stem and rotting the plant.

In the middle of the courgette bed I planted four sweet peas; although I have parthenocarpic varities (need no bees to pollinate) it's always nice to see more insects around the veggie patch. So I decided to sow some fried egg flowers (aka Limnanthes).