In The Garden

I have been in the garden recently, not planting or pruning (Mrs McGregor has been very helpful), but sorting out the cold frame and taking care of the little things. It has been busy in the McGregor household and I have been really enjoying getting my hands dirty. Here is what I have been up to the past week:

The cold frame

I have been busy cleaning the cold-frame glass to ensure my seedlings receive as much light as possible and also the windows indoors where Mrs McGregor’s plants are being grown.  

I have found that it is best to sow root crops under glass in modular trays rather than open seed trays, as this reduces disturbance to the roots later on. With the other seeds that I have sown recently I have been separating the seedlings and potted them up as soon as they're large enough to handle.

The tomatoes I have been growing have now been sown into pots and will be planted out after the risk of frost has passed. The problem with growing plants and new shoots outdoors is that they can be at risk of aphids. Luckily there were no signs when I checked, but they can be easily destroyed between finger and thumb.

The Little Jobs

I have been potting lilies as they are incredible stand-alone flowers for patios and terraces and can also be used as fillers to brighten gaps in borders.

Tip: Single bulbs need 7-8in diameter pots, but if you want to plant three, use a 12in container then cover the soil with a half-inch layer of grit.

I have had to act quickly to improve the clay soils by digging plenty of coarse grit into the top of the soil and had to mulch the areas of the garden I missed in the autumn.

Tip: Watch out for slugs and snails.

The last of the little jobs I did was re-potting the houseplants, this should help them grow well during spring and summer and also got round to labelling my bulbs, which I forgot to do when I planted them.

Mr McGregor