Gardening Year Archives - The MrT Podcast Studio

MRTGY Ep05 17th to 30th April

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17th to 30th April – MrT’s Gardening Year – Episode 2023 05

In ‘17th to 30th April’ MrT reports on two weeks of activity in the garden.

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Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery:

It’s a late spring:

One of the joys in MrT’s year is when the beech hedge starts to come into leaf. The pale green leaves are soft and delicate at this stage which makes them susceptible to late frosts. Beech hedges also provide environmental benefits.

The large cooking apple tree is late blossoming. Last year it was in full blossom by the 16th April however this year it doesn’t blossom until the 30th. MrT wonders whether that will affect the crop.

This year the flowering cherry beats the apple into blossom!

Compost:

It is time to sieve the compost from the compost bins that are used for garden waste. There is less than usual because the hot, dry, summer last year resulted in less cut grass.

The fine compost, after sieving, goes into a compost mixture that MrT uses for pot plants and the surplus will be spread on the flower borders. MrT uses the coarse matter that doesn’t go through the sieve as a mulch on his raspberries and fruit bushes.

A major benefit of this home made compost is because it is ‘peat free‘ and therefore environmentally friendly.

The greenhouse:

It is full to the brim! MrT needs to start moving some plants outside to harden off. The herbs are the first to go outside. MrT moves these to an area that is protected from frost.

MrT moves his tomato plants from the house to the greenhouse prior to putting them in ‘peat free’ growing bags.

The petunia seeds are germinating and there is life in the capsicum tray!

Next up:

I hope that you’ve enjoyed joining MrT in the garden. Please keep your eyes open for the next episode.

Links:

Many resources to help you in the garden can be found on the RHS website. You’ll find information on all aspects of gardening and news about their five wonderful gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Bridgewater (Salford), Harlow Carr (Harrogate), Hyde Hall (Essex) and Rosemoor (Devon).

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses the theme Horticulture for use in this podcast.

MRTGY Ep04 10th to 16th April

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10th to 16th April – MrT’s Gardening Year – Episode 2023 04

In ‘10th to 16th April’ there is changeable weather in the garden with very heavy rain early in the week.

To view the photographs that accompany this podcast:

Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery:

Tuesday, April 11th:

MrT puts his Sweet Pea seedlings in the cold frame to harden off. Once he feels that they can withstand the weather they’ll go into large containers where they’ll spend the summer.

Because the weather is wet this afternoon MrT spends time in the greenhouse. It is time to tidy up the Geraniums that have been in pots over the winter. They are starting to grow rapidly and so he cuts out the dead parts of the plants and also takes cuttings because they root rapidly at this time of year.

Thursday, 13th April:

There are a number of the flamboyant Amaryllis plants growing in the greenhouse. More correctly these are Hippeastrum which originated in South America. MrT has a number of these, the parent and then bulbs that have come from the parent. It is time to take them into the house to flower.

The raspberry rows in the fruit cage need weeding. MrT only grows the Autumn fruiting raspberry Joan J because it is an early autumn fruiting variety with very large fruits. It is spineless, heavy cropping, stores well when frozen and tastes wonderful when just picked.

A Robin keeps MrT company as he weeds the rows because he is able to pounce on any interesting morsels that I unearth.

Saturday, 15th April:

The Petunias are starting to germinate because MrT can see very small plants colouring the vermiculite green. Let’s hope the slugs don’t get them.

The Tulips that have been planted in the border are now at their best. The yellow ones perform very well. These were first in pots and then, each year, move to the border after flowering. They get no care during the year!

Sunday, April 16th:

This year the Clivea, which MrT moved inside a few weeks ago, are flowering wonderfully.

Next up:

I hope that you’ve enjoyed joining MrT in the garden. Please keep your eyes open for the next gardening week.

Links:

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses the theme Horticulture for use in this podcast.

MRTGY Ep03 April 3rd to Easter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 7:14 — 6.6MB)

April 3rd to Easter – MrT’s Gardening Year – Episode 2023 03

In ‘April 3rd to Easter’ MrT’s week in his garden is punctuated by rain.

To view the photographs that accompany this podcast:

Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery:

Tuesday, April 4th:

A cold night with a frost first thing. The sun comes out and there are bees and butterflies gathering nectar from the grape hyacinths (Muscari). These have spread over the years and appear to be easy to grow!

MrT gives the lawn at the back of the house it’s first cut of the year. The mower is set high and it is much tidier afterwards.

At the front of the house MrT rakes some more moss up and sows more wildflower seeds.

Thursday, 6th April:

The first day of the new tax year!

The lettuce seedlings are coming up, time to beware of slugs as MrT doesn’t want to share his lettuces with them.

There are many primroses growing in the shrubby areas of the garden and they are starting to look lovely.

MrT removes a lot of dead wood from the dog rose hedge. This self seeded some years ago and when it flowers in the summer is loved by the bees.

It rains during the afternoon so MrT sows some more petunia seeds – the first lot didn’t come up! The seeds are like dust so it is very difficult to see if they have been sown evenly.

Sunday, 9th April – Easter Day:

Bright but cool when out of the sun.

Sadly the daffodils are past their peak however the tulips in the main border are starting to flower. At the bottom of the garden the first bluebells are in flower, in another week or so there will be a ‘haze’ of blue.

Next up:

I hope that you’ve enjoyed joining me in the garden. Please keep your eyes open for my next gardening week.

Links:

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses the theme Horticulture for use in this podcast.

MRTGY 2023 02 March 27th to April 2nd

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:52 — 9.9MB)

March 27th to April 2nd – MrT’s Gardening Year – Episode 2023 02

In ‘March 27th to April 2nd’ we join MrT in his garden as Spring marches forward rapidly.

View the photographs that accompany this podcast:

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Monday, March 27th:

MrT starts his day by going into the greenhouse because he wants to see how things are progressing. The trailing lobelia seeds are now germinating, however it will be a few weeks before they can be pricked out.

The first of the Amarylis (Hippeastrum) bulbs is starting to show a flower head. A quick clean up to remove any snails and it can go indoors to flower. I have three – two are children of the first one!

Tuesday, 28th March:

Its drizzling however MrT continues with weeding his main border. Luckily most of the soil is sandy so it drains quickly. Sandy soil is not particularly fertile so each year MrT adds a significant amount of well rotted compost to the bed.

The bed suffers from ‘ground elder‘ which, if not controlled, gets out of hand and is very invasive. Because of this MrT regularly has to dig up plants that are mature to pick the ground elder roots out.

A few weeks ago I put a frame on the raised bed where we grow salad and green vegetables because this helps warm the soil. Today I’m sowing lettuce seeds in it.

Friday, 31st March:

The daffodils are at their peak but I need to deadhead the ones that have flowered to stop them setting seed. If they set seed all their energy will go into the seed rather than the bulb and that can reduce next year’s flowers.

Saturday, 1st April:

Time to pot on the fuchsia cuttings that I took last Autumn when putting the fuchsias into the greenhouse. They’ve got good roots and so I need to be careful as I put each one into it’s own pot.

They’ll look good when they flower in the summer.

Sunday, 2nd April:

My last task for the week is to cut back a rosemary bush because it has suffered badly during the winter. The suggestion (from the experts) is that it has suffered from a fungal infection – all I know is that it died back in the very cold weather.

Lets hope it starts to grow again!

Next up:

I hope that you’ve enjoyed joining me in the garden. Please keep your eyes open for my next gardening week.

Links:

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses the theme Horticulture for use in this podcast.

MRTGY 2023 01 March 20th to 26th

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:17 — 9.4MB)

March 20th to 26th – MrT’s Gardening Year – Episode 2023 01

In ‘March 20th to 26th’ we follow MrT as he prepares his garden for the Spring.

View the photographs that accompany this podcast:

Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery:

Monday, March 20th:

This series starts on the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. For many this is the first day of spring. Spring is many people’s favourite season because it is a time of renewal in the world around us.

MrT has a very good show of Hellebores this year. They grow in the shade of an apple tree and provide a colourful show in the first few months of the year.

I have potted on the tomato seedlings that will, hopefully, give us a good crop in our greenhouse later on this year. The two varieties I’m growing are Gardeners Delight and Moneymaker.

Tuesday, 21st March:

I get on with a job I’ve been putting off for ages and clear the weeds, undergrowth and sprouting hazel on the far side of the fence at the front of my house. I leave some of the weeds loved by pollinators to encourage them.

MrsT helps me cut up the material which we put it in our garden waste bins. The local council collects this every fortnight.

Wednesday, 22nd and Thursday 23rd March:

My main task is working on our front lawn. We intended to change this to a wildflower meadow last year but the pigeons got fat on the seeds that we sowed. We’re trying again! We won’t be defeated by the pigeons.

Friday, 24th March:

A wet day so I retreat into the garden shed and pot up some bush cherry tomatoes. These will go into larger pots. 6 will go to our daughter in London because she loves tomatoes! We’ll keep the rest.

Saturday, 25th March:

A day to do some work in the greenhouse. When I open the door the humid warmth hits me!

Sunday, 26th March:

I end the week preparing some Clivea plants to go inside. They’ve been in the greenhouse and some of the leaves are damaged because of a very cold spell. The flower stems are growing rapidly so I’m looking forward to seeing their beauty.

Next up:

I hope that you’ve enjoyed joining me in the garden. Please keep your eyes open for my next gardening week.

Links:

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses the theme Horticulture for use in this podcast.