Welcome to the weekend coffee share! What can I get you? Coffee? Tea? As you can see we are at my allotment garden. It is finally time to start transferring the plants from our winter sowing. These plants where started outdoors, from seeds February 21st. They have never been inside and therefor they are more hardy than other plants. Right now our night temperature is 32-41F/-0-5C, most gardeners do not transfer plants outside at these temps, but when you are sowing your seeds in the dead of winter you can transfer your plants this early.

There’s many benefits when your plants can handle colder temperatures. There are less pests this early in the season. Your first crops will be ready to enjoy around the time others transfer their first crops outside, your growing season is longer (if you live in a colder climate and aim to grow as much organic vegetables as you can this is crucial).

Yesterday I planted Tokyp Bekana a type of delicious Asian cabbage (winter sowed plants), radishes (seeds), spinach (winter sowed plants) and beets (seeds).

Early this morning when I came to check on my plants there was frost on my “mini green-houses” aka plastic bins, where the winter sowed plants lives.

The plants I planted in raised beds yesterday where doing fabulous in their new home. I covered them with a light growing fabric directly after planting to keep them a little warmer. They looked very happy after a night with a low of 32F/0C.

These past few weeks I have given away around 15 gooseberry bushes, since i had too many. When gooseberry bushes thrive they tend to multiply themselves. I purchased two gooseberry bushes four years ago, and all of a sudden I had way too many. Since I have many other berry bushes I did not need all the berries last year, I had others come and pick half of the bushes. I figure I could utilise the limited space better than having close to 20 gooseberry bushes, I kept four. I am going to direct sow larger plants in the space where it used to be gooseberry bushes.

The two covered beds at the top are the ones I planted yesterday. Today I planted the two covered beds to the bottom right (in the photo below).

I planted Cavolo Nero (dinosaur kale) (winter sowed plants), a different variety of radishes with rainbow colours (seeds), White Lisbon spring onion (scallion)(seeds), broccoli (winter sowed plants), carrots (seeds) and beets (seeds).

Let’s take a break and sit down for a while. Can I get you a refill on that coffee? Or tea?

There’s so much fun to do in the garden this time of the year. I haven’t even told you about the new perennial garden I am making at the other side of the allotment, I’ll save that for another day.

Did you notice the buds at the bird cherry tree? I can’t wait to see the blooms. It won’t take long now.

I would love to hear about all the good things going on in your corner of the world. How is your week? Please tell me in a comment. As usual I’m catching up with all the blogs I missed during the week in the weekend. During the week I am on a set schedule and I do have some time for blogging in the schedule, but it is somewhat limited. That makes it so much more fun when I have more time to sit down during the weekend..in between gardening of course. Life is good! Is the sun shining on you?

Happy Saturday!

Maria