71 - Liters of jam, jars of pickled cucumber and the occasional courgette

 Growing fruit & veg is new to me. Sure, I have grown cucumbers, tomatoes and loads of different berries in the past, but never from scratch.

And I must admit that buying a Tasty Tom which has a mass of tomatoes on already is a lot easier than sowing seeds, pricking them out, keeping them watered and happy and then letting them loose in their greenhouse world and hope for the best, fingers crossed.

I gave them friends, marigolds in fact, and neighbours: cucumbers, pumpkins and paprikas. Across the greenhouse path is lettuce, beetroot, broccoli and paksoi. The cauliflowers have already been re-housed to my freezer.

Outside the heavy heady scent of ripe strawberries has almost been replaced by that of fig leaves. I picked so many strawberries my fingers were stained red, and cooked litres of jam.

The few berries still on the plants are for the animals. The potatoes are growing, and so are the courgettes, although I must say the courgettes I grew in pots on the balcony two years ago did a lot better than the twosome I have in my garden. They are quite puny. Still, the taste is fine! Don't know how you eat them, but I prefer courgette gratin.

Even though I only planted two cucumber plugs, I now have a cucumber glut. I have 2 to 3 ripe ones every day now, so I decided to try my hand at pickling. I chucked in kurkuma, chili flakes and dill. Could not find those round pepper corns, hence the chili. I have to be patient now, first tasting in a fortnight. When you read reports of a green tinged woman with botulism found on her balcony whilst being eaten by ravenous magpies, it will be me.

This week, last Wednesday in fact, I tried to explain to a colleague that there is a difference between a shop-bought straight and a greenhouse-grown crooked cucumber. Yes, obviously, the shape. But also the skin, which is much firmer and the flesh, which is less pale and watery and far, far tastier. Compared to my crooked green godesses the shop cucumbers are what Jack Daniels is to Talisker, darling. (Now you can work out for yourself which whisky I prefer. No? I will give you a hint: it starts with a T)

Meanwhile that rain last night freshned up my garden again. I cut the tall grass next to the ditch, and will do a second cut soon. And I posted a video of Hunky Dory on Instagram@songsmith2962,  so you can take a look.

Look for the yellow cat

Have a lovely weekend!

70 - I dream of green

 For a TEFL teacher like me, but any teacher really, June is a hectic stressful month, with tests, resits and exams, and happy students who can finally pick up their diploma. But June is also the month where the explosion of greenery that has taken off in May really consolidates in the garden.

The frog pond

Every day I walk down the path to my plot I see new plants in flower. The beans and peas of my neighbour are shooting up, and my own plants are suddenly playing catch-up. 

Remember I almost despaired of my gorgeous Princess Elisabeth rose? Well, it now looks much better and has a gorgeous rose and five very promising buds. I am overjoyed, because that rose was struggling on my balcony for two years and I had taken it to Hunky Dory especially to give it a better life, and its very own pretty obelisk to climb up against. 

And the Salvias are doing really well too. So are the many Verbena bonariensis I raised from seed.  They hardly grew during that drought, but now they are finally growing and blooming their hearts out.

The greenhouse

Broccoli

This week I spent some time not only watering, but also howing the mass of weeds that have sprung up amongst my spinach, cucumbers, bell peppers and tomatoes. There is chickweed and tall grass and I was amazed...where did all this come from??

The rose shows buds, yay!

When I put my small tomatoes in, it was pristine and all I did was spread some leftover potting soil. It really did make me think my no-dig experiment with cardboard on the other side of the greenhouse path will be the path forward (that sounds weird. But you know what I mean). Hardly any weeds on that side.

The cucumbers have given me 8 perfect ones already, and many more to come. And the tomatoes have lots of flowers and have grown up to over 1m. Not bad, from those seeds I saved from last year's crop, eh? Obviously what tomatoes they are, I don't know, it will be a surprise.

This week I have also harvested my beautiful cauliflowers, for the freezer. And then put some new veggies in, making sure I avoided last time's mistake of watering without a sprinkler head, washing all the seeds to the edges of the bed. Silly me! Will not do that again in a hurry! The thing is I have inherited 6 watering cans, but no heads...that gives me a good excuse to visit my favourite gardening centre. And sow in seed trays first may also be a good idea...Ah...I could always buy plugs... (here comes the impatient gardener in me, rearing its head). And I pulled out 5 wheelbarrows full yet again - weeds, my dear. The thistles looooove my heavy clay.

Anyway, when you would like to read more about Hunky Dory and/or my balcony jungle, visit Instagram@songsmith2962 and Pixelfed@DutchDeltaWoman and in the meantime take care in that mini-heatwave this weekend and release your inner plant nerd, go on, you can do it!

69 - Hunky Dory celebrates her First Birthday!

 One year ago I was overjoyed to finally rent an allotment in a well-established large allotment community on the outskirts of my hometown. It was large, completely planted up with veg, had a greenhouse and a shed, and I fell in love with it instantly.

Looking towards the greenhouse

One year on, with Covid lockdown, an accident which left me in pain for that entire year, and many major storms and a three-month drought, I have something at least resembling a garden.

The soil

And all the grief with rock hard heavy clay which turns into a huge puddle when it rains (free-draining? Ha!!!), slug armies lying in wait in the ditch, rampant potatoes which have sprouted everywhere and quite a few plants who are struggling to get their roots down or who have given up the ghost, has NOT deterred me. I am as determined to make Hunky Dory into a gorgeous garden as a year ago, be it slightly more realistic about what I can actually manage on a tight budget and with a still wonky right arm.

That soil needs to be worked around. It is not easily sorted out, and I do not have the patience to wait until yearly composting has finally improved it enough for me to get a spade in. So the plan is to raise all my beds, gradually. It will give me instant good soil, and in the long run I can keep gardening with my walker until they carry me from my plot (I have visions where I have keeled over amongst my zucchini at 85, peacefully dead in dappled shade from their leaves)

The greenhouse

The greenhouse faces South

The greenhouse also needs a makeover. I'd like raised shelving on one side (easier on my back), and a bed for the taller plants on the other. The shelf I have now does not do, as it is in direct sunlight and I get dizzy from the glare when I try to work there.

The shed

And do not start me on that shed. Large, no daylight (no electricity either), a work bench where my back is to the door (and I hate that) and full of things (polite term) I have no use for. The plan is to make a door on the opposite side, move the work bench, have a side window to let in some light. But I will have a person with knowledge take a good look at it first, to see if that old plywood thing is worth the money and effort.

October 2021

The dog

My plan to take along dog Puck has been shelved. She simply is not happy there (what, no digging? And dogs cannot walk around freely, you want me back on a chain? Seriously?), and has made that very clear on each occasion by whining within 10 minutes. She never whines at home! So she stays home, where she is Queen of the house, and I work in the garden around her schedule. It is what it is. (I am very Zen about Puck. She gives me all her doggie love and support, so I give her mine, we are a pack of two)

So there you are. Hunky Dory is a work in progress, and will no doubt look very different in another year's time.

The frog pond

But until then I revel in her greenness, rejoice in her flowers and veg and sing whilst I am topping up the frogless frog pond (to be fair it does have lovely plants, water insects and a very sassy resident duck). Do visit Instagram@songsmith2962 and Pixelfed@DutchDeltaWoman for lots more garden photos and stories.

68 - That bl**** Delta wind!

 

That bloody wind!

 Right plant, right place, my gardening gurus (don't tell me you have only the one!) keep telling me. Absolutely, I can do nothing but agree.

What they forgot to tell me was right wind, right garden! And right soil, right plants would have been another good one (to be fair, I have heard Frosty say that, only it had slipped my over-enthusiastic mind).

Have I bitten off more than I can chew here? Perhaps. But I am chewing like the goats I grew up with, and they ate everything (including a pair of Mum's underpants).

The division trellisses are gone. I moved them in front of the greenhouse, where they try to keep my hollyhocks from blowing over. And two of them now grace my balconygarden. Wind problem solved. Well, this wind problem at least. I am certain there will be others.

 

Planted a row of eucalyptus

The past couple of days we've had 6 Beaufort, NW. That wind means my balcony plants get battered, it's not comfortable to sit on the balcony and I cannot lower my sunscreen as it will be ripped to shreds, so if it is sunny it is either close the curtains, or suffer with 28 degrees heat indoors. So annoying.

 In the garden it means my plants get battered too, but they cope better than the structures. My pallet composting containers I was so proud of are sturdy enough, but the fronts that I made so that they are easily removed (handy for turning the compost, was the idea) keep blowing over. So, they need heavier fronts. On to the jobs list!

And that list is getting quite long. I need to get the weeding sorted, need to cut the long grass next to the ditch, need to pick the tons of strawberries and make jam, need to...Wait a minute?!

What was the general plan to Hunky Dory again? Oh, yeah, it was to enjoy peace, tranquillity, being outdoors and not stressed out. High time I reminded myself, thanks. 

So yesterday I had help moving my balcony easy lounger to the garden. I can take a nap now (can being the operative word here. Whether I dare to with all those other allotmenteers around, hm...doubt it. Visions of me with mouth wide open, dribbling and snoring up a storm)

Anyway, my garden is my anti-depressive and should remain so. Not yet another thing that whips up the anxiety. Perhaps I should paint a sign: Note to self - weeds are simply nice plants in the wrong place.

Want to read more? Follow me on Instagram@songsmith2962 and/or Pixelfed@DutchDeltaWoman  . Have a good weekend!

67 - The trellisses have toppled yet again

 After nearly three months of drought we now have rain. And lots of it! Not quite the soft, balmy, gentle showers I longed for. No, it pelts down, flattening the grasses, scattering poppy petals everywhere, and incidentally filling up my empty water butts to overflowing.                                                                                                           The good news is that my plants have perked up in a huge way!

 I swear I could hear them sing last night when I rushed to water my veggies in the greenhouse after work. 

The frustrating news is that in the Dutch Delta it never rains without there being wind as well. 

My balcony mini-pond

And although my obelisks are secured now, the bamboo trellisses are not, not even with their heavy stone slabs. After rightning them 5 times within 2 weeks, I have given up. This week I will dig up the cup-and-saucer-vines  next to them and move them to the obelisks, where there is space still due to the struggling clematis* and rose. And I've decided to relocate those trellisses against my greenhouse and use them to help the windblown hollyhocks stay on their feet.

*Talking about clematis:

I am happy to tell you that the cheapo one I bought in a well-known cheapo supermarket and which I planted in my balcony trellisplanter is doing great! Apparently it enjoys the company of the campanulas which romp away in there. So please, please, please let it stay alive for a change. The way my clematis are struggling in the garden makes me think again about my heavy clay...

The clematis in the middle

That list I am compiling about plants which do not like my clay grows longer and longer. Mediterranean plants? Nope. Clematis? Nope. Roses? Iffy. Verbena? Doubtful. Wallflowers? Struggling.

Thistles thrive (ha!). So do salvias, poppies, calendulas, and campanula. Apparently aquilegias like clay, so I will pamper the purple specimen which has planted itself next to my plume hydrangea. And I see masses of blue and white bernagie in my neighbour's plot, so they do well. Come on over, then, my sweeties, you are very welcome to self-seed! The nigella and nasturtium help me cover up that soil, too. Still. I have decided to throw some money at my garden after all. Next year, there will be raised beds.

You can read more about my garden on Instagram @songsmith2962 and Pixelfed@DutchDeltaWoman  . Have a lovely weekend in your garden!

Wet hostas are gorgeous

66 - My white border, not quite what I had in mind...

 

Allium

White is not a colour, my art teacher taught me.

For most people it is, though, and so what? For me white is very important, because the white sets off the vibrant fiery colours I so love to use (my orange and yellow nasturtiums in my balcony garden give me daily joy) and compliments the calming blues and lavenders I also love to use.

The famous  white Sissinghurst garden in England was the first garden I saw (only in a book, alas) that was all white, and it sparked my imagination. So serene, so lovely.

But when I was shown an all-white garden by someone I know it was a disappointment to me. I thought it quite bland and boring! So why could Vita create such a wonderful garden and this enthusiastic Dutchman's creation fail to move me?

It is all in the colour green, I decided.

White needs green to offset it. Vita understood this, my friend did not. She had very sensible things to say about it too: "I like muddling things up; and if a herb looks nice in a border, then why not grow it there? Why not grow anything anywhere so long as it looks right where it is? That is, surely, the art of gardening." 

Another thing about white flowers is that it is very hard to find a pure white flower. Most of them, if you look closely, have a hint of pink or a touch of green - the photo top left is a good example. From a distance this is a white flower! My friend had managed to choose proper all-white ones (roses and petunias mainly), which made his borders very ...the same. And not a green or silver-grey shrub in sight.

Now don't get me wrong! Taste is a matter of individuality,  and I would never presume to have it and think someone else does not. It's just that his particular garden did not set my senses tingling, whereas photos of Sissinghurst make me sigh with admiration.

My own white border so far is a work in progress and by no means as I want it to be! For one it is more green than white and has huge bare patches where white flowers ought to be, but they have not shown themselves...The white clematis is drought-suffering, although it has produced two flowers ( in desperation, I think!) And the white salvias I planted last October have reverted to red! The white lillies (supposed to get 1 m tall) are still locked underneath that concrete I have to call soil and the white sweet william I thought I had bought turned out to be multi-coloured. The silvery-white plants whose name I have mislaid are doing great though, so they dominate at the moment. And the alysum is valiantly holding on, as well as the vinca minor. The glaucus silver-green artichokes are there, but due to that drought have hardly grown.

All are contrasted beautifully by blood red poppies, who have appeared absolutely everywhere - surprise!! Do I tear them out of my white border? Of course not. Would Vita have? Hm, her quote makes me wonder.

The good news is that it rained this Thursday morning. Two short sharp showers no less, and more predicted for this afternoon. My garden has burst out in ecstatic song, I am sure.

The other good news is I harvested my first strawberries. And more, many more to look forward to. Great, it evens out the 4 trays of seedlings I could throw on the compost heap because they had shrivelled up despite my daily watering.

Read more about my gardens at Instagram@songsmith2962 and Pixelfed@DutchDeltaWoman . Have a great day! 

65 - To water or not to water?

 One day of rain since March 1st, plus one hour last week.

A short, ordinary statement, right?

But the consequences for our gardens here in Brielle are massive.

My allotment club is large but the amenities are modest. We have no mains water, no electricity. So every garden has its own way of managing the water supply.  A lot of allotmenteers have huge square water butts of 1000 litres, as well as the smaller round classic ones. I have 4 square and 3 round, all fed from the roof of the shed, so you'd think I have no shortage of water. But by now 2 round ones are empty already and 1 square almost is, the other square is 1/4 full. For me, with my small amount of vegetables and refusal to water the flowergarden, it is worrying and annoying, but not dramatic. I'll sit this drought out, I think, will manage. But a few of my neighbours have almost depleted their supply.

This is a thought-provoking fact. Will I share my water with them, once theirs has run out? Yes, I will. 

Meanwhile, whilst I am on hands and knees trying to wrestle the weeds from my concrete-like dried-out cracked soil, I reflect upon the parallels with water shortage worldwide. Will we share our water with other countries? I wonder... Humanity has not such a good track record with sharing.

Mental health

Another thought that pops up, quite frequently to be honest, is that this garden is my salvation. It was mental awareness week in Britain, and there was no surprise at all to hear experts declare that working in a garden does wonders for your mental health. I know mine certainly does! It helps keep away those 'blues' I so dearly love to sing about, but wrestle with in daily life. Scent plays a large part, I find, especially that of my greenhouse and that of neighbour Yvon's huge fig. I can actually feel my brain relax, and I feel an uplift of my emotions.

So. Doctors should prescribe gardening instead of anti-depressives and sleeping pills (which I refuse to take).

My flowers are mostly hanging on, although they have almost stopped growing. A good example of this are my digitalis and verbena bonariensis. The four, 2 of each, I have planted on my balcony on the same day I put their siblings in the garden, are three times as tall and wide and far greener. The verbena is almost in flower, whilst in the garden there is not a bud in sight.

Early one morning I disturbed a hare, who was stretched out enjoying the sunshine in a clump of poppies against my greenhouse. He raced away when he saw me. Probably a guilty conscience, because he had nibbled on Hans's beans! 

Jemima definitely dislikes the branches in 'her' frog pond, she repeatedly tries to dislodge them. She cannot, so she chucks in the logs that decorate the edge, just to make a statement. I fish them out again, and thus we keep each other busy.

But oh, oh, oh, would I welcome a rainy day, or what?!

You can follow my garden(ing) on Instagram@songsmith2962 and Pixelfed@DutchDeltaWoman . Have a lovely day in your garden!