May 2026

OBJECTIVES FOR MAY

Plant out as stuff becomes available

Keep on top of the weeds

Water during dry spells

Turn and repair compost heaps

Trim flower heads on herbs (except chives)

May 4

All the new arrivals have perked up following Sunday's rain.

And a doggie seems to have left his calling card

May 5

Called in. Did a bit of hoeing 

May 6

Mary watering

May 7

Old lilac had died off.    Replaced with new one from allotment.

May 9

Nice and fresh today after the morning showers

more rain on the way this aft, methinks!

May 12

Hoed around

Currants and gooseberries coming along

APRIL 2026

OBJECTIVES FOR APRIL

Keep on top of emerging annual weeds

Dig out dandelion & dock roots

Restrain Jerusalem Artichoke

Inspect compost heaps and perhaps spread some throughout if useable

Plant out stuff as it becomes available

April 2

Dug out lots of dandelions and docks.

Removed last years Red Russian. Getting too big for its boots.

April 6

Hoed blunt end

April 14

Hoed throughout. Still a few dandelions to dig out.

One or two broad Beans tentatively poking through

Chives coming along well

New labels look great. Thank you Jane.

April 18

Quick tidy up.  Weeds coming fast now.

Beans now recognisable as Beans

The small gooseberry bush from the front of the compost heaps has disappeared 

No ransom note received as yet....

April 20

Quick hand hoe round the compost heap and onion area.

April 27

Chris brought down some peas, lettuce, cav nero. Mary planted out the peas and transplanted the remainder of last year's rainbow chard

Beans marching along nicely

April 28

Handweeded throughout, and redefined the main pathway

Mary had done a good job weeding the raised bed yesterday

April 28

Graeme gets the courgettes in:

April 29

...and the chard

...and the cav nero & lettuce

April 29

Mary's transplanted chard looking very tired in the sun, so gave it a drink.

If we get no rain an evening watering for all the new introductions might be required if you are passing.  I am away from now until next Tuesday.

All looking good under azure skies.

March 2026

March Springs in like a lamb ....

OBJECTIVES FOR MARCH

Keep the annual weeds down

Tidy up the herbs

Cut out the old Fennel stalks when new growth established

March 3

Lovely sunny day today  both D && G visit in the morning... at slightly different times.

Weeding around the onions, dandelion 🌼 removal, and a bit of fine tuning to the pruning.

Rhubarb winning through

Globe artichoke recovering a bit

March 23

Good session this morning.

Old cavali nero, Spring cabbage, and some Russian kale taken up as now going to flower.... and we know what follows flowers.....

Put in three dozen or so Broad Beans in locations shown in photos.

Hoed the sharp end, leaving dandelions and dicks as they need deep trowelling out individually.

Big wait for bus back in afternoon, so hoed the rest of it whilst waiting....

February 2026

OBJECTIVES FOR FEBRUARY

Stay dry

Exercise patience

Still far too wet to do anything,despite a brief spell of winter sunshine.

February 23

Quick look round this morning. The rhubarb is gearing up to have another try:

The fennel is starting new shoots:

And the Spring cabbage is looking good:

And Spring itself has arrived just up the road!!

February 27

At last, dry enough to get on!

Hoed throughout, including taking out the remains of last year's carrots, radishes, rocket and beetroot (except those in the raised seedbed). Plently of room now for some new annual plantings.....

Joined by Graeme, who did some pruning to the red & white currant and raspberries.

garlic and onions looking a bit tired, with garlic showing yellow at the tips. Perhaps had a little too much water of late??

A helpful lady passer- by from Gipton gave us some constructive criticism about having made the compost heap the main feature of the garden. Does stick out a bit just now as nothing growing around the front to screen it. She will bring a couple of plants in for us which would help to hide it away.

January 2026

OBJECTIVES FOR JANUARY 

Keep on top of annual weeds with regular hoeing

Turn the compost heaps 

Too wet to do much. 

16 January

Looking good in the winter sun

New rhubarb given up again

26 January

Too wet to do anything really.

Obtained some nice willow wands from RAGA boundary hedge for plant supports/ bean wigwam construction. Maybe some repairs to the central support feature - but maybe not thin long, or supple for this??

Last year's Russian kale about reached the end of its days??? Hansnt been very well taken up - perhaps it's something in the name putting people off???

January 31

Hoed over

December 2025

OBJECTIVES FOR DECEMBER: 

Too wet to do anything really, so just visiting weekly to hoe around.

November 2025

OBJECTIVES FOR NOVEMBER 

Hoe as required to discourage last of annual weeds.

Sort compost heaps.

Look at repairs to central willow trellis

Pull up marigolds.

Finish tidying up in Jerusam Artichoke area.

November 3

Too wet for digging. Hoed round.

November 6

Visited before the rain. 

Christmas had arrived!

Interesting seasonal mixture here as the summer sun shines on the autumn leaves in front of the Christmas tree...

Finished digging over behind the compost heaps to the blunt end corner, digging up some of the outer expanses of Jerusalem Artichoke so as keep them in their place 

Left the tubers extracted on top for anyone who would like to collect them for culinary purposes. They should have been nicely washed in the rain thisaft.

Rocket now getting a bit over the top, but much has been harvested from the raised bed

Globe artichoke has suddenly taken on a new lease of life

November 12

Visited briefly.

Raspberries and cavolo nero still producing

November 13

Hoed round except for main path.

Trimmed a couple of clumps of lemon balm.

Be careful - wooden path getting a bit slippery.

Sized up central woven trellis for repairs in the new year when willow should be cuttable.

Small visitor languishing on marigolds

November 20

Frost & Snow!

Marigolds now finished, so pulled all up. Plenty of space now for stuff to go in next Spring.

Russian kale, rocket, rhubarb, and globe artichokes didn't like the frost either:

November 26

Brief visit. 

Quite hard frost overnight had seen off this years rhubarb, which had seemed to be threatening to go on forever.

At the same time, some encouraging new growth appears....