Outdoor seed sowing season

It’s way too early to risk anything precious outdoors.

But I was doing a bit of work in two of the raised beds this winter – building up the levels with some top soil I excavated from a lower terrace.

The moles had got at it and it was too good to waste. And I was digging out a wall.

Have I shown you the haul of buckets that had to be brought up the mountain? Way back in January.

Not by me I hasten to add. They are way too heavy. But Romain gallantly hauled them up and I decided to just put them into two of the giant raised beds. And while he was labouring up the mountain I quickly filled more buckets lying by the giant white mulberry. I was dreading the half day it would have taken to get these treasures up to the potager in front of the main house.

But during all this time I admit I suffered a moment of artistic endeavour.

I didn’t just spread them over the top of the beds. I made them into a sinuous curve of soil.

It is such unimproved soil I wanted to be able to locate it when I sowed my seeds and planted out as it is very poor in nutrients indeed. It wouldn’t do to put any old vegetable or flower in there.

So on went about 24 buckets of this topsoil. Then a good sprinkling of worm casts, a layer of compost over the top. And then some black plastic to warm it up.

I had plans.

Improve the nutrient value this season by sowing the whole ridge with peas.

Ooh reel back in shock. That’s graphic. Way too close up.

But I didn’t take any long shots before I planted out the broad beans all the way along both curves in two of the beds.

And then shoved branches in to make supports.

I’m not pleased with the rustic look at all.

Pause to do a bit of garden porn distraction…

Not quite the same.

Actually I have just remembered how green I once was when I became obsessed with gardening. I kept reading about people putting in pea sticks for support.

Pea sticks?

How on earth do I grow / source / create pea sticks?

I would watch British Gardening tv programmes and ogle at the moment they shoved some sturdy branch into the soil.

Where did they find them? It was invariably beech.

Fast forward twenty years and now I do it without thinking. Walk the mountain, harvest sticks.

Make sure they are dead otherwise you could have some rooting green disasters in your beds.

But it used to irk me that no one ever explained.

I am ahead with one seed sowing task outdoors.

I cheated. My wonderful Merveilles de Quatre Saisons lettuce just self-seed wherever they choose.

So that has been a bonus harvest in these cold months.

And I have been hard at work on a new dahlia project for this year….

But that will have to wait. I spotted my first asparagus spears poking through….