Peas and bean fest

Had a busy morning shovelling manure at the horse stables. Jean Daniel had kindly put aside a car boot full of horse manure for next year’s vegetable bed. I have made two little areas for them; one near the shed (well down wind) and another up at the top potager where they will be put to use in the raspberries.

Back at the shed I planted out all the jostaberries that I had struck last year and the year before. Year one and year twos and they look fine. They are actually a gift for Nicolas as we have so many. But I will build up more stocks for later years.

As I was planting near that side of the garden I decided to clean out the four water butts- goodness knows why, I had promised to only do work that involves getting plants out of the potting shed and into the ground today. But needs must and the butts need to be ready for the next rain – whenever that is.

Then down to potager with all the kit. Weedproof fabric, pegs, broad bean seedlings, peas in quantity and a good fork and rake. Having the purple sprouting broccoli in the way doesn’t help with the design. Let alone the physical barrier they make. But they are only just coming into glorious growth and I don’t dare do anything to them now after waiting almost a year for their purple sprouts.

I had planned on putting more of the scarce green weedproof fabric. But I don’t have enough. Besides it’s way too wide. We need to eat the cabbage first before I can clear the whole bed.

In the blazing sunshine I put in the broad beans and peas and even managed to get in two rows each of sweet peas. They are under cloches right now as Daisy has appeared last night with another small deer in tow – and I haven’t yet determined its eating habits. Daisy had a predilection for salad and silver beet. But last year left the beans and peas alone. They look so juicy I have wisely put them under the cloches for now. Until I get the stakes and poles and extra netting next month.

In a later afternoon, in an effort to get things out of the shed and into the ground I have also planted out three clematis Freckles which I took as cuttings last year. Two under the big grape vines in the courtyard and one under a walnut tree on the path up to the top potager. I have no idea if they are all the delicate Freckles white variety, so I may be in for a surprise. I did receive three feebie ones in the middle of last year. But I was never sent any paperwork about which was which. What’s the bet I get some big blousy peach coloured one scrambling up the walnut tree later in the year.

I also had a visit from Nicolas to inspect the asparagus and the poor peaches (some of which appear moribund which is good news. I’d rather plant olives) and discuss work We are now going through the mountain of available workers: Nicolas is too busy, Bernard chopped his finger off and had it re-attached, Olivier is having a crise and cannot take on any project. So I think it’s going to be Zitune in a few weeks time with Bernard supervising (hand in a bandage). If it works I will be delighted. I hate to think of things just languishing until June when Nicolas has more spare time. I even had this mad moment of thinking I should just do the walls myself. But I realised I wouldn’t even get a 35kg bag of cement out of the guest house store room. Let alone carry it to the cement mixer. And just the thought of shovelling fourteen small spade loads of sand into that beast made my back shudder.