Ups and downs in a Kiwi spring

A gorgeous spring weeekend saw me out in the garden for most of it. The strawberries are coming on great and flowering like mad. The onions and garlic have long green, lush leaves. Some of the tomato seedlings have fallen over and died but I still have eight healthy looking specimens that I grew from seed plus the seedling Black Krim I couldn't resist at the garden centre and planted out in my planter box on Saturday. Potatoes are poking their heads through the soil and it won't be long before I have to fill up their bins. Basil has germinated and should be ready to plant out Labour weekend. Cucumber plants are about five cm tall and looking well under their makeshift cloche. (I twisted some chicken wire into a bubble shape and covered it in gladwrap - works a treat!) Mesclun is looking ready to harvest next week onwards. On the down side my Bok Choy bolted straight to seed. It took me hours of surfing to find the reason - I had planted it too early. Apparently if it goes into cold soil and then warms up rapidly stalks with seed are what you get. Now I know. Broccoli has sprouted in the pot but will need transplanting soon.

Most fun was going to the garden centre with my young son. Like 11 year old boys everywhere he is more interested in his bike, his mates and his xbox than anything green. However the thought of devouring flies had him spellbound so I bought him a venus flytrap which now has pride of place on the sunniest window sill in the house. His mum is not too happy that not only is her deck rapidly disappearing under a sucession of planters and pots with veggies in, but her dining room is now home to a flesh eating housplant. Oh well, I suppose she'll forgive him. Me? I'm not so sure. Our other purchase at the garden centre was some swan plant seed which he planted as soon as he had fed a dead fly to the trap.

Embarrassing moment of the week was realizing why my carefully sprouted chick peas had died almost instantly after planting them. I hadn't waited long enough for the sprouting and only had roots showing. My genius excelled itself by recognising these as shoots and promptly planting them upside down. I have a new set germinating which I will try to keep alive this time.