April Rain

Having had a glorious March this year, April was a whole month devoted to filling the lakes and water reserves!  It has rained almost every day this month. and it has been cooler than normal.  It has been an ideal month for sitting in the greenhouse and potting on my seedlings, which have been developing fast.  Watching the rain pattering down outside and listening to soothing music, while our new husky puppy sits contentedly under the bench feeds my soul.

As each new seedling breaks the surface of the compost, it amazes me.  I have never grown anything from seed before, and assumed my success rate would be minimal, but it seems nature has a way of overcoming even an amateur's fumblings.
My french beans unfurling in the sunshine

Any my sturdy little nasturtium and marigold seedlings..

I sowed asparagus from seed, in addition to the asparagus crowns planted directly into the ground, and they seem to be doing well in the bright greenhouse

I have planted three different types of cherry tomatoes - Yellow Pear, Reisentraube and Gardeners Delight.  Reisentraube seems to grow more slowly but is dense and strong, but all of them are progressing well and have been potted on for the third time before they go out into the garden

And considering the temperature at night is still under 10 degrees, and the greenhouse is not heated, the chillies are also growing well.  I have grown Jalapenos 'Early' and 'Purple', and Red Habaneros, as Nick loves his chillies.

On the odd sunny days in the garden the fruit bushes are coming into flower and setting us up for a good supply of fruit.  The strawberries are sprinkled with little daisy like flowers

The raspberry canes are covered in tight buds and flowers

And tiny bells have appeared all over the blueberry bushes.

And as the sun starts to appear more regularly at the end of April, the seedlings can go back outside to harden off before I start planting them out into the beds.