Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Busy in the Potager

Yesterday started sunny and bright, if a touch windy, so I decided to take advantage of the sunshine and do a bit of work in the potager. Dear Jeeves came along to lend me a paw every now and again.
I planted some leeks,
harvested a few winter leeks,
checked on my garlic that I put in last November, and yes they are coming oop.
The onions I planted last year are wearing perky green Mohawks,
and the bay leaf in the potager has escaped the harsh winter (minus 15 C/ + 5 F) with just a touch of frost damage.
The flat leaved parsley seems to have survived the cold winter too and tasted very good in the soup I made later.
I removed all the strawberry plants from the strawberry bed and chucked away the old plants and planted up the new shoots in the new beds. In the old bed I bunged in much of the bulbs that were flowering in my kitchen, kitchen garden earlier this year.
There's no need to throw away bulbs that have flowered inside the house once they've finished. You can just put them in the garden and they will delight you with their flowers for years to come.
In the former strawberry bed I prepared the soil (lots of compost) and I've sown baby leaf, the classic Italian mix. If, like me, you love nibbling salad leaves then this is the mix for you. You don't need much space, 1 square meter will do nicely. It's the pick and come again sort, my favourite, as it provides you with an almost endless supply of salad leaves.
Here's the new bed I've planted up with strawberries, edged with forget-me-not seedlings. They pop up all over my potager and I use them to edge the beds so they provide the ornamental part of my potager in spring.
And here I've tucked my strawberries in so that they are all nice and comfy. It's a bit of a shock to the system for a plant to be transplanted so they need a little pampering the first few weeks.
In one of my cold frames I've planted 4 endives and 4 red oak leaf lettuces, the big lettuce you see on the left is the last one of a batch I'd sown at the end of last year. It's not ready to harvest yet, but will be in a few weeks' time.
At the mo it's mostly crocuses and snowdrops that provide a bit of colour in my potager. First we had mainly yellow ones in flower but overnight the purple ones decided to join the party and showed up in full force.
While pottering about I discovered that the primula's are starting to flower too. It won't be long now before many more flowers will join in the Spring chorus.

I'm very glad that I took advantage of the good weather yesterday because today it's pouring down, again! If you are following me on Twitter then by now you'll have a pretty good idea of how often it rains here.

copyright 2009 Y.E.W. Heuzen

Gardens are places where we can connect with the weather, the season and the natural rhythms of plants and animals.
Montagu Don, My Roots, 2005

34 comments:

gintoino said...

Geting busy in the potager yolanda. Don't you just love this time of year? The peas you sent me last year are growing very well and starting to bloom already. I can't wait to see those purple pods!

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Seeing all of this makes me want to get out there and plant something. I think it is still too early here.

I am surprised that you can grow bay in your garden. Do you remember what variety it is?

EB said...

I like the idea of edging with forget-me-nots. I'lll try that myself, thank you!

Robin's Nesting Place said...

Things are already shaping up nicely in your potager.

I just love seeing the header picture of your puppy! We need a puppy update!

Crix said...

Hi Yolanda! Yesterday I was working in my 'potager' too. Who can resist to this beautiful sun :)
My vegetable garden looks like yours, very much, but I surrounded it with Tagetes
Big Hug

Cheryl said...

Busy, busy, busy Yolanda....

The potager will be full of good things to come....
I love the leaves for salads etc. I planted them in large tubs last year. It worked very well and supplied me for most of the summer....

It is good to see the spring bulbs, is it not?? It is exciting to think of what is to come....

Hope the weather improves......it is horrible here......

healingmagichands said...

My potager still is providing me with spinach and lettuces that wintered over in the cold frames. In the bed next door I planted lettuces and beets a couple of weeks ago and now I have tiny babies putting up their heads. The garlic I planted in the fall is now about five inches tall and looking very good. Maybe I need to try growing leeks some time.

I love spring! My daffodils are going to town, and all because of just three days of warm weather. Boy are they going to be surprised when the arctic air mass that is over the Dakotas hits us tonight.

Anonymous said...

HI YE, I love seeing your spring chores in the potager. You are my inspiration to try for pretty AND tasty in the same bed. Forget me nots, yes! I have loads all over, thanks for that one. I didn't know you were supposed to replant the strawberries, only starting with them last year. Love your cover for them too. Nice and clean and safe from evil diggers.
Frances

Karin said...

Oh, I'm a bit jealous that you can start working in the potager already. What a great idea with forget-me-nots. I've started to sow some things indoors but hopefully I can start gardening next weekend! :D I also save the bulbs.

Have a nice week! Kram Karin

Carol Michel said...

Hi, Yolanda Elizabet, we've had a few nice days to work out in the garden, too, but my garden is not near as far along as yours is!

Carol, May Dreams Gardens

Anonymous said...

I am looking forward to having two sunny days in a row - not happening at the moment unfortunately. I plan for a day's gardening and of course that turns out to be the rainy day!
I'm trying a cut & come mix as well. I hope the slugs and snails stay away - always a problem when I sow in the ground.

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

I want your soil! It looks so rich, and dark & wonderfully friable. Oh, and, nice plants too.

Chiot's Run said...

Love the cat in the garden!

Kerri said...

What bliss, Yolanda, to be pottering in the potager! It all looks so inviting, and apparently Jeeves thinks so too :)
I must plant some of the Baby Leaves mix if I can find it. Looks good!
We plant mesclun and several lettuce varieties, spinach, and chard.
Our garlic is up about 2 or 3 inches.
We've been having rain here too. Spring is in the air though! It was actually warm enough for some clean-up work in the garden on Sunday. Ahh...spring! Wonderful, isn't it? :)

Bob said...

The garden looks like its doing great. Was suprised that the bay looked so well considering the temps it was exposed too. Maybe I'll have to get one this year. They are really beautiful plants.
Take care, BOB

marmee said...

good for you to get alot of gardening in before the rain. i am working on my potager too. it has been unseasonably warm here for a few days.

Anonymous said...

My, you HAVE been busy!! I've been enjoying our nice weather also but mostly I've been doing the heavy work of re-doing a garden from scratch and seeing what has survived after 3 years of neglect....*sigh*
I planted 6 lovely red cabbages, peas, a tomato plant, catnip, and moved some 'found' plants to holding areas until I have a permanent home for them.

Ruth Welter said...

Hi Yolanda, it is always a treat to come to your blog and see your beautiful garden. I love seeing what you are up too.. Glad spring is happening by you, finally, it is springing up by me as well.

Ruth

Libby said...

I have alot of pot marigolds that pop up everywhere, but I had not thought about forget me nots. Will give them a go!!

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Aw, the crocuses and primroses are so happy, and I like the hoophouses. But most importantly, a helping paw is always welcome!

Annie in Austin said...

Potager - love that name, and love to see your own particular Potager, Yolanda - full of promise and so neatly fitted into your garden.

A few radishes are expanding their leaves in my garden - reminding me of you and the radish sandwiches to come!

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Anonymous said...

Such energy! Don't you love the look of newly turned soil? Your potager is beautiful.

Njut i din trädgård said...

so lovely pictures and how I long for the spring

Anonymous said...

It's looking good, mind you it always does!
It's good to get out and do some gardening, especially at this time of year. xx

Gail said...

Like Annie, I love the word potager and your potager is looking grand. Strawberries and lettuce...yummy.

Naturegirl said...

Yolanda: It is always a busy gardening day coming by your blog!
I'm wondering how my garden back home is doing as I look at your wonderful patch of crocuses!!
A friend called me this a.m. and reported snow fell..so I'll just stay put here in sunny Arizona!
Happy early Spring!!It appears that it has reached your garden!

Matron said...

I recognize that plastic cloche protection! So you have Lidl's in Holland too?

Unknown said...

Your potager looks great! I do like the mix of flowers in it. I am planning on adding some to mine when I get closer to planting tomatoes. Borage is on the list for interplanting with that. :)

I like how you have yours in a controlled area. It looks very neat and tidy. Congrats on all of the beautiful plants.

BTW, you asked where I am, and it's N. Texas. We've had such a boom in building and population growth that the strain on water supply is getting hard. Couple that with extended periods of drought and times can get tough. We do have an annual rainfall of over 40 inches per year though..when its a normal year, LOL.

--Melissa

stadtgarten said...

I really love your kitchen garden, Yolanda! I hope that my plans for this year will come true and that we will have our own (small) kitchen garden in our backyard, which is mainly your "fault".
Have a nice sunday, groetjes, Monika

Glo said...

Doesn't some sunny weather make all the difference? You've made a great start! We had a couple of beautiful days which had me out digging in the compost, and weeding the 'rose garden'. However, rain and wind have reappeared which has put a damper on things! I see however, from your banner that it is only 5 days until spring is officially here! Woohoo!

TYRA Hallsénius Lindhe said...

Hi Yolanda and Tara, it is looking very good in your potager my friends. I still have snow :-(
Good idea to tuck in the strawberries, I think I'll will try to do the same this year...eventually.

xoxo Tyra

em said...

hi ye, a busy time of year! i can't wait to see your potager in all its glory again! it looks so pretty right now! i've worked hard too... but we have no rain here, unlike kerri. i am watering today, which is uncommon. thanks for the enthusiasm!

Anonymous said...

Jeeves would be welcome in my garden too.

Angela said...

Wonderful garden! Reminds me of one very, very far away from yours: http://cli.gs/NatGreeneVeg2009