Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4

Week 1

General

Pruning – LAVENDER, PENSTEMON, MAHONIA, HYDRANGEA, CARYOPTERIS, FUCHSIA, SALIX, CORNUS, HYPERICUM, JASMINUM nudiflorum and FORSYTHIA.

Any blanket weed growing in ponds was removed. This is an ongoing job throughout the growing season as well as topping up the water levels.

Any worn areas of lawn were spiked, scarified and top dressed with a soil,compost and grass seed mixture. The seeded areas were kept watered until the grass seed had fully germinated.

Spraying an insecticidal soft soap solution in the greenhouses as needed, mainly affected by aphid.

Started watering dahlias in the heated greenhouse to encourage new growth that can be used for cuttings.

Allotment

Planted out SWEET PEAS, ONION sets ‘Centurion’ and ‘Setton’ and BROAD BEAN ‘Express’ and ‘Bunyards Exhibition’.

Lifted all cloches and watered.

Directly sown SPINACH ‘Perpetual’ and LEAF BEAT ‘Rainbow Chard’ and ‘Bright Lights’.

Put more compost into hot box to earth up POTATOES and watered.

Harvested LETTUCE and RADISH from mild hot bed.

Gentleman's Cottage Garden

Planted out SWEET PEAS and BROAD BEAN ‘Optima’.

Planted out LETTUCE ‘Little Gem’ and ‘Unrivalled’ and covered with cloche.

Artisan's Cottage Garden

Planted out SWEET PEAS.

Elizabethan Vegetable Garden

Planted out CABBAGE ‘Greyhound’ and ‘Golden Acre Primo’.

Lifted all cloches and watered.

Parterre

Planted out SWEET PEAS, BROAD BEAN ‘Optima’ and ‘Masterpiece Green Longpod’
 and CABBAGE ‘Greyhound’ and ‘Golden Acre Primo’.

Lifted all cloches and watered.

Ornamental Kitchen Garden

Planted out SWEET PEAS.

Greenhouse

Potted CELERY ‘Mammoth Pink’, ‘Giant Red’ and ‘Martine’ into 8cm (3”) pots.

Sowed BROAD BEAN ‘The Sutton’ into deep modules.

Pricked out BASIL ‘Neapolitan’; CELERIAC ‘Brilliant’ and TOMATO ‘Nimbus’ into 8cm (3”) pots.

Potted LETTUCE ‘Can Can’ and ‘Pandero’ into 8cm (3”) pots.

Sowed LETTUCE ‘Lakeland’ and ‘Lollo Rossa’; TOMATO ‘White Wonder’, ‘Yellow Currant’, ‘Black Prince’, ‘Sweet Million’, ‘Garden Pearl’, ‘Tigrella’, ‘Oxheart’, ‘Green Zebra’, ‘Black Krim’, ‘Red Debarao’, ‘Sungold’, ‘Plumito’, ‘Marmande’, ‘The Amateur’, ‘Gardener’s Delight’ and ‘Sultana’; BASIL ‘Red Leaved’ and ‘Sweet’ and PARSLEY ‘Envy’ into trays.

Multi-sowed TURNIP ‘Tokyo Cross’; KOHL RABI ‘Lanro’; BEETROOT ‘Pablo’, ‘Kestrel’ and ‘Solo’ and CARROT ‘St Valery’ and ‘Maestro’ into modules.

Sowed ENDIVE ‘Moss Curled’ and CARROT ‘Ideal’ into terracotta pots.

Week 2

General

Opened glasshouse doors and windows if warm outside.

The potted topiary BUXUS that were kept in the unheated glasshouses over the winter were moved to their positions around the gardens. Only hard frosts which are not that likely might have damaged the foliage.

Removed protective fleece from standard BAY trees (LAURUS nobilis) and the tree fern. Also uncovered GUNNERA crowns that had been protected by their leaves over winter.

Allotment

Planted out PEAS ‘Early Onward’, Waverex’, ‘Sugarbon’ and ‘Hursts Greenshaft’.

Sown LEEK ‘Musselburgh’ and ‘Bandit’; CABBAGE ‘Kilaxy’; BROCCOLI ‘Hydra’ and BRUSSELS SPROUTS ‘Bedford Winter Harvest’, ‘Breeze’, ‘Montgomery’ and ‘Wellington’ into seed bed and then covered with coldframe.

Nursery

Final preparations starting for Harrogate Spring Flower Show.

Ornamental Kitchen Garden

Planted out PEAS ‘Purple Podded’.

Reclaimed Garden

Planted out PARSNIP ‘Tender and True’ and ‘Gladiator’.

Greenhouse

Multi-sown ‘PARSNIP ‘Lancer’; TURNIP ‘Golden Ball’; KOHL RABI ‘Purple and White Mixed’ and BEETROOT ‘Kestrel’ into modules.

Sowed SWEETCORN ‘Minipop’; FRENCH BEAN ‘Purple Queen’; RUNNER BEAN ‘Hestia’ and CLIMBING FRENCH BEAN ‘Rob Roy’ and ‘Cobra’ into 8cm (3”) pots.

Sowed LETTUCE ‘Tom Thumb and Granada’; into trays for Gardeners’ World 40th Anniversary Garden at the Gardeners’ World Live Exhibition in June.

Potted on all BRUSSELS SPROUTS, RED CABBAGE and CAULIFLOWERS sown on 13/03/07.

Pricked out MARIGOLD ‘Cats Eyes’, ‘Starfire’ and ‘Equinox’ and ZINNIA ‘Bright Spark’ into 8cm (3”) pots.

Week 3

General

On Thursday 19th April we celebrated the tenth anniversary of the television gardens being opened to the public and a tree, TETRADIUM daniellii, was planted by television presenter and author Martin Fish, in the Versailles borders.

Border work as usual - weeding, forking over, pruning, cutting back and dividing herbaceous perennials if needed.

We topped up existing mulches on beds and borders.

Started regularly deadheading daffodils.

We potted up some ARGYRANTHEMUMS that had been taken as cuttings last Autumn, they were put into the greenhouses around the gardens to give some colour.

Allotment

Planted out CAULIFLOWER ‘Dok Elgon’ and ‘Mayflower’; CABBAGE ‘Kilaton’ and ‘Estoril’; ONION ‘Red Mammoth’ and BROCCOLI ‘Arcadia’ and ‘Green Magic’. Put cardboard collars on each plant and covered with netting.

Forked over area in readiness for ONIONS.

Topped up hot box with compost.

Planted 2nd early POTATO ‘Kestrel’ and ‘Maxine’.

Elizabethan Vegetable Garden

Directly Sown BEETROOT ‘Rouge Crapaudine’; LEAF SALAD ‘Special Leaf Mix’; Spinach ‘Perpetual’; LEAF BEET ‘Rhubarb Chard’.

Gentleman's Cottage Garden

Directly sown RADISH ‘Scarlet Globe’ and ‘Purple Plum’ and BEETROOT ‘Boltardy’.

Planted left over LETTUCE ‘Tom Thumb’ into terracotta pot.

Greenhouse

Sowed BRUSSELS SPROUTS ‘Brigitte’, ‘Culmulus’, ‘Igor’ and ‘Red Delicious’; BROCCOLI ‘Early Purple’ and ‘White Sprouting’; KALE ‘Redbor’ and ‘Nero di Toscana Precoce’; CABBAGE ‘Hispi’, ‘Greyhound’, ‘Offenhams Flower of Spring’, ‘Wheelers Imperial’, ‘Celtic’, ‘Minicole’, ‘Capriccio’ and ‘Tundra’; CAULIFLOWER ‘Astral’; PEPPER ‘Tricolor Variegata’, ‘Cayenne Apache’, Numex Twilight’, ‘Friars Hat’, ‘Mohawk’ and ‘Gypsy’; TOMATO ‘Tumbling Red’, ‘Tumbling Yellow’, ‘Ailsa Craig’ and LEEK ‘Lyon Prizetaker’, ‘Musselburgh’, ‘Mammoth Blanch’, ‘Carlton’, ‘Bandit’ and ‘Autumn Mammoth 2 Snowstar’ into trays.

Sowed PEA ‘Kelvedon Wonder’ and Oregon Sugar Pod’ into gutter.

Pricked out AUBERGINE ‘Bonica’ and ‘Mohican’ and PEPPER ‘Worldbeater’, ‘Jumbo’, ‘Jalapeno’ and ‘Patio Red’ into 8cm (3”) pots.

Sowed SWEETCORN ‘Indian Summer’, ‘Swift’, ‘Quick Treat’ and ‘Honey Bantam’; MELON ‘Sweetheart’, ‘Blenheim Orange’, ‘Passport’, ‘Early Sweet’; WATERMELON ‘Sugar Baby’; CUCUMBER ‘Burplees Tasty Green’ and ‘Passandra’; GOURD ‘Autumn Glory’; COURGETTE ‘Zucchini’, ‘Supremo’, ‘Orelia’, ‘Defender’ and ‘One Ball’; PUMPKIN ‘Aladdin’ and ‘Hundredweight’; SQUASH ‘Barbara’, ‘Cobnut’ and ‘Vegetable Spaghetti’; MARROW ‘Long Green Bush 2’, ‘Tivoli’ and ‘Sunburst’ into 8cm (3”) pots.

Week 4

General

An apple tree MALUS ‘Schoolmaster’ was planted in the orchard in memory of our previous vegetable and allotment gardener John Morris who died last year.

Grow through supports were placed over taller growing perennials to give protection during heavy rain and winds.
Parasols came out of the shed and back into the garden tables.

Outside pots need watering regularly at this time of year, especially if on walls as the water drains from them much more freely and any rain usually misses them as they are more sheltered.

Watering in the conservatory and greenhouses, as and when needed. This was almost daily, as we have had a very mild April.

Allotment

Planted POTATO ‘Maxine’ ‘Winston’, ‘Swift’, ‘Charlotte’ ‘Pink Fir Apple’, ‘Cara’, ‘Smile’, ‘Maris Piper’, ‘Desiree’ and ‘Cherie’.

Parterre

Planted POTATO ‘Cherie’.

Elizabethan Vegetable Garden

Planted POTATO ‘Annabelle’, ‘Moulin Rouge’, Charlotte’.

Greenhouse

Pricked out all TOMATOES into 8cm (3”) pots.

Pricked out all ASTERS and STOCKS into modules.

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