The rhubarb is dead, long live the rhubarb!

Surveying a small patch beside the wall, I decided that the rhubarb I planted last year is never going to show its head above ground. Something must have had it or something must have gone seriously wrong below surface, but I feel it should have grown a bit by now.

Luckily, and very gratefully received it is, my friend Kate has given me a rhubarb crown she does not have room for in her new garden and I have now planted this in. Hopefully, this will thrive. While digging the hole I could find no sign of the previously planted rhubarb. Strange.

It also looks as though the lettuce and salad leaves I planted out recently have had it. Nothing has shown through and I reckon it should have done by now. This is the patch of ground where I have seen birds pecking away. Will have to rethink this part of the garden and decide what to do with it.

Am I dispirited? No. Winning some and losing some is all part and parcel of gardening.

One thing I am delighted about is that the mushrooms I have been cultivating have grown well and are coming through. We shall be having some tonight in a stew. Good stuff!

A squatter arrives

We have discovered an interloper in our shed - a bird's nest in the far top corner. Neither of us can tell whether it is currently in use, but our feeling is that it is old. Quite how long it has been there, we don't know, but neither of us had noticed it before this week. We haven't gone that close to it because of stuff in the way, but have decided to leave it well alone and let the birds get on with it.

Looking out of the window this morning, I saw one of our collared doves strolling over the ground where the lettuce and salad leaves are supposed to be, having the occasional peck on the ground. Should I have been mad? I don't know, but somehow I can't bring myself to do anything but shrug my shoulders. That's nature, I guess.


Surveying the land on the first day of May, I am pleased to see the plants bursting into life after days of sunshine and rain. The onions and chives are coming on apace, chives beginning to flower, and the potatoes are showing through nicely. Not so sure about the lettuce and salad leaves, though. Perhaps that pesky bird has done for them.

Yesterday I finally got round to planting out the raspberry canes and building a wigwam in preparation for the Cherokee Trail of Tears beans. Seemed an apt arrangement for them.

I have started off some basil seeds in the conservatory.

Green shoots of recovery

Now that the snow has finally cleared, I have given the vegetable patch a perfunctory inspection. Lo and behold, garlic is sprouting! I'm really pleased as I thought everything had been killed off by the bad weather. They must be resilient little things. My task now is to find out what to do with the garlic, when to pick it etc.

The birds are eating again now that we have changed the seed we put out for them. The stuff they didn't like turned out to have been from Wilkinson's rather than Lidl, as I had said earlier. We have bought Bill Oddie seed instead and they like that fine. The mealworm seems to be a particular favourite.

Next week I shall get out and do some digging. I feel as though spring has come, although I realise there is a long way to go yet.

Grim up north

My mate Steve has emailed from his corner of Kent to say he has been out to his allotment and seen the first shoots of garlic coming through. He's lucky to see anything at all, my little vegetable patch has been covered in snow for the past week and got a fresh fall last night.

All this means is that I can do nothing but dream on for the time being. I like to think it's similar to cooking - it will all come together in the end. Hope so.

Looking out of the window over the past few days, I notice the birds have largely spurned the seed we have been putting down for them. My theory is that more food is being left out for the birds as people become more aware of their needs and the birds can afford to be choosy. Our seed was Lidl's finest - obviously not good enough for them.