Opening up this old runner bean pod produced my first gardening idea of the year…

January evenings have involved scouring seed catalogues, making countless notes and admiring images of gorgeous flowering plants. But all the while I have had no real idea about what I really want to grow.

When the pod was opened, I really was not expecting to see such a beautiful colour. An idea was instantly formed, in that my garden will be based around shades of pink. Flower seeds can now be ordered, and Echinacea will definitely be part of my plan.

These flowers, will definitely make it onto my must plant list for 2022 , orange will also have an important role. It definitely wont be dull.

Dahlia Merckii
Alcea cannabina
Leonorus sibirica
Echinacea pallida ( image taken at Vlinderhof in the Netherlands)
Echinacea pallida ( midground ), Helenium ( background) Aruncus Horatio (foreground)
I better
make some
space !
Tithonia rotundifolia
Dahlia
Rudbeckia chimchiminee
Heleniums
Poppy and Geranium

With the flower garden semi sorted , thoughts turn to my veg plot. As strange as it might seem, I am only going to only grow food that we will actually get around to eating. I have grown all sorts of crops in the past, I have watched them grow, I have harvested them, and then I’ve just not used them – what a waste of time and effort . Aubergines were last years example of this, and I am still annoyed.

I will be looking after my veg garden using No Dig . Last years runner bean stems have been chopped up and put onto the raised beds, a thick layer of cardboard went down after that , and finally a six inch layer of well rotted horse manure was added. I will now leave it for a couple of months to break down, before I start planting out.

A squash from last year that never made it into the kitchen, I am just going to leave it to rot down. ,
Always great to see the earth worms !

So what seeds are being sown at the moment ? – none. I am mainly thinking about ingredients I can grow for meals we enjoy eating . We were given this delicious jam and chutney for Christmas, beetroot, and raspberries are definitely going on my to grow list for this year.

These chilli peppers were grown and then placed in the freezer about two years ago, at least I now have an idea of what to use them for.

I hope my first blog of the year, has given you an idea or two. Why not join me on my 2022 gardening adventure, there will hopefully be some good advice along the way to help you grow some great flowers and food. If you have any queries, just let me know.

Next time, I will be looking at pruning the fruit canes, and making some decisions on veg.