Early July 2012, time is flying by ...

It's funny how time goes by. We are now in early July and I am wondering where the last month has gone. I have had many distractions and engagements that have taken me away from gardening and my garden, that's life I suppose. Add to this the fact that the weather has been so uninspiring and the ground has been so wet = only essential tasks being done to keep thing ticking along. What are the essential tasks I have been doing?  Continuing to ensure grass is cut and edges are neat(ish); pulling weeds from beds, borders, and any other place they spring from; planting out plants and potting containers with flowers or edibles; as always, watering when needed - particularly in the greenhouse; of course I continue my late evening slug patrols, and have been regularly harvesting and relocating a never ending supply; and finally, dead heading spent flowers or flowers destroyed by the weather. So, it's all about grass cutting, planting, weeding and watering - I'm sure everyone is involved in the same things! I have begun harvesting from the garden too (lots of smiles here) and I am going to cover this in a separate post. Oh, by the way, I have tried a little of the no-dig garden technique, and it's worked out well so far. Let me explain. I had some courgettes to plant out and in order to do this, I needed to prepare a planting spot. With the ground being so wet and the soil being so terrible, I decided to try a no-dig bed I read about recently. I simply mowed the area, about 6ft x 3ft, as close to the ground as possible and then covered it with newspaper. On goes the compost and soil, to a depth of 6inches (15cm) and the bed is ready for planting. Easy. It is the first time I've done this and all is well so far - courgettes seem to be happy! Watch this space for more on this. With the weather the way it is, I have been enjoying the on-line community, reading about gardens to visit, plants and flower shows to see and what other people are up to.  Until next time, for me, it's all about keeping the bases covered and, when we do get a run of nice weather, being able to get out and enjoy it!