Eynsford Gardeners' Club

Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain! 

 

Don’t you just love the British weather! As I write this in early May, we haven’t had any rain for a month. As a gardener, I am desperate for some rain; the ground is so dry already (remember not so long ago when we were all moaning about the mud!). But as a supporter of pubs, I want sun, sun and more sun!  So, for the rest of May can we please have heavy rain at night and oodles of sunshine in the day. That’s not too much to ask for, is it? 

 

Talking of weather, I have a theory I’d like to share. My theory is that Wednesdays are nearly always bad weather days. I don’t have any scientific data to back this up, just my observations from working outdoors for ten years. So, my advice is don’t plan any outdoor parties on a Wednesday! 

 

This time of year is lovely. The trees are beginning to bloom, and the garden is becoming vibrant with colour. There are so many exciting things to do in the garden now the frosts are over, such as:

·       Planting potato tubers; this year we are growing Charlotte, and Pink Fir

·       Sowing root crops (you can succession sow to get crops for a longer period)

·       Planting out onions and leeks (grown from seed this year), peas and beans, and sweet corn. 

 

I have grown lots of flowers from seed this year which has been really satisfying. This is partly for use in wildlife friendly hanging baskets, and for our garden. Single flowers (such as petunias, cosmos, and poppies) are better for pollinators as they can access the nectar. 

 

If the lawns are affected by the dry weather, don’t worry, the grass will come back when it starts to rain - you don’t need to waste tap water. 

 

Congratulations to Heidi Standen who won our hyacinth competition.  You can see the photos of the hyacinths on our website.

 

Sadly, we won’t be holding our summer show this year, but please put Sunday September 12 in your diary as this is the date of our main annual show.  We hope to have an abundance of exhibits from you for all categories including vegetables, fruit, flowers, cookery, arts and crafts.  If you haven’t entered before, do have a go – entering is fun, creative and just a little bit competitive!  More information on our website egclub.co.uk (details of categories can be found on previous years programmes).

 

Happy gardening! 

Kaz Langridge