Last week was very wet and windy at times for many of us here in the UK. I looked round the plot on Friday morning when it was calmer and was relieved to see that all was okay. It certainly wasn’t the best of starts to the new year for many gardeners.
Yesterday was calm, dry and mild so I spent the morning plotting. A few hours tidying and weeding in the fresh air was most welcome. Keeping me entertained were well over twenty parakeets flying round together and in smaller groups squawking away as usual. I’m told that at dawn and dusk perhaps as many as a couple of hundred can now be seen!
The coming week’s forecast is looking good so I shall certainly be doing some more plotting, and if the ground has dried out a bit even do some digging.
This year I’m hoping to grow better and successionally, and I’ll be growing pretty much what I did last year but in some cases different varieties. I’ll be trying broad bean Medes, runner bean Red Rum and sweet corn Sundance all of which have the coverted RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM).
The horticultural society tradng shed has been closed the past two Sundays and reopened this morning. It was fairly busy as during the week we took delivery of seed potatoes, onion and shallot sets. I’ll be growing first early potatoes Vales Emerald, second earlies Charlotte & Kestrel and maincrop Desiree. My onions will be Sturon, which I hope to be planting out at the end of February or the beginning of March.
Reading various gardening blog posts during the past week there’s been a definite sense of here we go again!
Happy gardening!
Flighty's plot 
It’s the time of year when everyone’s visiting trading huts or nurseries to choose their potatoes for the year, an important decision for any gardener. It must be amazing to see parakeets around, especially in those numbers. I’m so pleased that the winds have died down now, it’s my worst kind of weather and kept me awake through the week.
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Jo it sure is, and it’s interesting to see what people do and say when they chose theirs. It’s only the last couple of weeks that lots of them have appeared, before that they rarely got into double figures. Me too, and last year was generally much too windy. xx
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Yes, it’s been annoyingly windy round here too, Flighty. I am intrigued by the idea of large numbers of parakeets flying around. They haven’t penetrated this far north, of course, but with this mild winter, who knows? 😉
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Jenny it was a wild week that’s for sure. Me too, and I’ll keep you all informed. A few have been seen thereabouts so keep your eyes and ears open! xx
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Happy plotting Flighty, beware the temptations of seed catalogues this time of year, they are seductive… 🙂
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Uphilldowndale thanks, and I know but I can honesty say that I’m a good boy when it comes to seed catalogues! xx
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It certainly makes you feel better being out there in the fresh air. I’ve had a great couple of days in the garden, can’t wait for the longer days. Those parakeets must be great to see, not something we’re likely to get here in Wales though. Hope you get to your plot this week and enjoy!
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Alison it sure does. Me too! They are, and it’s quite likely you will see some before too long as they originate from the Himalayan foothills. I was there again this morning! xx
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A breath of fresh air is what we all need at this time of year – I hardly seem to have been out for weeks. I am planting fewer potatoes this year as last year I went a bit overboard and then didn’t have enough space for everything else I wanted to grow. Less is more – as they say.
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Elaine it’s been most welcome after a period of armchair gardening! I planting about the same as last year. Space is always a problem isn’t it! Indeed it is. xx
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I love the idea of seeing so many parakeets! Glad to hear the weather forecast for the coming week is looking good!
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Doris I’ll have mixed feelings if there’s too many as they can be a bit of a nuisance. Me too, and I shall make the most of it! xx
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We have done very little so far this year apart from toast our toes whilst we plan and scheme. We had the winds but luckily no damage, just some very ruffled chickens 🙂
I too am amazed at your parakeets.
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Mo toasted toes sound good to me! Thank goodness for that. It looks like it could be the year of the parakeet! xx
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It is definitely feeling like the new gardening year is starting! (Or the first in my case!!) I weeded my small patch yesterday, taking care not to slice off my autumn planted veggies, and on Saturday I went down to have a nosey at the local allotment. The waiting list is about two years but I’m going on the end of it TODAY!!
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Donna it sure does! Good for you. Get on the list and make polite enquiries every now and again as you never know! xx
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Just picked up my seed spuds at the weekend and got up to the allotment to do a bit of work over the weekend. It feels as if we’re all emerging from our hibernations. Hope the weather holds this week so you can get out and tackle your jobs. I love it when you mention the parakeets. We used to live near Windsor and they had a flock living in the park there. I know they have become a bit of a pest but I did like seeing them they looked so exotic.
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Welly good for you! It does indeed. It looks like it will, and if it dries out a bit I may even do some digging.
Thanks, I’m sure that they’ll be getting a few more mentions this year and I hope to get a good photo or two of them as well. xx
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First of all, Flighty….I wish to apologize for my most recent comment to you on my blog. I replied without coming here first and seeing all the activity you have been doing. Well done 🙂
I was not getting emails for new posts here, I have rectified that now 🙂
Parakeets…in UK….? I never heard that, do ye get them every year there? They must be amazing to see!
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Catherine there’s no need to apologise as perhaps I should have mentioned in that comment that I’ve done some plotting. Thanks!
The parakeets have been in the wild here since the late 1960’s when some escaped into the wild and now number thousands, mostly in the south-east of England. They live happily here year round as they originate from the Himalayan foothills which has a far harsher climate. They sure are, especially perched on my sunflowers just a few feet away! One day I’ll get a good photo of one! xx
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Well 2 wrongs make it right..LOL!
Anyway….the only place I saw real parakeets was in south Spain and I was utterly amazed to even see them there.!
Looking forward to seeing all your progress in the months to come, Flighty!
Regards, Catherine.
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Catherine that’s all right then! They are terrific to see. Thanks! xx
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yes indeed Flighty, the new season is soon upon us, managed to get down the plot today myself and start the BIG job of laying some lanscape fabric so I can bark the paths. (last year was intolerable could not keep on top of the weeds!). I have also ordered my seed potatoes ready for the season ahead (thanks for the great link as well for the potatoes)
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Stacy any work like that which gets done at this time of year is a real bonus. Good for you, and you’re most welcome. Cheers.
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Wet and windy is a lousy combination for plotting! But with a few sunny days in between hopefully, the plot was workable. Your succession planting sounds really good. I saw some berry plants at the nursery this week and thought of your little berry patch.
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Nikki it sure is! It’s still too wet for digging but okay for anything else. Hopefully it will provide me with a more even supply! The soft fruit patch is looking rather rare at the moment. xx
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Good to hear the weather has calmed down and that you are busily plotting away. Looking forward to seeing you succeed as you plant successionally. Don’t say that three times fast without tripping over your tongue 😉 Crisp and sunny here, and gardening hasn’t even crossed my mind yet, although I have been seeing teeny signs of spring sproinging 🙂 Always good to see feathers flitting about, only of course, if they are attached to birds such as your parakeets!
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Glo I’ve been busy again this week as you can see in the next post.
It’s changing to crisp and sunny here for the next few days.
I keep seeing, and hearing, lots of parakeets! xx
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