My Garden in May 2025

I'm not at home this week so the photos are all from the first 3 weeks of May.

There's been a lot of growth in the garden, despite the lack of rain. 

There's also been a lot of things that haven't grown, but I suspect that has something to do with very old seeds and not preparing the ground properly before planting. 

Root vegetables seem to be growing the best.

The tomatoes and chilli are taking their time but I don't have a heated greenhouse or anywhere inside to germinate seeds.

The peas have surprised me the most, planted 5 days earlier after being soaked in water for 24 hours, they popped through the soil in the morning and 12 hours later were like this.

I'm half expecting a giant to be in the garden by the time I get back (Jack and the pea stalk)

I realised that the brown bin was being emptied on Wednesday last week and there was nothing in it, so a mad flurry of activity and lots of pruning took place after work on the Tuesday.

A good job really if I'm away for a week.

We still haven't moved this soil.

We still haven't sorted out the front garden.

And I doubt this side of the house will ever be used for anything other than a dumping ground. However there some old bits of wood that can be chucked and I can dismantle the cold frame now.

The one raised bed only has beetroot growing in it and 1 cucumber plant as well as a raspberry bush. So I've decided to let all these seeds and weeds grow in it while I work out what is what. I know there are poppies and cosmos in there.

I've been using Plantnet app to identify everything.

Plans for Spring gardening 2025

The plans should be well underway by now, but a bout of the flu caught me off guard so I'm a couple of weeks behind with my 'getting ready to plant' so I'll be tweaking the plan and planting a bit more in the greenhouse than planned.

I like to do one job at a time:

Weed.

Sift soil (will wait now until after the bluebells have flowered)

Fill pots (will fill pots with the soil from the dust bins in the front garden)

Plant fruit trees.

Sow seeds in raised beds.

Move (wooden) green house.

Dismantle (plastic) green house that's been housing more delicate plants over the winter.

Build a herb bed using the old wagon wheel.

Plans have changed, priorities have changed and it's a good job, because I hadn't given much thought as to where the fruit trees were going to live and once the pots are filled and the trees planted they won't be moved (too heavy).

I tried to draw a plan.

I can't visualise it properly.

Moved the (wooden) greenhouse to the back garden (after identifying where the best sunlight was)

Prepped the pots for planting.

Seeds have been sorted and gardening books consulted. Don't think I'll have much use for Gardening in Oman and the UAE anymore.

One job I keep meaning to do EVERY YEAR is to dig up the bulbs after they have flowered and put them in containers, as we want to revamp the front garden and I don't want to lose the bulbs or have them popping through the new lawn.

Next up:

Weed beds, plant seeds for green house and in beds (buy tomato seeds)

Move the table and chairs to the lawn, move the empty pots around until I'm happy with their position, check the table and chairs fit, then fill pots, plant trees

Build herb bed.

I'll be back the end of April with the finished project.

My Spring Garden

We've spent a lot of time and money in the house since we came back with a new kitchen and extension and the garden and out door space has been ignored other than a new shed, mowing the lawn and piling up gravel, bricks, sand and soil.

We're having to wait for the builders to return to sort out the drainage from the roof as they haven't connected the down pipe into the drains, so when we have heavy rain the patio area floods and we can't finish it as they need to dig the area up.

I've got space now to hang the washing outside again.

The two sheds on the left will be coming down soon and then we can start building raised beds. The table and chairs are under the covered area and we've eaten outside a couple of times.

I've started doing some work in the front garden with planting a new hedge. The bougainvillea may have survived the winter under cover.

I've planted a variety of herbs both inside and out, the basil is doing really well.

Last years Chard

Potatoes

Lettuce

Peas

I tend to spend more time tidying up than I do actual gardening.

The wreath is back on the front door.

After all the rain the lawn is looking really green, there's little grass there, mainly weeds and moss.

We also visited the Three Counties Show to get some ideas and with the 3 bank holidays and nicer weather I've been enjoying being outside. It's half term next week and I'm hoping for quite a transformation in the back garden.