Garden thoughts

life in the cold frame

he sun has been out the past couple of days and the forecast is good for the weekend. Walking out the back door into the warmth and bees and flies and birds is about the only thing stopping me harrumphing around the house about thesis writing. Almost over, have to keep telling myself that. Have to keep stopping myself from playing in the garden too. I could spend all day out there and not run out of entertainment right now.

e watched Alys Fowler's "The Edible Garden" last night on iPlayer and now all I want to do is sow more pea seeds... It was a very inspiring show really, apart from having a bit of a girl crush on Alys. Basically she mixes in her veg with her flowers and everything lives together. I've been heading towards this way a little, which is why I've got garlic in my flower beds right now, swiss chard in the cold frame for colour in the borders, and artichoke plants waiting to be delivered.

riginally I was inspired by reading Dennis Cotter's description of a friends garden he visited in "Wild garlic, gooseberries... and me", hence the chard - which I've not grown before. The artichokes were bought to replace the cardoons I had originally. I love cardoons and their ridiculously exuberant silver grey foliage, but the ones I grew from seed were subject to the worst blackfly attacks I've ever seen on anything for two summers running and havn't returned this spring. I reasoned that trying again with artichokes - given that they look near identical - was probably better on the feeding us stakes.

ow all I have to decide is where to put the runner beans... I shall not fail for a crop two summers running!!