Diary of a suburban edible garden, January 2017.

I made it into the garden for the first time this year!  It was so nice to be out there pottering about and doing some weeding.  

I meant to empty my compost bin and mulch the garden in autumn but I didn't get round to it.  I opened the compost bin today to see what was in there...

...composting is so magical!  I'm so happy!  I know you should mulch in autumn or spring, but I've missed autumn and I can't wait till spring so I'm going to mulch in winter!  I did a little bit today but I think I'll need a full day to deal with the compost bin, it's going to be a dirty and heavy job! 

I came up with a mulchy method to add some nutrients and structure to the soil, and protect it - I've invented it myself so I hope it works!  It seems in keeping with the no dig methods I use in the garden at least.  First I weeded by hand, then I spread a layer of fallen leaves over the soil.  After that I spread a thin layer of hay over the leaves, then a layer of my beautiful home-made compost.  

I hope to be planting veggies in the garden by the end of April or May, which gives the mulch at least 4 months to rot down, and if it's still hanging around I'll just plant through it.

Here's another shot of my compost, just because it's pretty and I can't quite believe it worked!

Do you remember by worm compost bin?  I kind of neglected it and didn't add anything to it for 2 months (sorry worms!).  I was a bit scared to check it, but I looked today and there are still live worms in there!  Yey!  I've fed them and added some shredded paper and water too.  I'll be a better worm looker afterer in future.

Anyway, enough brown composty photos, there are green shoots poking up all over the garden.  Some are weedy but some are bulbs.

Last year I planted some elephant garlic in this pot, but it didn't grow and I thought it had rotted away, but there's something growing there now, and I don't remember planting anything else in there and it looks quite garlicky.  Fingers crossed it's the elephant garlic!

There are a few flowers in the garden, some colourful winter pansies, primroses and this hebe I bought for 50p when we first moved in here has flowered for the first time.

In the front garden the raised bed still has some lettuce growing happily away, and the garlic I cleared out from my fridge and planted has sprouted up too.

For posterity's sake here's a full photo of the back and side gardens - lots to do before spring!  

I didn't rake any leaves up in Autumn, so I have a garden full of them now (there are big trees behind our garden!) - eeek!  At least they're good for wildlife!

How are your garden's doing?

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