2nd January 2013

Well I have finally decided what fruit and vegetables to grow in the garden, and where they will go.  At this time of year, with the weather so poor and not enough hours of light in the day to do much work, I find myself imagining what the garden will look like. I must confess, I get carried away; and the thoughts of growing so many lovely fruits and vegetables make me as giddy as a school kid. Now I know my plan will not come to fruition overnight, and I know I need to be patient, but I just can’t help myself.

So I have two raised beds at the back of the garden. One is a smallish bed, 2.3m by 2.1m. In this bed I will grow some fruit. I will have several strawberry plants and some rhubarb in the middle. You can’t beat British strawberries in the height of summer, especially with cream. Rhubarb crumble is also a classic dessert that I want to be able to cook, it reminds of my childhood, when my mum baked apple and rhubarb crumble, lavished generously with warm custard.

Around the edges of the bed against the fences, I will have a blackcurrant tree, a blueberry bush and a blackberry bush. Due to lack of space, I will most probably look for dwarf varieties. Hopefully, with these lovely fruits I can try my hand at some refreshing jams.

The second raised bed is 5.7m by 2.1m. This long raised bed will be divided into sections. I will grow, or should I say try to grow, carrots, garlic, leeks, onions, cauliflowers, cabbages, runner beans, peas calabrese and lettuce. I know, it’s a lot, but I suppose you have to aim high!!!!

I will also have a greenhouse for growing Tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers and peppers. Hopefully the greenhouse will have enough room for a lemon tree too.  Finally scattered around the rest of the garden I will hopefully have enough room for potatoes in pots, herbs and a couple of apple trees and raspberry bushes. I know it will be a lot of hard work, but it’s just something that feels right, and something I want to do. I can picture myself on a sunny summer afternoon walking around the garden picking tomatoes and lettuce and cucumber for a lovely salad lunch; then having strawberries and cream for dessert. Seasonal food, to love and cherish at exactly the right time of the year.

It will take a couple of years before the garden is complete, although I suppose a garden is never complete; there is always something to do, things are always changing and evolving. This year I will start with the raised beds and pots; growing a few of the basic’s, learning the tricks of the trade. I will also plant some fruit trees, as these need time grow before yielding delicious fruits.

So I think it is safe to say that my New Year’s resolution for the garden is PATIENCE!!!