When I was given another plot at the allotment it was a blank canvass, there were no borders already in place, only those I dug out myself. I started with the standard rectangles, but then got to thinking outside the box…. okay, someone mentioned they looked like a line of graves. To which end I ended up doing a couple of circles, but what to plant in them…..
Turns out that wasn’t a difficult decision, I’d use one for flowers and the other for herbs. We have two bee hives on the allotment, so I figured a few extra flowers would be appreciated by them as well as us. The herbs were just an obvious choice, it’s always good to have a selection on hand for cooking, they also smell so good and the bees are just as happy there as on the dedicated flower bed.
I’d bought a chive plant in the supermarket, used it and then, when it looked a bit sad moved it into the greenhouse, then with my new herb plot it made sense to give it a chance down there, well there was plenty of room! To be honest I really didn’t think it would survive, but it did and it thrived.
Fast forward and down at the allotment this weekend the chives were looking distinctly rubbish, until you looked a little closer…
In amongst the dry, straw like chives there were fresh stems and the flowers had dried out. I reckon the plants will come back as good as ever, but now I have seeds.
I’ve picked out a few, popped them in a plastic bag, given it a shake and now have some chive seeds, ready to sow for some new plants for back at the house.
When nature provides it is always worth following her lead and making the most of the opportunities.
This is a point proven by my sweet peas. Last years plants were okay, but I didn’t save any seeds. When I cleared away the spent plants the pods were dry and seeds inevitably fell from them into the soil. I didn’t think too much about them, after all, to get new plants you need to sow seeds at the right time of year, soaking them in warm water first to help the germination…. err, no, apparently not.
I did sow new seeds in the greenhouse, but they really were quite weak and pathetic. Meanwhile, down at the allotment, the fallen seeds were poking their heads through and have become the strongest, most beautiful mass of flowers, encompassing almost the entire flower plot. They were so prolific we not only brought a constant supply of flowers home for the kitchen, but also gave them to friends and family. The smell was so sublime that they had to be shared.
I’m planning this year to see if I can save more seeds, allowing some plant’s to ‘go to seed’ so that I can try to grow my own right from my very own seed, peas, beans, carrots and onions, who knows what will or wont work…. only one way to find out though…..
