One week down, 51 to go – let’s hope only a fraction of them are spent in lockdown and we get on top of this devastating virus sooner rather than later. We’ve got some resolutions for the New Year and aside from plans for the garden we decided to do a ‘dry January’ – I’m not sure it’s a great idea under the current circumstances, but we’ve started so we’ll finish and hopefully at the end of it, there’ll be positive indications for the future (and a large glass of wine!). Today, with milder weather and no snow, greenhouse prep for the weeks ahead has begun, I’ve got all sorts of projects in mind for this year but I need to develop a schedule or they’ll fall by the wayside – first job; cleaning. Unfortunately, I am not a tidy gardener and although I have kept on top of greenhouse hygiene, the tools have crept in and that can only mean one thing – I need a reminder that it isn’t a shed! My six this week are from our fabulous Green Bug greenhouse:

It’s been surprisingly warm in the greenhouse today, but I was of course busy, cleaning shelves and sweeping, disposing of debris and moving most of my tools back to the ‘shed’ area of our garage. I had some companions too – there were a few of these huge spiders in the darker corners, along with a few silky nests spun on the window frames. I haven’t removed these, logic tells me that spiders are good in a greenhouse – they eat aphids and other pesky insects.

I’ve got quite a few pelargoniums on the top shelf and although they’ve slowed down, there are still flowers growing. I’ve cut back all spent stems and decaying leaves so they’re looking tidy, but I do need to strike a balance between filling the shelves with decorative flora and leaving enough space for seedlings and young plants, after all a greenhouse is for growing!

I didn’t have a great success with the chilli peppers I grew last year, I think there was a lack of consistency in watering and also, I didn’t have enough larger pots to keep potting on. I grew far too many and although some went to family and friends I really should have restricted the number of plants and concentrated on making sure they were properly looked after. I’m taking seeds from these last few for this year – fingers crossed for a better crop.

I keep this on my gardening bench – I love it, a wonderful present from good friends and its perfect message is so true!

Sitting patiently on my potting bench, these last few tulip and allium bulbs really do need to be planted if I want to see flowers this year. Hopefully we’ll get some milder dry days next week and I’ll finish this job – I’ve certainly stretched it out and there are no excuses!

All tidy and almost ready for action, I’ve just got to wipe the shelves and paintwork, but as it was getting a bit dark I decided it was time to sit down with a cup of tea, take stock and enjoy the moment.

Keep safe and well, happy gardening…..

For more Six on Saturday stories, a visit to the Propagator at https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com is recommended!