…if winter comes, can Spring be far behind? 2014 beckons us...

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Okay, so the height of summer is yet to scorch the nethers of those in this wide brown land of Orstrylia, but welcome to the MNettie gardeners of the world. Prop up your sagging fences, evict the rats from your decking, and find a use for that poinsettia.

Nasturtiums would work yes. I was thinking of flowering things on the teepee but didn't want to mix the edible with non edible. Nasturtiums would solve that problem. Will add to shopping list.

Castle, I'm sure it's possible. But then I'd try anything if it meant getting the walled garden look.

Humphrey, just some tall zinnias and asters. Things that will appeal to DDs and brighten up my kitchen.

I find that clematis either do really, really well here or wither and die. There is no middle ground!

It's nearly the weekend! Oh happy day!

Oh happy day indeed! I won't have any gardening time at the weekend but am hoping it'll be dry on Monday and I'll be able to plant the bulbs that are currently sprouting in their paper bags.

When can I first pull rhubarb? I have two very healthy crowns at the lightest (north) end of the garden, which seem to be visibly putting on inches every day! If I just pulled one or two stalks at a time, and made a couple of rhubarb and custard tarts, that wouldn't stress the plant too much would it?

Don't know, hate the stuff. Suspect the answer will be that it depends on how old the plant is

First camellia flower has just opened. Saw in the paper that a local garrden will be open in a couple of weeks as have a good collection of hellebores and snowdrops plus there will be hellebores on sale. Guess where I'll be going..

Also occurred to me that GW will be back next month

My new rhubarb plants are doing nothing yet. Hope they're not dead.

Partially built beds. The middle bit over the sunken seating will be planted up with the edible igloo and I'll build some kind of frame to form it.

Built today in between down pours. Was tempted to use the wood to start building an arc.

Impressive work Bertha. I am a much more "fair weather gardener" than you!

Wynken I only like rhubarb when either it's Yorkshire Forced, or out of my garden where thanks to my BIL I have a crown of particularly delicately and fruitily flavoured rhubarb. I think it is "Champagne". I only cook the stems where they are pink, not green, and it is really lovely baked slowly in the oven so it keeps its shape.

A friend has a bog standard variety in her garden, and I hate to say it, but it is just not nice.

That is impressive work bertha and a lot of garden and a lot of fence.

love the idea of an edible igloo

Looks great, Bertha. You must update us in pictures as the igloo takes shape!

Lexi if your rhubarb is newly in I'd leave it for a couple of years to establish properly before picking any. I learnt this the hard way. If It's an old mature clump on the other hand then you're probably fine to take stems as long as you leave enough on to give the plant sustenance. You're supposed to stop harvesting halfway through the season (or something) to give the plant plenty of chance to regenerate, but I never knew my mother or grandparents to do that and their plants were like triffids. This was in the rhubarb triangle though, I've never known rhubarb to grow quite so maniacally elsewhere.

I spent this morning helping out clearing the site for a brand new community orchard on the other side of the lane. It was a great atmosphere, loads of people turned up, everyone brought tools, and we chopped, dug, lopped and levelled. Really nice. Still can't quite believe our luck that it's going to be an orchard instead of housing, which was initially threatened by the charity that owns the land before they had a change of heart.

Wynken there is an NGS garden near here opening this week and next to show off their hellebores and snowdrops too. I'm hoping to go on Tuesday, but I've got a poorly sprog at the moment so it will depend on if I can get her back to preschool.

That sort of communal work is so lovely Rhubarb. How nice to have that in your village.

The first time we butchered pigs here lots of our friends came to help and it was a fantastic, sociable and productive day. A very happy memory.

Really excited here as the new potting shed takes shape. The wall between the two stock sheds has been removed, all the rubbish taken to the tip and DH spent all weekend turning an oversized single bed frame into a large potting bench. It is massive . I am going to have big tubs for mixing compost, sand, grit etc next to it and all the pots stored on the shelf thing underneath.

I dream of a potting shed like that, Humph. Did you find it hard slaughtering your pigs? I love the idea of keeping livestock, but I'd get too attached to them. I'm a terrible sentimental old fool softy when it comes to animals.

What does the potting shed look like? Sounds brilliant.
I updated the computer plant list today by walking round the garden and realise I still have a lot of plants in pots which need to be planted out this spring and a lot of thriving cuttings too, so have decided not to buy any more plants this year (except more primroses and perhaps more hellebores) but go all out for propagation.

I'm tempted to try some of the champagne variety Bearleigh. I did once have rhubarb tart that someone made and I was dreading trying to eat it but it was very nice.

Very impressed at your work Bertha, especially given the weather ! Will be lovely to see future progress. And would love to see pics of Humph's potting shed, sounds fantastic.

Fingers crossed MiniRhubarb is better soon and live the idea of a community orchard. Funnyperson, I have lots of primroses if you need any.

No gardening today and had my first fish casualty in the aqua phonic system.

I will try to add a photo of the potting shed when I get round to taking one. It faces onto the yard where we park and where the greenhouse is. It used to house animals but the wall between has been taken down and it is open on one side. Eventually we will put some doors on. It is quite a big room and is empty at the moment there is no way it will stay that tidy

I don't mind slaughtering the pigs Rhubarb but I cravenly don't play any part in taking them to the butchers.

yay for propagation funnyperson
it is just SO satisfying

Argh my bare root roses have been sitting in a bucket of water since Friday night. If I plant them tomorrow will they be alright?

Had to be very stern with myself this afternoon - Aldi had fruit trees (apple, cherry, plum & pear) for €4.99 each. And they were fine tall trees, about 3m. I just can't plant trees for now. I also have to remind myself that when I DO plant my orchard I'm going to buy some native varieties, not just the popular standards.

Hope you all had good gardening days!

Yes, I will post pictures of the edible igloo when it's up and going later in the year. Quite excited by the idea.

I have loads of fence Funny. Hardly any of it is covered as nothing grows in our ground unless we put a raised bed in. Too many casualties of the plant variety to keep trying.

Humphrey, your potting shed sounds fabulous.

Why won't things grow, Bertha? What sort of soil do you have?

Thanks for the rhubarb advice rhubarb - it's not a new clump, I had a great harvest last year until we got bored with it (pie or crumble every week, nearly!) but this year I will try to get more creative with uses for it. I'm eyeing up a an interesting infusion recipe and I did once do a lovely rhubarb sauce for mackerel. DH is in charge of the meal plan these days and once a week is oily fish night (aka Omega-3 night) so I am looking forward to some lovely recipes!

Ooh rhubarb with mackerel! That sounds glorious.