Spring (Kōanga) is trying its best, we’ve had some super lovely days (about three, maybe four) and I can feel that it is slightly warming up. My sourdough starter is actually what I use as a temp gauge, once it starts getting looser and needing more feeds (and my bread in the morning has risen superbly) I know it’s getting warmer!

It’s an exciting time of year Spring – all those plants you thought had succumbed to winters harshness start coming back to life (hope you hadn’t dug them out!).

Echinacea popping

Southernwood leafing up

Sage growing new leaves

Wild bergamot emerging

Peppermint coming up in places un-expected!

Chives becoming useful again

Elder leafing up and flower buds showing

And of course all the blossoms. And of course the wind… oh that wind! Took out one of our plum trees, Early Duffs, enough to make a girl cry. We’ve propped it up in hope that we’ll still get some plums for Christmas, my hopes are not high, about as high as our tree is now!

The wind also took out my glass (plastic) house and all the seedlings inside it. Boy oh boy, that made me ever so slightly livid. Nature huh!

But, making good from bad, I’m using the top frame of the glasshouse over top of one of my garden beds that I’ve just planted my new potatoes in, again, to protect from the pigs and chickens.

I don’t think I’ve introduced our kunes. They are total trouble, I love them to bits but they need a new home/more land. I fell for the line that kunes don’t root and just graze on grass. Turns out ours love to dig the ground and eat feijoa trees! Seems nobody wants 9 month old rooting kunes when there’s so many oh so cute piglets to purchase though. Ach well, they’re very loving so I’m fairly quick in forgiving them, even if they did eat my whole saffron crop, grrr!

Back to the wind. If you have plants in containers remember to keep watering them, plants lose moisture through their leaves as well and the wind can strip them of that moisture in no time.

OK, happy spring sowing!!