Things are beginning to happen in our Portuguese garden!
We have had a very mild and dry winter, with very little rain. This is going to be a real problem later in the year as the fontes (wells) and reservoirs are getting low. On the plus side it does mean that the garden is springing into life a little earlier than previous years because it is so mild. The countryside around us is green and lush, and the peppercorn trees are covered in yellow blossom.
The vegetable garden
I’ve been doing quite a lot in the vegetable garden over the past few weeks – pruning the grape vines, digging compost into the veg patch to improve the dreadful soil we have here, and clearing the raised beds.
There have also been seeds going in. The beetroot I planted into the raised beds is sprouting well, and I’ve started cabbage, peas and beans in seed pots to plant out later. I planted peas straight into the soil and they grew really strongly, but sadly were eaten the moment they popped above the soil so I’ve started some more to plant out when they are stronger.
The flower garden
The flowers have also started coming out. I love a garden full of flowers and so have had to learn a lot about what can grow in the Alentejo climate. Over the past couple of years I have had many failures because of the heat. But this year I think I’ve turned a corner!
Our roses are doing well, and the rosemary, lilies and honeysuckle are all thriving. I transplanted some African Daisies into our front beds and they have taken beautifully. Most exciting is that we have our first flower on the Bird of Paradise we planted when we first moved in. My lavender was looking rather leggy so I have pruned it quite hard which should help it to bush out more. Sadly this means it is looking very sorry for itself at the moment.
I put in some bulbs a couple of years age which means we have daffodils and hyacinth emerging. The love-in-the-mist has self seeded and I’m hoping for a good display in a few weeks. I’ve also planted borage, night stocks and sweet peas so fingers crossed. I have a few more seeds to plant as an experiment including marigolds and yarrow.
What hasn’t worked…
However, I have had a few failures as ever… I have been very keen to increase my herb garden and so planted sage, comfrey and summer savoury. At the moment none of these seem to be sprouting, but I’ll give it a few more days before passing judgement.
I have also been struggling to grow cabbages. This is hugely frustrating as the cabbage is the most common vegetable in all the gardens around here, and no-one else seems to struggle. I suspect that the problem is a combination of our poor soil, and the slugs. I have 4 cabbages left that are struggling on, but they are looking very nibbled and not growing strongly. On advice from a knowledgable friend and neighbour, I am going to try a different variety and start them in pots to plant out when they are well established.