Sponsored by Upchurch River Valley Golf Course LtdWell, it finally happened, and we moved into Priory Corner Cottage in the quiet Suffolk village of Stradbroke on 16th December. It was probably the coldest week of the winter so far, so the oil boiler and central heating became the first priority. The property had been empty for 20 months, which meant two Autumns worth of leaf and tree debris to clear.
The entire plot was carpeted with fallen leaves, including all the gullies, drains and gutters. The garden is overgrown and neglected, and the previous owner, now deceased, had a habit of piling leaves and prunings behind the garage, sheds and summer house. Fortunately, there is a 4 feet deep redundant drainage ditch that terminates in the back garden, and the mountains of garden waste are being raked up and deposited in the ditch. That will compost down nicely and form part of the vegetable patch next year.
Priory Corner Cottage. Back Garden. Christmas Present.
February is a quiet time in the garden and still in the grip of winter, however, winter bulbs and primula will start to show. Some impressive Snowdrops have already appeared, and we lifted some “in the green” from our garden in Oak Lane last year, and they are starting to show. We also brought some Primroses with us, which are looking healthy and coming into flower. Other than tidying them up, we intend to leave the borders alone for 12 months to find out what is in them.
The lawn is rather sparse and full of moss, and I have been making enquiries about seed merchants. A lot of the lawn will be taken up to create the vegetable patch, but it would be good to maintain a relatively small lawn and keep it in good condition. The plan is a bespoke mix of seed that will provide a good degree of drought resistance. It will be based on Canada Green which has a high level of Fescue, which spreads to fill bare patches. Then add additional Bermuda and Kentucky Bluegrass plus Kikuyu, which is used for landscaping in Africa! Also incorporating hard landscaping will give the garden a Mediterranean style.
A vegetable patch will be a big part of the new garden, and a plot has already been earmarked to get things started this year. The turf will be lifted and placed green side down in the ditch, followed by the pleasure of double digging. This only needs to be done once as it is more efficient to plant into pre-prepared trenches and pockets each year where the soil can be conditioned in the spot where the vegetables are to be grown. “Carpet bombing”, a vegetable patch with manure, does help, but it also produces a lot of weed between the rows. I have made a start by sowing some Leek seed which are sitting in the boiler room. They should germinate after 14 days and will then go in the shed, which has a clear plastic roof, or it will have when all the muck is cleared off. I have chosen a new variety called Porbella which has an RHS Award of Garden Merit and costs 99p from Amazon. The best 32 seedlings will be selected for planting, which should give us a crop from October to March, plus the best 2 plants to be left to go to seed.
One major problem is that the southern boundary is overgrown with a number of tall trees, which cast the whole house and most of the garden into shade. A successful garden, particularly a vegetable patch, needs a lot of sunlight and fresh air. At the moment, everything is very damp, and there is a lot of wet rot in the shed timbers, which will need repairing. I contacted the local council who maintains the patch of land between my fence and the adjacent road. They then discovered that the land is still owned by the builders who developed the neighbouring estate, and they have unwittingly been maintaining it for them for years! They now intend to stop doing it, so we will see how this one ends up.
There is still another month before work starts in earnest in the garden, and hopefully, your plans for next year are in place. I can’t wait for some decent weather to really get going this year. There is an annual Horticultural Show held in the Community Hall in the summer, which is directly across the road from the cottage. It would be great to enter some produce this year. At the moment it is a cold, wet, windy evening with mud and leaves all over the place. Adnams is the main brewery in Suffolk but there are a number of small and micro breweries producing an interesting selection of ales. So it is time for a pint of Green Dragon’s Chaucer Ale and to dream of giant Marrows and future glory.
UHS is always looking for new members and tries to encourage a fun attitude towards friendly competition. So if you want to grow your own fruit, vegetables, and flowers or even enter any of the shows we hold each year, please get in touch. We would be happy to hear from you.
If you are interested in becoming a new member, (all ages are welcome), please contact Tracy Wells: tracywells0312@gmail.com
Sean Barry
