All weeded out

Last week was just dreadful - cold, windy and wet.  Temperatures weren't too low, if its not windy, that is, but most days, the sun was behind the clouds, peeking out only for a few hours in the afternoon. But what's dreadful for us, is actually good for the plants in our garden.  Since I couldn't go to the garden during such wet and windy weather, I could only imagine how beautifully the plants would grow.  I also had a very strong feeling that not only our cultivated plants would do well in such weather.  The weeds would thrive too.

The last time I was in the garden, I was very pleased with myself.  My vegetable beds were clear of weeds.  But I wasn't able to go back there because of the rain and every day, I worried about the state of our garden.  When the weather finally cleared up last Saturday, Pete and I set off for the garden early.  My heart sank.  Weeds were growing wild and competing with our precious plants.  A row of dandelions had taken hold of the back of the garden where I planted lavender.  Worse, the flowers have all gone to seed and I know that their amazingly mobile, durable and plentiful seeds would have been scattered all over our garden.

I checked all our vegetable beds and I could see that I had a couple of hours of hard work ahead.  Weeds were growing everywhere - tiny ones that looked like they have just started germinating, those that are a couple of cm tall and those fast-growing vines and grass.  The carrot bed was almost over-ran by the tiny ones and I knew I had to spend a lot of time there since they were growing among the slow-growing carrots.  

I had to work methodically and be focused or else I'd just be overcome by a sense of hopelessness.  I started with the smaller vegetable beds and where the weeds are bigger so I could take out my frustrations at them and rip them up in anger.  That's quite a handy technique and soon I filled my pail with weeds.  I yanked out about 3 pails' worth of weeds from the potato bed.  And I still wasn't done there.  I had to leave some for another day since they were a bit difficult to get to.  

Then I moved on to the pumpkin patch.  There weren't too many weeds there.  The winter pumpkin are doing very well.  The leaves are big and green and they look healthy.  The butternut squash didn't look too good.  The bottom leaves looked a bit white and frost-bitten and are still small.  Hopefully they would get healthier when the weather gets warmer.  I had been cultivating two more pumpkin and cucumber seedlings.  After clearing the weeds, I planted them.

The next job was weeding the carrot bed.  These weeds were a pain.  They were tiny and very, very numerous.  I suspected they were tiny dandelions in the making.  I sat there and painstakingly plucked each and every baby weed.  I didn't know how long I was there but I kept at it until I was aware that my body was aching.  I took a break and looked at the rest of the garden.

I got another heartbreak when I went to the pea and bean bed.  The pea plants that were growing so well the last time I saw them were barely peeking from above the planter.  The rabbits had nibbled at them and so instead of tall, strong plants were all short and stunted.  Damn rabbits!  They didn't touch the beans or other plants.  The choosy monsters aimed for our pea plants instead.  Sigh. 

Pete went to look for holes where they would have broken into and found a big one over at his mum's side.  We had some chicken wire left and used that to block off the hole.  Hopefully that would work or else I would have to give up on planting peas.

It wasn't all bad news that day.  We found that the strawberries are growing well.  The rhubarb too.  Also, the flower seeds that I planted are growing well too and weeds have largely stayed away from that bed.  Also, surprisingly, lettuces have started growing where we planted them last year!  We haven't planted anything at that spot but I could clearly see the familiar leaves popping out from the ground.  There was also some zucchini plants growing at last year's bed too!  Amazing.

That day, we spent three hours in all, weeding and watering and repairing the fences and wind-shelter.  Even then, I could finish getting rid of all the weeds.  When we reached home, we discovered Pete's neck was sunburnt and my entire left side of my body was aching because I was leaning on my left arm as I picked the weeds with my right hand.  I really hoped the weather would get better and better so I wouldn't have to wait too long to weed again.  It's better to go every other day, at least, so that I could get the weeds under control.

And my wish was granted.  The start of the week has been great.  Going back to the garden on Tuesday, I finished picking whatever weeds I missed that other day. And the chicken wire helped.  The peas are growing well again.  Hopefully the pesky rabbits won't find another way in.  I already have weeds to worry about, I don't want to worry about the wild rabbits too.  

Burst of green

Spring is in full spring here.  Just last week, there were many trees and bushes that were still brown and devoid of any sign of life.  And now, just a mere few days later, the trees and bushes have all exploded with color.  

As I walk to school, I could see all the trees in brilliant shades of green and on some, flowers have already started blooming.  Pete and I took a bus ride today and I could see just how colorful it is everywhere. Malmö is really a green city.  The city takes pride in all the green spaces spread out across the districts.  Gorgeous pine, oak and other trees line the streets, pockets of bushes and flowers of daffodils, tulips and lavender pop up all over the city and vividly colored pansies and petunias grow out if the many planters all around the residential areas.

After months of bare, brown bushes and trees, I am grateful for these fleeting beauties.  Now that I know how long it takes for nature to recover from winter, I am going to appreciate them even more. 

Yay for spring!

Spring is here to stay. After a long and cold winter, the weather has been kinder to us. For more than a week, it has been relatively sunny and warm and the days have been getting longer as well. The sun rises at around 5am and will not set before 8pm. Because of that, there have been more activity outdoors. More kids are out playing at the playground, playing football and rollerblading along the bicycle path. More people are also cycling to get around the city. People have also started BBQ-ing as well. The city is alive again.

People are not the only active ones around. Nature has also come alive. The brown twigs and branches of trees and shrubs have started to be covered by fresh, green leaves. Some trees and bushes take longer to turn green. Some seemed to have grown a whole new crown of green leaves overnight. The trees outside my classroom, for example, are now so green and lush, when it was all brown just a few days ago.

Flowers have also sprung up all round the city. The common wild ones are the brilliant yellow dandelions. They have started sprouting first. I can also see daisies but they are still small and cute. Planters around the residential areas have also been filled with colorful pansies - yellow, purple and red. They are such cheerful flowers and they make me smile when I see them.

More and more birds are also up and about. It's really lovely to be woken up by the chirping birds outside the window. I can spot more species of birds now, though I haven't learnt their names yet. More cats are also venturing outdoors. I spot them as I walk to school or to the stores.

Because of the nice weather, Pete and I have started our walks again. It's a favorite time for me since its a time for us to chat, enjoy the scenery and have our exercise at the same time. I would put on my jacket when I start but halfway through the walk, I would have to take it off since I would get warm. Even when it's not sunny like today, we would work up a sweat. It's rather nice to feel a bit of heat and to sweat again. It's back to twice daily showers for us and best of all, no need for body lotion since my skin is not dry anymore.

I love spring!

Let the planting begin!

By the time we both felt healthier, the days have gotten warmer and sunnier. Temperatures have been hovering between 8 - 15C daily and there have been more sunny than windy and cloudy days. After many many months, we finally started planting in our garden.

Last Sunday was warm and sunny and so we went to the garden with my mother-in-law. She has been putting more work into her garden. She has already started planting a week before. She planted potatoes, onions and strawberries. This time, she planted carrots and beets. We only planted potatoes, onions and carrots. I was supposed to plant the first batch of seedlings but they died so I have to wait maybe one or two more weeks before the next batch is ready for transplanting.

We have already plotted out our potato, carrot and onion beds. Pete helped to dig out deep trenches for the potatoes while I worked on a row of carrots next to him. After planting the carrot seeds, I carefully placed the potatoes into the trenches and filled them up with soil. At the same time, Pete planted the onions. The beds are side by side and they are quite close together, so we kept on stepping on the newly planted beds by accident. It was then that I knew I had to put some markers on the ground so we know where the beds are and what were planted.

After all the planting, I looked around the garden and found that the strawberries I planted last year have survived. I thought I lost them since they looked so dead at the end of last summer. Luckily I didn't pull them out to throw them out. When I checked them out, the leaves looked healthy and green. My mother-in-law had lots of wild strawberries in her plot. The previous owner grew lots of them and the garden was overtaken by the hardy plants. She dug up some and gave them to me so I could plant them in my garden. I planted them next to the existing plants.

Again, the strawberry bed looks inconspicuous so I made a mental note to remember to either buy or make markers for the plants. We both, again, accidentally kept on stepping on the strawberry bed. I better remember the markers or there'll be no plants left after we stomp all over them!

Yesterday was a holiday and it was another great day to be at the garden. In the morning, I made sure I have the markers ready. Instead of buying them, I made my own using bamboo sticks and washi tape that I use in scrap booking. I also used a label machine since I don't have water-proof markers.

When Pete and I got to the garden, we used garden string and bamboo sticks to mark out the individual vegetable beds. Then I stuck the markers into the ground. The garden looks better now and it made it easier to find our way around the beds.

When I was about to mark out the strawberry bed, I found two healthy looking rhubarb leaves peeking out from the ground. Again, I thought I lost them! I planted them last year but they didn't look like they were growing well and shriveled up. But they proved me wrong. Wonderful! I planted another rhubarb plant at another location but it has been buried under the compost heap. Hopefully we would find another pleasant surprise after we've cleared the compost off it.

'morot' is Swedish for carrots...no points for guessing what 'potatis' mean

Seedlings

Not bad. The little homemade seedling pots worked. After sowing the seeds, I kept an eye on them every morning. I would look into them to see if anything was happening inside. I'd also touch the soil to see if I need to moisten the soil. Most of the time, I do. The soil gets dry so I'd spray a bit of water to keep the soil wet.

I also make sure they are in the best spot in the apartment. If the kitchen was sunny, I'd put the tray of pots there. If the sun shone into the balcony, I'd move them there. I have to make sure they get the right amount of water, light and temperature. The last couple of days, the balcony is a bit warmer, so I could place them there.

After three days, I could see some tiny cabbage seedlings emerging from the soil. The next day, I could see the leaves and the thin stems. They grew quite fast. After the fifth day, the broccoli and Savoy cabbage seeds germinated. Now, they are growing well. The leaves look nice and strong. The stems look too thin though. I hope they'll be fine. There's no sign of cucumber seedlings though. Most probably they need more time since their seeds are more than ten times bigger than that of the others.

Today, it was really nice and sunny. A check on the weather forecast showed the temperature staying above 12C so I am feeling quite confident that I'll be able to start planting in the garden soon. So I have started sowing more seeds. I planted two different types of pumpkin and butternut squash. They are meant for autumn and winter, but they need to be planted in spring. I also planted some cute blue flowers called blue parasol. I loved looking at the flowers planted in other gardens so I wanted to plant some in mine this year.

I also have other flower seeds from last year. They didn't turn out well when I planted them last year. But I will try again. With the toilet paper roll pots turning out quite well, I would be using them more now. I have collected more so I'm sure there'll be more than enough for all my seeds. I hope for a more beautiful garden this year, so I better remember to sow the flower seeds.

Hello Garden!

Sunday.  Finally a sunny day.  It started out quite foggy in the morning but hours later, after noon, the sun finally came out.  It has been a nice and bright day and finally I could ditch my thick winter coat.  Again, I seemed to have jinxed it when I last wrote about the sun.  The days after that were grey and gloomy.  The sun got completely swallowed up by the full, grey clouds.  But at least it's out now. 

Pete, his mum and I went to the garden today.  It was going to be our first visit to the garden this spring.  As expected, everything was brown and bare.  It was completely different from the lush greenery that it was in summer.  Pete used a motorized tiller to till the ground on both our plots.  I used a rake to get rid of the weeds and dried plants on our side and his mum worked on hers, which is just beside ours.

It was back breaking work.  I knew I was going to get a workout so I didn't do my usual exercise in the morning.  This was more tiring than the workout.  With the raking, I was using my arms, legs and abs.  Then, I had to squat to sift out and pick out the weeds, get up and throw them into the compost heap.  I had to work on the whole 10m by 11m plot which was not easy at all.  In the end, I only worked on the parts that were going to be used first.  I would work on the rest of the land another day. 

Hard work, though gardening is, you do have a sense of achievement when you look at your work.  The garden was tilled and weeded and some parts are ready to be worked on.  We would need to come back another time to work on it some more.  There are still weeds to clear and plots to get ready before we could start planting.  We also need to make a new fence.  Our makeshift one using chicken wire is not as effective in preventing others like dogs and their owners and wild rabbits to come into our garden.  We would need a higher and sturdier fence.  But spring season has only just begun.  We would have time for all those tasks later.

A start on spring

When I saw the tulips, I got inspired and decided to start sowing seeds.  Pete's mum has already started planting hers so I thought I should get started on it as well.  I have bought quite a number of seed packets, including new plants that we didn't plant last year.  After reading about some of the seeds, I discovered it's better to start indoors first so that the plants would get a head start and would be ready for harvest earlier.

The seed packets that we bought had instructions on the back.  Pete helped me translate them and so with that information plus whatever I have read about online, I got started.  The weekend before that, I already prepared my seed pots.  Instead of buying them, I read online that I could make my own seed pots using the inners of toilet rolls.  I have collected quite a few of those.  I also kept some from the kitchen rolls too. 

I cut the toilet rolls in half and quarters for the kitchen rolls.  Then I made four snips on the bottom of one end and folded them in to make a cute cup with a small hole in the middle.  The cups would hold the soil and the hole would help to drain excess water.  So simple and so cheap.  No extra cost, actually.  The best part is that when I want to transplant the seedlings, I can just plant the whole thing into the soil.  I won't have to take out the seedlings out of the pot and risk disturbing the delicate roots.  Also, the cardboard rolls would disintegrate into the soil.  Very environmental friendly.  And free.  Similar ones made of peat cost quite a lot in the stores.  These are free.

So, when I was ready to sow the seeds, I poured some soil into a bucket and added water.  The moist soil made it so much easier for me to spoon into the small pots.  Then I carefully placed a seed into each pot and labelled them.  This first time, I sowed some cabbage, savoy cabbage, broccoli and cucumber seeds.  The seeds, except for the cucumber seeds, are so tiny.  I had to use tweezers to put them into the pots.  Then I added a bit more water and left them on a tray in the balcony.

The next day was dull and sun-less.  The balcony wasn't getting any sun and it was cold there.  I moved the pots into the warm kitchen and switched on the kitchen light.  I placed them directly under the light and there they stayed for the next few grey days.  I only had to check the soil and water them whenever the soil seem day.  If they turn out well, I will be sowing more seeds using the free pots.  I have read that some people have a problem with them.  White mouldy stuff could form on the soil or the side of the pots.  I would have to be vigilant and look out for those.  Let's hope for the best.

Fun in the sun

Yesterday was a nice, warm and sunny day. On my return from school, I walked slower to enjoy the sun and the beautiful clear blue sky. I love looking at the sky when it's bright and blue like that day. The sky just looks brilliant blue and together with the shining sun, my mood gets lifted immediately. Hopefully soon, the leaves and bushes will start turning green. They are still brown now so there's not much to look at.

However, as I was almost home, as I passed by the small garden and playground in front of our apartment, my eyes were drawn to a flash of purple on the ground. Out of nowhere, a few purple tulips have popped out! I didn't notice any growth there before this, so I was very surprised to see the flowers growing nicely where previously there was just dirt. They look so pretty, almost like jewels among the brownish soil. I am definitely going to open my eyes to spot more flowers that have be awakened by the sun.

I had another surprise near the flowers. I spotted a cat that looked almost exactly as one of my cats back home. The cat was darting around the bushes near the flowers but when I called out to it, it came to me. So friendly! It let me pat and stroke it then it started rolling on the ground. From having nice white fur, it's coat got dirty. But it looked so happy to be playing in the sun and rolling around on the nice, warm soil. I guess I am not the only one who is happy that the sun finally came out.

Spring ahead

After spending five days at home, away from school, it felt like a drag to have to start the whole routine again today.  After five whole days of waking up any time I fancy, of relaxation and leisure, I have to make sure I wake up on time, prepare breakfast and packing lunch for Pete.  As always, I would worry that I would oversleep that I would wake up every 20 minutes.  That meant I didn't have a restful sleep.  I went to school bleary eyed.

Luckily, I only have to go to school tomorrow and Friday.  Luckily also, the weather has been quite nice.  The sun is out and for longer each day.  It's hard not to be in a good mood when the weather is nice and warm, the sun is shining and the sky is clear blue.

The weather forecast for this week has been quite promising.  It seems like we would be having warmer weather this week and more sunny days.  I have to keep an eye on the weather since I want to start sowing seeds soon.  I plan to keep the pots in the balcony but it is still quite cold, especially at night.  I have been reading about sowing seeds and it seems like it isn't so simple.

The seeds and seedlings can be such divas.  Some need lots of light at first and warm temperature.  Some need not much light at first and then after they sprout the first two leaves, they would need more than 8 hours of light.  Some even need to be germinated in the fridge!

The more I read about sowing seeds, the more I am panicking.  There's so much to learn about gardening.  It's not as simple as dropping seeds into the ground and spray some water on them once in a while.  Pete and I have chosen some seeds and of course we hope to be able to harvest the vegetables.  We did get to harvest potatoes, carrots, zucchinis, peas, french beans and lettuce last year but I want to get a bigger harvest this year.  I guess the key is to research well and most importantly start off the seeds well indoors.  Spring, please be here soon and bring good weather with you.   

A Spring in my Step

It's spring here in Malmö.  My first spring experience.  Last June, I was there in summer and the weather was perfect.  Sunny but usually a cool and comfortable temperature of around 20C.  On Saturday though, when I first arrived here, it was sunny and bright but the winds were chilly.  I was not prepared for the cold.  I was shivering and my teeth were chattering in that short 100m walk from the car to the main door of the apartment.

Oh dear.  This takes some getting used to.  Or maybe I just need warmer clothes.  Yes! An excuse to go shopping!

Despite the cold, I was excited to visit my garden.  After I tore apart my welcome basket (chocolates and recipe book), a quick breakfast, we set off for the garden.

Friends can tell you that I have been looking forward to working on my garden.  I've been going on and on about it, telling everyone and anyone who was interested that I have a garden, how big it is (10m by 11m) and what I am going to plant there.  Some friends have even gotten me a set of pink gardening tools and matching gloves!  They are so pretty that I couldn't wait to use them.

The walk to the garden was not a short one.  It took about maybe 15 minutes to reach it.  But I welcomed the exercise.  It helped to keep me warm.  The patch of land that greeted me was bare except for some weeds.  The potato patch have not yet shown any activity.  But dandelions and other weeds have claimed some parts of the garden.

Wow.  I have lots to do to make it look like a real garden.  I have never done any planting before. Never ever.  Where do I start?  Pete's mum was going to meet us at the garden.  She is the expert, having had gardens ever since Pete was small.  She used to help her grandmother.  So, yeah, she's the expert.

While waiting for her, I took out the garden fork and dug out some weeds.  The yellow dandelions were so pretty and I gazed at them lovingly.  But Pete said, "You know they are weeds, honey."  Yeah, I guess in a few weeks or so, I will not look at them so kindly if they were to invade my garden.

Pete watered the row of potato plants.  He couldn't help me do the weeding cos his leg is busted.  He can't kneel or squat.  After just 10 minutes, I filled my pail, a pink one with a black handle (another item in my welcome basket - Pete chose that one cos it matched my gardening tools) with weeds.

That was when Pete's mum and Pernilla arrived.  They brought more gifts for me.  His mum has started growing cucumbers and squash for me, ready to be transplanted.  She also gave me a pot of beautiful hydrangeas.  And there were baby petunias from the nursery.  Purple and pink.  Those were from Pete.  So, with their advice, we picked a spot, and I planted a row of these, alternating the pink with the purple.  Pete, the water guy, got water off a tap nearby and watered them.

But the vegetables and hydrangeas had to wait.  Pete's mum had to leave and they dropped him and me off.  The weeding and planting took a bit of work - squatting, bending, digging and pulling.  But I didn't break a sweat.  I know there will be more hard work ahead if I were to get the garden to look like what I want it to be.  But I will not rush it.   I will start by taking baby steps.