April: Garden Update

​As the seasons continue to keep us on our toes – one minute warm, the next unexpectedly chilly – we’ve been making the most of every window of good weather to get planting. This past month has been all about getting creative, practical, and a little bit resourceful in the garden.

Sweet Peas & Moringa

​One of our favourite methods has been planting sweet peas in old toilet rolls (and a huge thank you to Ruthie and Karen for saving so many for me). It’s such a simple idea, but incredibly effective. Sweet peas don’t like having their roots disturbed, so by sowing them in these biodegradable tubes, we can plant them straight into the ground when they’re ready – no fuss, no transplant shock, just happy plants ready to climb and thrive. I’ve done the same with Moringa – a personal favourite and a genuine superfood. So excited to see if it gets to a bigger size this year, though it really is an annual here as the winters are just too cold for it to survive.

Regrowing from Kitchen Scraps

​We’ve also been experimenting with regrowing from kitchen scraps. The ends of leeks – roots still intact – have been tucked into cut plastic bottles, and it’s been so rewarding to see fresh green shoots coming back to life. It’s a small but satisfying reminder of the potential in what we might otherwise throw away.

Flowers, Tomatoes & the Italian Bed

Meanwhile, the seed trays are filling up nicely, full of promise for the months ahead. Dahlias, lupins and zinnias are underway, and we’ve sown plenty of San Marzano tomatoes, all destined for our Italian-inspired bed we mentioned last time. It’s exciting to think ahead to rich, homegrown sauces made from ingredients we’ve nurtured from seed.

Market Finds & What’s Going in Next

We also picked up some onion sets at the Libos market – those will be going in soon, alongside the garlic that’s just about ready. All of this is leading us towards next week’s big task: planting up the walipini, once the weather settles into something a little more predictable.

It’s a busy, hands-in-the-soil kind of time, full of small jobs that all add up to something bigger. There’s something incredibly grounding about it all – working with the rhythms of nature, adapting as we go, and finding joy in each new green shoot. Here’s to more planting, more growing, and seeing where the season takes us.