Preparing for gardening again

Winter can feel so long when you love gardening! But I do find it's the best time to plan and look back on what worked and what didn't. Which is exactly how I've spent my winter months this year! I didn't take that many photos of my garden last year, which is a shame because I think it would have really helped me to remember how things looked as well as what I might want to change or add in this year round.

With spring round the corner, I have been working hard to make sure I am prepared for the warmer months. Sweet peas need to be planted and other seeds and equipment needs to be counted and bought out of the cupboards.

I thought I would use this space to write a little about what I am hoping to achieve this year with the garden. In terms of fruit and veg, I am not growing any more courgettes this year. They did brilliantly last year, but I was outnumbered by them and they required so much space in the veg patch. Sweetcorn is a must, but I'm going to reduce the number of plants from 12 to 6 in the hope I get a better crop.

I've been looking at growing certain things together to deter pests as naturally as I can this year. For example, onions and carrots together to deter the flies! I'm also thinking about getting some copper tape to put around the boarder of the raised beds to deter slugs and snails, which seem to be my biggest enemy!!

I'm going to grow beetroot, spring onions, sweetcorn, Swiss chard, pumpkins and carrots from seed (either started indoors or grown straight outdoors) and buy tomato, strawberry and lettuce plants from the garden centre. I'm thinking of growing my strawberries in hanging baskets this year and will definitely be growing my pumpkins vertically again as that was such a great space saver.

My main hope is to get a bit more colour going in the garden this summer. Last year was a bit of a wash of pink as all the pink flowers came out at the same time and totally overpowered any other colour. So lots of colourful flowers and some more potted plants on the patio too.

I'm so eager to get out and start growing again. It's incredibly therapeutic to be able to grow things and care for them and then finally eat them! Gardening has really helped me through a lot of really stressful difficult times in my life. There's something really magical about it and I can't wait to get stuck in again soon!

More garden updates to follow!