I am sure the frost Wednesday night will see off any remaining summer bedding hiding in sheltered locations. Organic matter in and on the soil will insulate plant roots from the freezing temperatures. During the winter is an easy time to put a good layer of mulch over your shrub bed as there are not so many plants in the way, don’t put on a mulch if the ground is frozen as you will keep in the cold. 50mm – 75mm of organic matter will be plenty to last a year or more. Mulch insulates the ground from freezing, helps keep in the moisture in the summer, increases the organic matter in the soil and encourages microbial activity.
I am very fortunate to have a greenhouse, this morning despite the temperature outside, my lettuce was looking very well (picture attached), not touched by the frost. It is a non heated greenhouse attached to a wall. The brick wall acts as a giant storage heater preventing the inside from freezing.
I am delighted to say Nicole, our star baker, has returned to the Bell Plantation Café team, already cake production and consumption has increased. I find it hard to understand how different people using exactly the same ingredients can produce such different quality cakes? Nicole is a master, great to have her back.
On the coldest day of the year we have had some new exit doors fitted to the front of the shop!
Christmas Market this weekend here at Bell Plantation hosted by My Little Vintage and Alan Muxlow.
Looking forward to seeing you, have a great weekend.
Ashley
Ashley Warren
Ashley Warren has lived and loved horticulture and agriculture all his life; he had his first greenhouse at the age of 10 and his first cow when he was 16. He started landscaping in 1984 mainly in Milton Keynes and then all over the country. He moved to Daventry Road Farmhouse in 1987 and has developed Bell Plantation Garden Centre in Towcester, Northants over the last 30 years.
