Six-on-Saturday: January Week 4

It was a stormy week. Storm Isha brought a ton load of rain and severe winds. Status Orange warning here and red for the west and north-west of Ireland. Jocelyn arrived two days later. The last time Ireland experienced named storms as far as ‘I’ was in 2016. Interestingly, there were only 2 last year (Sept 2022 – Aug 2023).

Monday, Wednesday and Friday were fine, dry and calm. There was time and opportunity for garden preparation.

1. Seed Sowing

Some organic seeds arrived from West Cork and Germany. The propagator was cleaned and turned on. Seeds were sown, despite my intention to wait until the end of February. I’m losing the run of myself.

2. Lettuces

For the past few years, I’ve had a constant supply of lettuces ready to harvest for my lunch plate. I missed out on sowing since last Autumn, but the conveyor belt has started again. These will be ready early March. In the meantime, I’ll continue sowing every third week.

3. Grow Light

Recently I purchased six small grow lights. Seeds will either love or hate them. I’ll want to learn how best to use this to best effect. One light worked a treat to germinate lettuces faster. More importantly, I’ll learn to use this gadget to accelerate post-germination growth.

4. ‘Plúiríní Sneachta’: Snowdrops

I thought the Snowdrops had died, smothered by the Ajuga. That’s what it does. To my surprise, the Plúiríní Sneachta have risen and flowered. Not easy to see them amid the undergrowth, but they’re delightful when inspected at close quarters.

5. Rising Temperatures

Average January daytime temperatures in these parts is about 5-10°C. Yesterday at 2pm in the glasshouse it reached 31+. Admittedly the thermometer is in direct sunlight but imagine what it would get to if I’d keep the glass cleaned properly! The lettuces are shooting up.

6. Fatsia

This is Fatsia japonica ‘Spider’s Web’. At present, it’s sitting in a garden centre just waiting for me to purchase. It’s on my wishlist and I’m sticking to my plan to get just one plant each month. February is just around the corner. Am I serious, you ask? Yes I am. February’s planned purchase (Choisya ternata ‘Irene Patterson’) has been pushed back to March.

Summary

Pop over to Jim’s Site to discover more Six-on-Saturday updates. Until next time, I hope you get to enjoy some time in the garden.