Busy taking cuttings and setting up fruit bushes for potting out. Mainly Blueberries, as Mrs S and I like Blueberries, but Blackcurrant, Redcurrant bushes and Raspberry canes.
There’s an old gardeners trick to getting cuttings to root which does not involve spending money on rooting hormones and other such aids. What it involves is taking a cutting of green willow, cutting it into one four to ten inch length and a lot of two inch lengths, which are then soaked in a pound size jar water. Known as ‘Willow water‘ it provides certain hormones and acids which help the development of root complexes on other plant cuttings. Some bushes don’t need this as they will quite happily root on their own. For example, I removed a sucker from a Morello Cherry and stuck it in a seven inch diameter pot of compost. It is already in leaf.
On the leaf front it is also full speed ahead, with the buds breaking on everything planted in the last two weeks. The Lemon balm is sprouting, as are my spring greens, which gives the spur to finishing off my new greenhouse.
The greenhouse itself should be operational in a week or so. But there are still a number of things to clear out of the space. Then there’s some old Portuguese Laurels to move. Mrs S wants it all doing yesterday of course, but there are only so many hours in the day and my gardening budget is a mere shoestring, the bulk of our available funds having been spent on the house.
Which means there’s a fair bit of DIY to do in the grounds. Which at least has the promise of success. Unlike certain politically imposed ‘solutions’. See below.
The Bill Sticker Alternative 
You’re labouring under a bit of misapprehension Bill. The ‘spring’ in ‘Spring Cabbages’ refers to when you harvest them, not when you plant them (which in the UK would be about July), likewise, Winter cabbages would be sown now, for, you guessed it, next winter.
The lemon balm will spread everywhere……
In relation to your Morello cherry sucker that you’ve replanted. Are you sure it’s a Morello cherry? Many fruit trees don’t grow on their own roots as they could well have been grafted on to something else to change size or vigour. You might end up with something completely different. What you could do is to raise your sucker, then graft a top sprig from a Morello onto it. Good luck!
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Definitely a Morello Cherry, (At least the tree nursery label says it is- couldn’t see any graft marks) and I could show you a picture of the ‘Spring greens’ packet which says ‘Sow in Feb-April’ Maybe it’s a different variety. I just read the packets and bought the seeds. I’m not that well versed in plant lore yet to differentiate between early and late varieties.
The Lemon Balm spreading is what I bought it for, ground cover. I’ve a small corner of a field which will form the next phase of my Apiary, and I’m going to plant some of the seedlings there when they’re ready in mid / late April. The rest will be, along with some Thyme, Parsley, Rosemary, Wallflowers and Sweet Peas, planted in a raised bed I’m busy arranging. Only a small raised bed you understand, about eighteen feet by five. But it will hopefully brighten a corner of my farmyard.
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