The Organic Garden at the end of March

The Organic Garden at the end of March in Andalucia, Spain

By Nick Nutter | Updated 30 Sep 2022 | Andalucia | Organic Garden | Login to add to YOUR Favourites or Read Later

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Rockery

The last two weeks of March showed us just how much can be achieved in a short time. The garden is starting to look as we imagined.

First Shoots

Digging out Dracaena

Down the south side of the house, some of the seeds sown in the vegetable plot are showing, turnips, broad beans and peas. In the herb garden, the shrubby herbs planted a couple of weeks ago seem happy and they have been joined by plugs, coriander and parsley.

Building a Rockery

The real progress has been made in the back garden. We created a rockery. The ancient and unkempt dracaena was removed. That was a bit of a challenge, I just hope I managed to take out all the rhizomes that were growing at some depth out of the root mass. The stones came from various parts of the garden where they had been used as focal points. Many years ago, I remember Alan Titchmarsh demonstrating how to build a rockery. The points I remember are, lay the stones out as you would find them in nature, in strata, not just scattered on the surface. Most of the rock should be beneath the soil. The inside of the rockery can be any building rubbish, broken bricks, broken tiles, rubble, anything to give a little height, and the ‘soil’ should be more gravel than compost. It always amazes me how, in nature, some plants thrive in the poorest, thinnest soil perched on cliffs half way up mountains.

Let's Hear It For Succulents

A general set of plants that enjoy full sun, hot days, thin soil, cramped roots and not much water, are the succulents. Many are blessed with brilliantly coloured flowers that open during the day and close at night. I am not well up on the species names of these plants and the garden centres do not help when they fail to put a label on the pot. Anyhow, I did take a picture. The plants will all fill out this year. Julie put some pansies around the edge just for instant colour.

Window Boxes

Window Boxes

Mentioning instant colour. The geraniums and alyssum in Julie’s window boxes have already established themselves. Apart from a little deadheading and gentle watering, they will give pleasure through until Christmas and be trouble free.

Seed Sowing Assembly Line

Seed Sowing Assembly Line

The seeds Julie sowed in trays have all popped up. I can see the neighbours being the recipients of surplus flowering and vegetable plants. In fact, creating the proper kitchen garden in the back garden is the next big project. I am waiting for two strong men with a skip and pneumatic drill to arrive to remove a large tiled area.

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