Spring is just around the corner

Despite a record snow fall in the Pyrenees yesterday there are definite signs that Spring is on it’s way. In the garden plants are slowly waking up and demanding some care and affection. The comfrey has started to push through. So it got lifted yesterday, I separated out the crowns and pulled off most of the larger roots, which were then re-potted. It is the first time I have done this so holding my breath to see if it works as well as the YouTube gardeners claim.

The mints are stuttering into life, the Moroccan and the Iranian, as well as the Bergamot are pushing through, the Strawberry, Peppermint and Spearmint have yet to wake up.  I think I will wait an extra week or so before starting to separated them out, they will all need their soil refreshed.

The tarragon I over wintered in the poly tunnel started to push shoots out two weeks ago so they were pulled to pieces and the new plants have taken up residence in the kitchen. The main mother plant on a barrel in the garden is also showing signs of life, another week I think and that will be out and pulled to pieces.

The last lavenders cuttings I did in Autumn have been re-potted, the mother plants have started to regrow so I took some more Dentata, White and Lavindan Super cuttings, the Angustifolia, Aspic and Grosso re still too small to bear being chopped up. It is also time; no pun intended, to do a tour of the Garrigue to find the Stoechas.  I am pleased that we know have a respectable range of lavenders to offer.

The thyme in the garden is looking great, we already have Winter Thyme seeds pushing through in the poly tunnel, the vulgaris will shortly follow. Yesterday  I took cuttings from the Latifolia, Garrigue and Thyme Iberique. Thyme Iberique, in Latin Thymus Mastichina, is a beautiful tall white flowering aromatic, if I can nudge them into flower I am sure they will sell well as they are very elegant.

It is also the time to cut back all the old growth and give a bit of space for the new growth to push through. The Za’atar, Syrian Marjoram is springing to life, as is the Italian Oregano and the Sarriette, winter savory.  I am hoping the sweet marjoram that I took cutting from will also take. These varieties have so much more flavour that the Marjoram officianalis we first started with, which frankly while being a beautiful plant taste wise is bland.

And it is time to start thinking bout the tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes. they are a huge job. Over 4,000 pots to be filled, seeded and then watered, and watered and watered. they are the only vegetables we do, but they well well in the early Spring before the basil comes online. We will probably start the first batch ourselves but the main planting we will do in numbers, a load of our friends have volunteered to help us. So the plan is to get everything ready, the plant pots marked up, it is impossible if you stand gets blown over to tell what tomato or cucumber is what if they all get mixed up if you haven’t marked them all up individually. Soil bought in.

With a team of ten people we should be able to get a couple of thousand planted in a morning. Then a long boozy lunch afterwards should make a fun day. It is a model that we use for picking Dom at St Auriel grapes, and harvesting Manu”s lavender. It is a great way of making boring jobs go fast, meet new colleagues and of course eat well.

I love Spring.