ᐅ Garden Photos Chat Corner

Wow, you have so many. I already have a few first strawberry blossoms. The tomatoes are still outside, though.

Nature is about four weeks behind this year.

Here is how it looked on April 19, 2020:

And this is how it looked on May 10 this year:

Last April, the birch tree in the background already had noticeably more green than it does this May...

Some of my tulips are still blooming as well:

Around this time last year, the tulip season was already over.

At least this year I have a raised bed and even a cold frame for one section:

Although the cold frame is currently always open because it is warm enough, I will keep it on this week to protect against the strong west wind that is supposed to blow around the house all week (and is already getting on my nerves...).

Last year, this was the view from my office:

Now:

Quite a change already 😎

The leaf lettuce is already ready to harvest:

The radishes will soon be eaten:

And my tomato plants are already outside, with one brave little tomato already forming:

So it was definitely worth starting the tomatoes early!

Now I’m hoping we finally get temperatures appropriate for May so that everything can grow and thrive. It has simply been too cold for the season for weeks (the coldest April in 40 years!) and we have had really strong winds often, which strain not only my plants but also my nerves.

The pepper plants don’t like the wind either, and although I placed them in a sheltered spot, they look quite ragged — we’ll see if anything comes of them.

My strawberry plants are strong, but flowers are only just starting to appear now (and they are huge – I’m curious what kind of fruits those will produce).

My tulips are still blooming as well.
The irises are just starting to bloom; they had already finished flowering by the end of April last year.

Wow, Steffi, your hostas have already grown so much! Mine are just starting to sprout their first leaves...

@Climbee
Where did you get the cold frame attachment? I’ve been looking for something exactly like that for ages, but the ones I find are either made of plastic sheeting or just plain ugly.

These are not difficult to build yourself. Buy pre-cut extrusion profiles sold by weight, as there are matching connectors available. Glass from the glazier isn’t very expensive either. Make sure to allow for the different expansion rates of glass and metal when heated, so install them somewhat loosely, use a rubber seal to prevent rattling, and you’re done.

I used to assemble a wooden frame with screws that could be extended upward and attached a twin-wall sheet as a lid with a hinge. It worked great for seedlings. Nowadays, we use a small glasshouse.