Planting Out

 Many of the pots I brought with me during the move need to be planted out as soon as possible.  Plants are just beginning a major growth spurt as the weather warms up.  These rhubarb crowns will perk up in a while, they had been in pots since February.

 A good amount of my well rotted horse manure and a couple of days of heavy rain will give them the best start possible.  I won't be picking any sticks this year, and very few next year to give them an opportunity to build up healthy roots.

 The raspberry canes have travelled well.  This new growth looks healthy and vigorous. I'm pretty sure this is an Autumn fruiting variety which fruits on this years' growth in about September.  I probably won't allow it to put energy into flowers or fruit this year. So if I see any developing I will prune them out so they have a chance to establish well.  I sprinkled some mycorrhizal fungi on the roots as I was planting them.  I've had good results with this in the past.  The fungi (when in direct contact with the roots) enables the plant to better take up nutrients from the soil.

 Needless to say, these also had a good helping of well rotted horse manure and some heavy rain to get them started.

 According to the land surveys prior to the purchase of this new house, the soil is described as 'sandy loam' - it certainly looks and feels like it.  I might invest in a soil testing kit just to see what I have here, but like the rest of the New Forest it will be an acid soil.

Meanwhile, Daisy has been making herself at home watching the seagulls down on the Quay at Lymington.