Why are you growing that?

Half way through the year.

I’ve returned home from a few days away from the gardens¹. It’s been very warm, so hot last week. A long drought before then.

The garden is scorched. I’ve walked around taking in the growth, the almost dead plants, and those that are thriving as it there is no such thing as stressful weather!

I asked myself ‘why did you sow that’ and ‘this is going to need so much care’. As I turned the year on my biodynamic calendar, up on the wall in the studio, I reflected on the first half, the choices I have made when planning seed sowing and what I’m focusing on the rest of 2025.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what plants I am growing, considering what plants are worth spending resources on (time and water) with the aim to grow with as little inputs as possible.

The Long Border. There is some run off from the shed roof but water butts are empty! There is no runoff.

I turn to face the other part of the year in July. Everything until now has been about planting out (still planting opps) and preparing for the summer. Now we are here. Most of the work is done. It’s a great time to review and write some notes to refer back to later this summer into autumn. I will forget otherwise!

Going good

• The long border - now mature and full of perennials, this bed isn’t showing too much problem with the drought. I put it down to being stuffed full of plants that are drought tolerant when established.

• Biennials did brilliantly. Really resilient and flowered well.

• The fruit trees. Planted last year, looking really good (no watering yet)

• New herb and dry border under the cherry trees in the old greenhouse brick bed. I thought I was going to loose them after I planted in late May but they are all coming on well. I’ve watered this twice.

• All perennials grown from seed two years ago, really clumping up.

Didn’t go as good