My Developing May Garden in Hungary

Progress with Photos

Our Garden Last Year

Our poor veggie garden did not get much attention last year as Eric and I had various health issues meaning it became neglected and very overgrown. It looked a very sorry sight over the winter. As soon as the milder weather came in April I was determined to get things back in order and have a productive working vegetable garden once again. The weeds were about 6 ft high so we flattened them down ready to burn to clear space to make growing areas.

Time to Dig and Plant

Once the weeds had been burnt I could make a clear planting plan. The weather had been cold at night through April, too cold to put young seedlings into the ground. We had been scanning the weather forecast for days trying to calculate when it would be best to plant them out. Now, finally after masses of digging and the risk of cold temperatures at night gone, planting could begin.

We had lots of old bricks lying around the garden so I made a shallow wall to protect the cucumbers. Our dog, Haley is an expect digger so hopefully it will deter her from going there! We planted 2 sorts of cucumber….mini ones for pickling and preserving and large ones for salads. The aim is for them to make use of the fence to climb up.

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  Cucumber bed ready for planting

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  Large and small cucumbers

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  Water melons in a home made frame ready for covering

We live in watermelon country and have bought HUGE melons in the past so thought we would give them a go this year. Eric made a frame from left over wood and then covered the frame with clear plastic. We shall watch the local farmers and wait to remove it when they do.

Spicy Paprika Peppers planted out in a raised bed

These are peppers, grown from seeds collected from our favourite Hungarian Paprika Pepper inside until they were big enough to plant out. They will be small red and spicy, planted in a raised flower bed to make it easy to water and eventually pick them.

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  Tomatoes

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  Tubed stakes for easy deep watering

The tomatoes have been given the Haley treatment…roped to prevent her running over the plot. Tomatoes grow well in Hungary and are very productive and bear lots of fruits. The unattractive poles (taken from an old swimming pool) are ideal, they are hollow and deep watering is achievable by putting the hose into the tubes! This year I have used crushed egg shells under each plant to help their calcium levels and to ward off Blossom End Rot.

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  Potted mint

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  Lilac tree shoots

One of our flower beds had been overtaken with mint and it was time to take action. I cleared as deeply as I could the invasive roots and put a few in a pot. We use mint regularly in salads so need an endless supply. I will not be planting it into a flowerbed this year as the potted version is doing fine. The lilac sprout was taken from an existing tree and is doing well in this pot. Once I have decided where its permanent home will be I shall plant it out.

I treated myself to a Black-Eyed Susan and hung it in the verandah, this is the view from inside, isn’t it stunning? The bees love it too.

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  White blossom

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  Pink blossom

We have a top garden that is full of blossom trees looking beautiful in the spring. The top garden is a future project, once we have sorted the lower gardens.

Wooden Leftovers

My clever husband decided to make a couple of window boxes from wood left over from our verandah. I had been asking him for ages for something to house my geraniums in and to add a bit of colour to our newly decorated home. I was extremely pleased with the results fitting on the windowsills perfectly. He also made a bird box for the resident bird population. We love to sit with our morning coffee and watch their activity.

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  Geraniums in home-made window box

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  Geraniums in the early morning sunshine

The bird box made from leftover wood housed in the eaves of our well

We have fruit trees in our vegetable plot, almond, apple and cherry and just recently added some raspberry canes. I hope to add a plum tree at the end of this season.

I shall be updating the garden progress regularly and show you other parts of our massive garden. I hope you have enjoyed my start to the busy growing season…lots of work and weeding ahead.

Do you have a large garden, what do you use it for, I would be interested to know?