Tales from an Amateur Gardener

My broad beans are looking good, in fact these may be rather like the courgettes were last year (we still have some in the freezer!) My new potatoes are also looking promising, but I won’t know until I dig them up if they are as good underneath as on top. My tomatoes have flowers and so I am hopeful about those as well. However, it seems that I am not very good at herbs, any tips gratefully received. This year I grew my bedding plants from seed, despite my rookie error (labelling them just as ‘bedding’) these have done really well and I am now transferring them into pots. Many of my pots are terracotta, practical but a little on the boring side, so this month I have been decorating some of them. This is quite simple and you can get stunning pots really cheaply. Start by soaking the pots in water for an hour, then give them a good scrub. Do this even if they are new, as it will remove any dust or bits that might otherwise spoil your finish. Dry them and leave them to fully dry out. Terracotta absorbs a lot of water so this will take about 24 hours.

Once they are dry, apply a base coat so that the paint will adhere. You can buy special base coats, but in the past I have found that PVA glue diluted 50:50 with water works well. Once this is dry apply your paint, using a foam applicator gives a better finish than a paint brush. You can use acrylic paint, but again, I have found leftover emulsion paint works a treat. Depending on the colour you choose you may need several coats. I used a very pale cream for these and it took 3 coats. Once the colour is dry, you can add decoration. I have used some flowers I pressed following my mother’s death as these are a father’s day gift, but you can use anything you like. Decorative napkins can work well, separate the patterned layer from the napkin, trim it to size, coat the pot with PVA glue and then carefully apply the tissue to the pot. You can make named pots for herbs, paint polka dots or stripes, painting the top band in a contrasting colour makes the pot look really dramatic! If you are doing this or painting stripes, using masking tape will give you a nice straight line. Once you have finished, you will need to apply a protective varnish to keep the pots looking good. Again, you can buy special spray on craft varnishes, but I used clear yacht varnish. Just be careful that it is clear, if it is tinted it will affect the paint colours. Now all you have to do is add your flowers, and enjoy them!

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