Hello all

It's been some time since we last updated this blog but it was for a good reason. We have pooled all the best of BBC gardening into one new blog! The BBC Gardening Blog launched at the beginning of October 2010.

We hope you'll be as pleased as us to know that our regular bloggers will include Alys Fowler from Gardeners' World, Jim McColl from the Beechgrove Garden, and Bob Flowerdew from Gardeners' Question Time.

The time has come to bid farewell to the Gardeners' World blog. Why not head on over to the new gardening blog? We hope to see you there!

Saima

As a new gardening year arrives along with the most snow we've seen for 30 years, I've begun to realize that the challenges of being Greenacre's new garden manager are more than simply juggling camera crews and compost.

As with all gardens in this weather, Greenacre has been very quiet, in fact there are more fox tracks than human tracks in the snow - though it's nice to be reminded of the life in the garden when all of the plants are hidden by a huge frozen blanket. I am beginning to associate Greenacre with snow as when we started here (11 months ago) it snowed for the first 10 days! Here's hoping it starts to clear soon so we can get back out there working the ground ready for the coming seasons!

There's always work to be done here - even in these conditions: cleaning around the greenhouses; tidying the shed; checking over the condition of all the tools as well as, crucially, knocking the snow from laden branches of trees, hedges and other plants. At Greenacre the Chusan palm looked a lot happier once he had been unloaded of snow! Badly affected plants are usually evergreens such as conifers; especially those grown for their column-like shape such as Irish yew, but most plants appreciate having heavy snow shaken off.

This is, of course, our first full winter at Greenacre and we are still getting to know our new home and neighbours. We have a resident fox who digs his way in under the fence and in the warmer months spends his nights sitting in different plants (particular favourites were the cosmos and the dahlias); there is also a badger sett not far away and of course the rooks, who most nights circle over the garden when the sun begins to set.

Gardeners' World will be back on the 5th March. In the meantime, I'll be busy with the new polytunnel, propagating as many plants as possible from seed to stock the beds and borders here at Greenacre. From fruit and vegetables to perennials and bedding plants hopefully we'll have room for them all!

Decisions, decisions. At the moment I'm in rather a quandary. I'm contemplating digging up half of my now nicely matured garden and turning it over to a few choice edibles.

By choice I mean ones that are right there when you need them, outside the back door that you can pick and as eat fresh as you like. I'm thinking herbs, salads, dwarf beans, carrots, perpetual spinach, tomatoes and then maybe use the fences for some climbing peas and the like. Possibly some fruit in containers such as blueberries and strawberries?

So what's the dilemma you may ask? Well I've spent the last seven years pretty much sticking to my master plan and getting this garden looking good. The problem is that the allotment is great for larger crops, but I can't just nip up there for a handful of herbs and salads on an evening can I?

It's ten bloomin' miles away. To make my 'new initiative' productive and practical, I know I have to lose many of my much loved plants. There's no real space and I can't pussy foot around in between them, sowing seed here and there. The soil's great, the garden is south facing, but can I bring myself to actually do it?

I know gardens never sit still. I have the winter to decide. I have the fear. Watch this space and I'll let you know once I know!