13th April 2020

Things to do Outdoors During Lockdown

Looking after the Thirley Cotes Farm estate is a year-round job and as the summer months arrive, all our hard work will have paid off as the gardens are looking at their best. Meanwhile, we’ll be busy with plenty of things to do outdoors during lockdown, such as keeping the grounds in trim and with general day to day tasks like feeding the birds, watering and weeding.

Whether you’re planting fragrant floras or establishing a vegetable plot, anyone can benefit from getting their hands a little dirty and with many of us staying at home due to the recent coronavirus outbreak, we’ve been using the downtime to get green-fingered.

It’s good for the body, the mind and the soil and though it is an unknown territory for most of us, if you can step out into the outdoors, even just to tend a few pots, there are an abundance of things to do that can keep you happily occupied during lockdown and help while away the time.

You may well find that during this compulsory slow-down period you have the best-kept outside space you’ve ever had. So, here are some ideas for things to do outdoors during isolation from our team of green fingered experts to help draw you down the garden path.

Create a little sunshine

With beautiful golden yellow petals sunflowers bring a feeling of happiness and vibrant splash of colour to any outdoor space. They’re also very easy to grow and make an excellent project for children to take care of. Order seeds online, sow in pots on a warm windowsill and once your shrubs have reached 30cm (12 inches) in height, you can plant them in the garden or move them to a bigger pot. Don’t do this any earlier than May to avoid seedlings being damaged by any late frosts.

Mow-tivate yourself

While the Great British weather is on our side – dust down the mower and get out there. Set the blades to about 2.5cm to avoid any scalping and then trim the edges with long-handled shears. Remember to leave a bit of your lawn ‘rough and ready’ to welcome local wildlife.

Spring clean

Coffee on the back patio, afternoons in the garden, barbecues on the weekend. Isolation has us all wanting to spend more time outside and when you do, you’ll want your backyard in tip-top shape. Re-edging the lawn is surprisingly satisfying and it magically – and speedily – improves the appearance of your garden overall. Ideally use a half-moon shaped edging tool, or a garden spade and to change the lawn’s shape, lay hosepipe as a guide.

Spruce up your space

Spring has sprung and the warm weather is calling us to get outside and get active. Whether it is raking leaves or getting your favourite perennial beds ready, it is the perfect excuse to enjoy some sunshine.

Make it shine

From mason jars to twinkling string lights, bring sparkle to a tree, porch, archway or shapely shrub and illuminate your outside space. Once you’ve finished making improvements large and small, it’ll soon be time to invite your friends and family over to celebrate your beautiful new backyard.