Diggeroo

That's the Toms all Sown up

2010-03-08T11:10:00.003Z

Another year has come around, along with all the hopes and wishes for a good growing season this year - the last few years have been quite a challenge on the weather front, but still have provided lots of learning opportunities, even if they have been quite tough ones at the time.
So yesterday was the first seed sowing, indoors, of tomatoes, chillies, peppers, leeks, lettuces and one errant artichoke seed that managed not to get planted last year!
A week ago I put the first early potatoes in the ground - pentland javelin (planted in a large tub planter actually). We had gone over a week without a hard frost so I took a gamble. The following night - hard frosts returned and have come back nightly. I'm hoping the spuds will be OK - I put them in 4" deep and covered them with frost fleece.

May Be

2009-05-25T20:35:00.008Z

...just maybe we're in for a good summer this year.

With all the recent sunshine, everything's been springing to life. Just look at the spud planter, overflowing already. The beans are finally all planted out - I put them out in stages, half a dozen at a time. So far the later ones are looking better for being kept in the cold frame a couple of weeks longer.

The giant pumpkin has been out a few nights now, under a polytunnel. It's growing fast - I'm starting to wonder exactly how giant it might grow. I planted out the mini corn today, with the full size corn still looking too spindly to go in the ground. The cabbages are growing well, though they bear no resemblance to the Greyhound variety (as yet), and the broad beans (left) are looking good too.

Of the caulis I planted out, some have survived, others been eaten and a few succumbed to the cold. I'll be pleased if I end up harvesting a few - haven't ever managed to get them to grow before.

Most exciting development of the week (in the garden, anyway) was putting up the mini- greenhouse and getting the lanky tomato plants off the kitchen windowsill. It was easy to put together and will easily hold four tomatoes and two cucumbers (or gherkins, as I prefer) as well as a top shelf for shorter plants. I may have to find some chillies to put up there! It must be keeping the tomatoes nice and cosy at night as they're looking really happy in there. At the end of a hot day, it feels like a hothouse in there!

Still have several types of squash and pumpkin yet to go outdoors, but noticed today that none of the butternuts have germninated. Hastily sowed some more, hopefully not too late. They're my favourites!

Sticking with the lastminute.com seed sowing approach, one last go (this year) to grow some artichokes and haricot beans too. They went in today.

A few more pictures from today, then. See below for the bean row, rhubarb and spagetti squash with a touch of frost bite.

Make Your Own Mini-Greenhouse (Or Grow-House if you Prefer)

2009-05-12T20:51:00.005Z

It won't look smart (except in an existential way) and it won't look pretty, but on the bright side it won't cost you a penny either, as long as you have lots of unused or even unusable tat and of course a wild and free imagination. And if you're lucky (and I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one) as an added bonus it may work! Time will tell, and yes, I will spill the beans on whether the tomatoes will ripen. So far they have spent two nights out under plastic and I have to say they are looking healthier than I would be after camping out at this time of year.

Ok lets get specific. Materials used - one sack-truck (seen better days and one wheel falling off), one large plastic sack (see-through, came as wrapping on something), three plant pots 6" to 8", two tomato plants grown to two feet high, one gherkin plant about a foot high so far.

No need for instructions - it's fairly self explanatory. Takes one plant to the back and two to the front. As an afterthought I put some trays under the pots, for ease of watering - removed the need to take the plastic sack off to water. The sack will need removing on a regular basis in the daytimes, for pollination, but it fits well and lifts off easily.

The Coldframe Floweth Over, and the Kitchen Windowsill Too!

2009-04-19T21:24:00.003Z

It's that time of year - young plants and seedlings in pots and trays everywhere, all needing shelter for another couple of weeks. I ran out of space by the end of March and since then have spent trying to ingeniously re-arrange the collections of pots and seed trays, to make room for the seeds I'm still putting in. Today, after the nth attempt, I adopted a new strategy. I put out a flimsy polytunnel and planted out some of the seedling caulis under it and put some more in a large pot which I covered with a pane of glass. I put some of the leeks into the ground, even though they are still tiny. There are plenty left in trays, in case they fail. Fingers crossed for no more than a light breeze, as I don't think the polytunnel will survive a proper Welsh wind.
Also sowed today - more pumpkins, a variety called Snowman which are very pale in colour, Sweetcorn - full size and mini, and I saved the best til last.. Today was the day, the runner beans are in....or should I say... off. (I soaked them all afternoon before potting them up, so hopefully they will speed along)
Had a head count on the Tomato plants, and alarmingly found I have 16 of them. Found a new home for two of them later in the day, so only another ten to give away now.
Looking forward to more balmy days in the garden.

One Potato, Two Potato, how many more?

2009-04-11T18:51:00.003Z

Another five actually found their way to ground today - Reds, Desiree, not seed pots but kitchen rejects, too old too eat. So that's the running spud total at 23 today, with another seven on top of the fridge, waiting their turn. My strategy with spuds is to only plant them in places too inhospitable to grow much else, so rough ground, just reclaimed from wild and also the far corners of the veg plot, at the very frontier of wilderness where the giant slugs and snails venture in from the Bramble Land beyond the fence. I've never managed to successfully keep anything else alive in those far corners, but potatoes do OK there.
My Broad Beans are starting to look really healthy, though still less than two inches high, and the peas are growing slowly - almost past the inch now. I put another drill of them in today. They are Canoe (not Cannon as I previously mis-read. Since discovering their real name I have started to question what's going on in my head!). They are in fact the half pack that I complained loudly of losing over a month ago. A couple of weeks later I spotted them laughing at me from an outside windowsill. Though it had rained more than once, they appeared fine so I've taken a chance with them. Come to think of it, if you were looking for waterproof peas, what better variety than Canoe? I intended to stagger the sowing of the drills, but time is marching on and I am getting jittery about leaving it too late. There is a space for a third drill though, so I might yet get some late summer peas, if I can hold my nerve!

Lil' Peas and Lil' Beans

2009-04-02T20:55:00.002Z

Yes indeed the peas are showing through, about time too, and I planted out the first broad beans today, though they are still tiny. Another week another tree to plant, I put a Crab Apple in the far corner of the vegetable garden. At less than a fiver per tree, how could I not plant another one! The Crab Apple is last chance saloon for the Jonagold which in two summers has never borne fruit. Fingers crossed it's a pollination issue. If no apples this year, that Jonagold will find itself re-planted on Llantrisant Common. I bought a large fruited Crab Apple - I doubt I'll use the apples but the birds will get a good feed off them.
I planted out some rocket for early salad and potted up about twenty leeks from a seed tray (there are loads more but I ran out of compost).
Indoors I sowed some marigolds and that was that - no more space in the propagators for now.

Madly March Marches On

2009-03-28T22:15:00.002Z

It's been a busy month, though I haven't posted much. Early March I got some seeds going indoors - Cabbages and Caulis first, and broad beans outdoors in pots. Next in the propagator tomatoes, leeks, rocket, cucumber and sunflowers then lettuce, courgettes and squash. The kitchen looks more like a greenhouse and will do for another month at least.
I bought a conference pear tree today (£4.20 from Aldi) so there's a job for tomorrow if the weather is willing.
It's still way too windy to put up the coldframe - I'd be retrieving it from distant gardens, but I'm on the lookout for extra long tent pegs to hold it down.
It's hard to believe that April is only a few days away. I love the spring but ye gods it goes too fast.

Make a Potato Planter (or two)

2009-03-27T17:31:00.006Z

It was one of those ideas that just sprung to mind and I knew it was a good one. Thanks to Sue who left a comment about making strawberry planters from an old composting bin, she started this train of thought. It was perfect - I had threee compost bins and only ever use two. All it took was a stanley knife and about twenty minutes to cut the bin in half. Two potato planters, no cost, no waste and they are easy to keep the cats off too. How's that for recycling!

Time to Sow Peas.

2009-03-01T20:20:00.002Z

Yes the first peas are in the ground, just one wide drill of Hurst Greenshaft, if you will! Haven't grown them before but they look like a pretty vigorous variety. I planned to put Cannon (variety) in today (what is it with these names?) - one minute I had half a pack of them in my hand, the next they had gone, I've no idea where. I searched and searched but gone they truly are which is a shame as they are prolific plants and the peas taste great. I've given up on Kelvedon Wonder, as they produce small pods with only three to five peas, but take up just as much room as the bigger plants.
I left room for two more drills to go in later, at intervals of three to four weeks I think.
At my nan's later we ran a little experiment and sowed a few rows of early parsnips, to see how they do.

What a To Do I had at the Allotment

2009-02-27T18:54:00.002Z

Just in case it appears to have vanished into thin air, I'm posting a short update on last year's adventures at the allotment. I kept visiting the plot regularly until around May, by which time I'd finished all the major weeding and tidying which pulled it back to looking like a reasonably well managed plot. Technically it wasn't actually my allotment, but I was using the larger part of it in return for keeping it in a good state, thus saving it's 80 plus year old owner from getting untidy notices. So it was the end of May when I inadvertently crossed the invisible line and oops I dared to plant stuff. It quickly became clear that this was unacceptable. I received a stern talking to from the steward who let me know that as I wasn't an official allotment keeper I could weed and tidy but not plant. He'd been asked to tell me that the other allotment holders would all be keeping a close eye on me from now on. Being watched was one thing, but on my next visit it became apparent that other regulars had ceased to speak to me, and instead of an Hello I got lots of cold icy stares. It worked. I left and decided to concentrate my efforts in my garden for now. I've been on a waiting list for one of those allotments for three years, though now I wouldn't want one. Last summer there were still nine in front of me on the list and no one had given up a plot for the last two years, with most of the longstanding plot-holders having two or three plots each. Hopefully the new Landshare initiative will free up some space elsewhere in the locality. Happy Gardening!

Make Your Own Strawberry Planter Part 2

2009-02-23T18:11:00.003Z

Some further ideas and more detail, due to lots of interest:
The structure of a strawberry planter is basic – it’s a container with holes in the sides as well as room to plant at least a few plants in the top. I had a look around the shed and found I already had a container that was perfect for the job. It was a pop-up bin made out of (plastic) tarpaulin with metal supports. I had bought two of them in a pack for a pound in a sale. I’ve since seen them for sale in bargain shops at two to three pounds each or two for a fiver. As long as you can cut holes in the sides without too much effort any type of container will do. Many types of plastic bin can be cut with a Stanley knife and a hacksaw, or a wooden barrel or planter is fine if you are handy with a drill and a jig saw (drill a few holes next to each other, then you can use the jig saw to cut the rest.) If you like a project, make the planter from old palette wood. You could even build a brick or stone one (like a barbeque but leave holes in the sides as you build up.)
Make the holes about three inches in diameter and space them six to eight inches apart in all directions. Make a couple of small drainage holes around the base so it doesn’t get waterlogged (if you live in the UK!)
So once you have got a container with holes in the sides, it’s time to fill it. There’s no need to buy large quantities of compost for this – you can use soil as long as you add some extra nutrients to it (strawberries are hungry plants).
Aim to end up with a fine crumbly mixture to fill the bin. If your garden soil is light and dusty, you’ll need to add something nutritious like manure or well rotted compost. If you’re using dried chicken manure, take care not to overdo it, a few generous handfuls will be plenty. Or collect some horse or cow manure from a nearby farm, it’s usually free. If you do this, try to get some that’s been standing a while, rather than fresh, as it will break down into the soil quicker, plus fresh manure will kill the worms in the soil if the horses or cattle have been wormed recently.
If your soil is heavy and lumpy, you need something to break it up a bit. Sand is a good quick fix, and calcified seaweed works well too. You can still add a bit of manure or compost, but go easy on it, the soil will already be quite rich.
So start filling your container and plant the sides as the soil level rises – it’s easier to put the plants in through the inside of the holes and then add more soil to fill. Finish up with the plants on the top, remembering to space them so they have room to grow. Finally water the plants (not too much), make yourself a cuppa and sit back and admire your creation!

Onion Planting and Making a New Path

2009-02-21T22:22:00.002Z

Spent a great afternoon in the garden today. First day this year that it's been mild enough to stay out all afternoon, so I got lots done and worked up a bit of an ache.
I put the onions in, though it's a little early really,as my nan set the pace by planting her's last week. Dug over the bed for the peas, and am pleased to note that the soil is looking really good with it's texture finally starting to look crumbly and much lighter than previous years. All that trenching and composting is finally starting to pay off. It was also pleasing to see that systematic weeding has cleared the ground of well established root systems so there were only surface weeds to pull out and they didn't take long.
I took the opportunity to dig in some half rotted compost, while the bed was freshly dug. To be honest I just needed somewhere to dispose of it, as I'd discovered a half sack of semi rotten green waste left in a bin since last autumn. I can date it to last autumn as the whole contents were a distinctive pumpkin colour and I can remember gathering up all the pumpkin pieces from a mass pumpkin carving session. I probably don't need to mention that it stank, absolutely and completely. And that was before I disturbed it.
So I had to bury it, and fast! As I put it in the ground, I wondered exactly how many gardens this smell could taint. I kept expecting windows to be suddenly pulled shut and children to be called indooors. And of course I spilled some on myself, not just a wee bit either. Still such a mucky child, I managed to get it on every bit of clothing. I swear, that smell was worse than pigs for sticking relentlessly to you. I put everything in the wash, scrubbed and bathed and I could still smell it. Still can actually, I think it's lodged in my nose! Or my imagination!
Just for the record, I pruned back and mulched the raspberry cane before leaving the garden, and yes, I did put in a new path at the side of the pea bed.

Has it really been almost a year?

2009-02-15T21:46:00.003Z

It's hard to believe I haven't posted for so long. The rain rain and more rain of last summer meant long absences from the garden until again I started to question was it all worth it. Did get a decent harvest of a few things though - the peas, which were done before the onslaught of water from the sky, were steady in their abundance for a month or so, the courgettes did OK, though finished early, waterlogged, beans were less prolific than usual, but still worth the effort, though they finished early too. And I grew spagetti squash for the first time : )
Mini corn cobs did well but the bigger variety didn't finish growing before the storms came in and all other squashes, butternut and pumkin failed after a promising start - they stopped growing but the giant snails and slugs didn't!
Oh yes, lettuce and tomatoes did well and at last I managed to grow an outdoor cucumber and a few parsnips, a couple of which are still in the ground. Also got some swiss chard still coming up and only recently pulled out the last of the turnips which turned out to be an easy and fast growing crop.
So fast forward back to the present; I've spent a couple of hours each day preparing the ground for this year - digging in manure, weeding and generally turning the earth over. It's great to have that outdoor time back again! Today the first of the planting - shallots and garlic sets. I'm holding back the onions for another couple of weeks, and starting to think about sowing toms and lettuces. Oh and the peas won't be far away either.

Steady Progress at the Plot

2008-03-16T21:43:00.002Z

I spent a couple of productive hours at the allotment today. I sowed three rows of lettuce (Little Gem and Tom Thumb) in the large cold frame, dug in some chicken manure and planted the rest of the onions. Also pulled up quite a bit of couch grass from around the paths and did some general tidying up. The patch is finally losing its unkempt look and no longer stands out as the messiest plot on site.
The garlic I planted in early March has sprouted to about two inches, but none of the shallots or earlier planted onions are growing yet.
This evening I spotted a fox in our street. I've heard foxes many times at night but never seen one around here before. I was driving into the street when a young fox appeared (coming from the adjacent common ground). It crossed in front of my car and then dashed into someone's front garden . I'll be keeping a keen eye out from now on.

Onion Planting

2008-03-04T22:07:00.002Z

I managed a dash to the allotment after work today, determined to get a few things in the ground. It was pretty chilly so late in the day but a long to do list kept me warm!

I sowed rows of sunflower seeds, perpetual spinach and spring onions and planted 15 each of shallots, garlic and onion sets. There's loads more onions to put in - I simply ran out of time.

Back To The Garden

2008-02-03T23:14:00.000Z

I spent a couple of hours this week starting to dig over the vegetable patch. One pleasant surprise was finding that last year’s garlic which didn’t grow has sprung to life over the winter and is looking fine and dandy. I began by weeding around said garlic, and then got carried away into the next bed and the one after. It was great to be digging the earth again – I’ve really missed the fresh air and exercise these last couple of months.
The weeding was surprisingly easy, partly because the earth is moist and the weeds haven’t really got a foothold yet, but also because I’m reaping the benefit of having done a lot of deep digging last year, to rid the garden of Japanese Knot Weed. I found myself thinking about how gardening is so much like life – digging deep is hard work, but definitely worth it in the end. It seems that I’ve swapped one problem for another though (so like life!). Where the Knot Weed has gone, Fat Hen has now run wild. Still it’s a lot easier to get out of the ground as it doesn’t root deeply. (For some strange reason I always want to call it Fat Chick. Best not go there!) I guess in the end, if the new weed is less tricky than the previous one, you at least can say that things are moving in the right direction!

Essential Wormery Maintenance

2008-01-22T23:36:00.000Z

Emptying the wormery went to the top of my list this week - with the decomposing matter only inches away from the lid, I kept finding worms making an escape bid. Tecnically it should have been a simple job. . .

Legend; Remove the top few inches of rot, to be put back in later, as this is where the worms are supposed to all hang out, then empty the rest (what the pros call 'black gold") into the garden or to mix for potting compost. It's supposed to be a rich crumbly, earthy substance.

Reality; Remove top few inches - worms everywhere, so remove next few inches. Keep going; more worms than anticipated, get over a foot down into the composty stuff - still endless worms. Continue (what else to do?) Storage box now full (see above) so start using sack. Keep going. Yet more worms. Start to wonder if worms can suffer from overcrowding. Sack now half full and still no sign of the black crumbly stuff. Am looking at slimy potatoes and tea bags, and a large worm community. Finally strike a fine vein of black gold before establishing that the worms have also populated the bottom of the bin.
So, end result - two bags of worms and tea bags to go back in, and half a bag of almost compost.

Anyway, the job got done and I added lots of ripped up newspaper to the slimy worm mix as it went back in, to dry it out and stop it getting water-logged. As you can see, it's a dirty job, but quite frankly I didn't mind!

Best of all, I got to spend about two hours outdoors - that's the longest it's stopped raining so far this year. Consequently I am feeling a much saner person this evening. As yesterday was officially Blue Monday, I am calling today Turnaround Tuesday, the first day of the garden calendar '08.

Guilt Free Pot Grown Christmas Tree

2007-12-22T23:32:00.000Z

I managed to heave the christmas tree indoors today. It's looking a little straggly this year - it's seven feet tall now and will have to be planted out after christmas. I've repotted it several times in the five years I've had it and it's roughly doubed in size since then. It's in the largest pot I could find for it, and it was difficult to get it through the doorways because it's so tall. I'm pleased it's lasted so well, and it'll be nice to see it in the ground next year.
Before this one, I'd bought several potted trees but they always died after being planted out in the new year. The difference is that this one was grown in it's pot (I bought it from a garden centre) instead of being dug up and stuck in one. I'm slightly worried that it might grow huge when it's planted out, so it's gonna have to go a long way from the house.

Wormery moved into the Warm

2007-12-09T16:39:00.000Z

I should have done it about a month ago, but at last I've managed to move the wormery into the shed before it gets any colder out there. I hauled it over by adding some shredded newspaper and giving it a good stir up. The worms seem to be thriving - there are hundreds of 'em, young and old, all eating and presumably breeding like rabbits. They're still producing plenty of liquid feed too - I don't really know what to to with it at this time of year (it only keeps a few months) so have been adding it to the garden, though watering is the last thing the garden needs right now.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-30T18:12:00.000Z

I was hoping to be carving an own grown pumpkin this year - never mind, I'm still pleased with the look of this one. I chose the design as a reference to the Harry Potter books, which of course concluded this year. Farewell Harry!

Here's proof it really is a pumpkin..

The Lost Summer

2007-10-27T21:30:00.004Z

A part of me is still loooking for it on fine days.

The garden has been well and truly waterlogged this year, leaving the earth compacted and keeping pretty much everything looking straggly. As for garden, so for blog, which also came to an abrupt halt as the miserable weather set in.

Here then is a brief, sad history, after which we'll be definitely and determinedly moving on.

Runner beans - failed to manage even a stroll

Onions -1 (out of 20)

Potatoes - small and NOT perfectly formed

Butternut squash - quashed

Pumpkins - nothing plump about 'em

Sweetcorn - not sweet and quite frankly not funny either

Peas - not pleased, also got showered regularly by the kitties, so refused to grow.

Leeks - leeked conviction

Garlic - well hardly

Broad beans - narrow yield

Overall best crop and winner of most persistent plants this year - definitely the Tomatoes which were slow to start but hung on in there until the rain stopped (end of September, wasn't it?) and then grew like the survival of their genus depended on it.

So it was all rather grim in the garden. Luckily though, there is some good news - In the hope of better results next year, I've taken over an allotment
As you can see it's a bit ramshackle and overgrown (perfect!) but not too far gone, so the weeds are coming up quite easily, along with the large number of half grown potatoes I keep finding every time I stick my fork in the ground.
There's a good water system set up - a large vat and a number of butts, some roofed storage (Who needs walls?) and four long raised beds plus a topless (Oh!) - Calm down, it's a cold frame.

It looked like Spiderwoman had visited the garden

2007-05-23T21:32:00.000Z

...which would have saved me the effort of making the cucumber frame.

I planted out said cucumber about five days ago. It's doing OK, though looking slightly frayed at the edges, from the cold nights!

I've been steadily planting out the runner beans a few at a time and have put the Borlotti beans in the earth too. So far, at least they are all untroubled by slugs and snails, or at least the barrier of plastic collars and bits of copper pipe around the plants is working. Elsewhere in the garden the same slugs and snails are on the rampage - even having a nibble at tomatoes, shallots and garlic, which they usually leave in peace.

Beans, beans and more beans

2007-05-16T16:24:00.000Z

Definitely the most fun plants to grow. This year I am branching out from my favourite runners. It's the first time I've grown broad beans - they are at last growing now, but they still seem hard work. I'm also giving Borlotti beans a go - these are a lot more entertaining, quick to germinate and more like sprinters than marathon runners.

From the top, Borlotti Nano, one and then three days old ( I couldn't believe it - they are supposed to be the small variety), and below, Borlotti Rampicante, which apparently will grow 12 to 18 feet high. I loved the shape - like a dragon's head.

I planted the nanos out a couple of days ago - I've grown three of them - now I'm wondering if that's enough -so have sown one more (space is limited!). Yesterday I planted out two of the runner beans (as a test run). They are still there today and have not been eaten, which is more than can be said for the peas, which have now been pretty much devestated by giant snails. I put the runners out with collars made from old water bottles - it gives them protection while they are young. I also had some old copper piping so put that round them too, as it's the best thing for keeping those snails away. Shame it's gone up in price so much recently.

Storm Damage

2007-05-07T19:34:00.000Z

Heavy rain and high winds all through the night meant that I was a little afraid to look at the garden this morning. Most things survived in tact, though one of the apple trees broke a branch, leaving it hanging by a slim thread. And, of course, it was the only branch on that particular tree that has flower buds. I have been keeping a close eye on them, hoping they will open in time to pollinate the granny smith which has been in flower on its own for weeks now.
Some people take the view that a bit of sticking tape will fix most things. I have always preferred to think of myself as a bit more thorough than that. Today, I have to admit that the evidence to the contrary is building.

Introducing Gaffer Tape...

...a veritable sticking plaster for trees, though that's just one of it's uses.

Not convinced?

Look on.

Not only has this bit of tape held my wing mirror in place since christmas day, when some festive joker knocked it off, but my car passed it's MOT last month in this state. Quite frankly I was amazed.

(I don't expect the branch to survive for long, but if it last long enough for the flowers to open, that will be fine.)

Makeshift Mini Greenhouse

2007-05-06T21:53:00.000Z

...or Dubious Creations Of A Skinflint...

Yes, you may have to look twice (or even thrice) to work out what is going on here, but basically it's a large polythene bag with a window in it, turned on it's side, hung on a frame and pegged down. I aquired it as the packaging to some willow fencing. Being a natural born horder, I knew immediately it would come in useful!

It's now housing two black cherry tomatoes, and they are (so far) doing very well in it. The only possible drawback is it may get blown over (or even away) in high winds. Oh, and I suppose there is the matter of property prices to consider - if my garden gathers any more tat it is possible the local market could take a serious downturn.

Moving away from make-it-yourself corner, here's a progress report on the rest of the garden;

The peas are growing slowly despite being eaten regularly by slugs. I have been sowing more seeds in the gaps that keep appearing, and have had to give up on the far end of the rows, as I just can't keep the cats away from their chosen toilet area. I didn't give up without a fight though - there are more sticks in the ground than gaps in between now and I am left wondering how they still manage to get through, but they do. So the pea rows are shorter than hoped for and are being seriously slowed down by the slug onslaught which seems a lot worse than last year. Some will grow - it remains to be seen how many.

The onions, shallots and garlic are doing much better, being neither eaten nor pee-ed on.

I planted one of the aubergines out last week, into a container, and it is doing fine, though only about four inches tall.

The broad beans continue to be difficult - I can't believe they are supposed to be easy to grow. Slugs have devestated about two thirds of them and the ones that are growing are very slow indeed. The largest one is still only three inches tall, though it's been up for about six weeks.

About ten runner beans are up in pots, and another ten should follow shortly. Also coming up in the pots are sunflowers, sweetcorn and borlotti beans at the moment.

My courgette plants and globe artichokes are about ready to go into the ground - I am waiting for the next dry spell to give them a fighting chance against the dread slugs.

There are tomatoes already on the largest plant (the one I bought to get a head start). I count them everyday - today's count 16.

Best news of the week though - I have been round to the local allotments and put myself on the waiting list. With luck I may get one before the end of the summer.

A Couple Of Great Finds

2007-04-25T22:01:00.000Z

It might look like a load of old tat, but it was just what I was looking for. Spotted the window boxes outside someone's house around the corner - they had been left by the bins. I needed some wood to hold up the raised beds, so I knocked the door. The owner was happy for me to take them, as the refuse collectors had left them behind. They are massive - over five feet long. Trouble is, they have a certain charm about them - looks like they are made from old packing cases. I've been trying to work out where I could use them for planting, but basically there isn't a good place for them in my garden, and I find I keep putting off taking them apart!

The metal structure is part of a bed frame - I picked up two of them, again left out with the rubbish, on my way home from work. They are perfect for keeping the cats off freshly dug beds. I put this one to use immediately. I planted onion sets and sowed parsnip seeds beneath it.

Indoors I sowed some globe artichokes last week - they came up in a couple of days. I put two butternut squashes in the propagator over the weekend - no sign of them yet. And today was the long awaited day - I have sown the first of the runner beans. I put them in pots, as otherwise the slugs will have them as they come up. I'm trying the variety Wisley Magic for starters - I have a few more varieties at the ready for a bit later in the year.

Bringing Order Where Before There Was Chaos

2007-04-15T22:25:00.000Z

I spent the day digging out pathways and raising the growing beds.

I lined the paths with stepping stones made from pieces of floor tile, bricks and flat stones. I need to get hold of some suitable wood to hold the earth in the raised beds. I finished off the weeding and general digging over too. That was a lot of digging, all told. I am feeling it now, though!

Halfway through, it looked like a JCB had visited, and I wondered to myself - is there such a thing as having too much topsoil?

Got it all under control in the end, after getting serious with the rake. Covered the beds with the weed surpressing fabric, so I won't have to do it all again in a fortnight, and then, best job of the day, put up the bean supports - one large double row and a wigwam.

The sun was setting by the time I was done, and I think I'll still be aching tomorrow!

Haircuts All Round And Dinner From The Garden

2007-04-14T21:25:00.000Z

Can it get any better?

Cut the chives last night, then got a haircut myself this afternoon - both short and choppy,it occurs to me the cuts are not dissimilar, though I think mine is a little shorter.

The cut chives provided the first edibles from the garden this year, so I made myself a lil' first and last dinner, with the last being the very last of last year's butternut squash. Very nice it was, too. Just after I took the photo I wished I'd used a slightly more this century plate!

One of the redcurrant bushes has been in flower for a few days now, and the other is just coming into bloom.

I planted out my biggest tomato plant today. I bought this one, just to get some early fruits. It's called Tumbler, though you wouldn't know it, as yet. I guess it will tumble when the fruits grow. It's already in flower. I'm protecting it with some frost fleece at night. I had to plant it out, as it's growing so fast.

Spurred on by noticing that some Gladioli have come up, I decided to put some effort into prettying up the garden - something I hardly ever do, being completely obsessed with functionality. I moved some wild primroses from under a shrub to put them in a more prominent position. I'd forgotten that this lovely stone semi-circle was there - that's how long it has been overgrown. I dug out the couch grass from inside and around it, took out lots of stones and replenished the soil with compost etc. There were so many primroses that I left a big clump under the shrub, filled the semi-circle and put more in other spots around the garden. They looked a bit straggly after transplanting, but hopefully they will perk up in the next couple of days. I sowed some dill behind them, (hence the sticks to keep the cats off), though it may be a little early to sow it outdoors.

I took some spagnum moss off the wall to use in the bottom of the tomato planter - to retain water. I love the fact that it grows in the garden, so I don't have to buy it.

Unexpected New View From The Garden

2007-04-12T20:40:00.000Z

Picture the scene....

Early evening in the hazy sun. All is quiet except for the birdsong.

There I was digging over last year's bean trench to prepare it for the brassicas, appreciating the rich colour of the earth, the peace and the beautiful quality of the light. I looked up, taking a momentary breather. In my eyeline was my neighbour's kitchen. Through his window I casually noticed he was ironing. He moved away from the ironing board, and that was when the full impact hit me - he was ironing, naked.

No I am not joking, nor making it up. There he was in front of his large kitchen window, ironing in the nud. I have to admit I considered reaching for my camera phone - in fact my hand got as far as my pocket but he must have sensed my bad intentions and suddenly he was gone. So sorry, no photos (as yet!).

I don't know what to make of it really, except I am still chuckling at the thought - I mean I've heard of extreme ironing, but exhibitionist ironing? Or is it naturist ironing, not quite as catchy, but it does sound a lot more ethical.

I thought to myself, well maybe he's in a rush to get his clothes ironed - but then I remembered that I have seen him behind that board at the window many times, always shirtless, or at least that's what I'd assumed. The mind boggles but there it is, the barenaked truth - it seems my neighbour is a naked ironer.

Back to the proper garden stuff then.

I finally gave the lawn it's first cut today. Well I say lawn, but it's actually more of a hill, so mowing it feels like an hour at the gym. I was glad to get it done - I can stop worrying about it getting out of hand now.

I spent a bit of time tidying up the pea rows, thinning out where too many have grown and transplanting them at the end of the rows where the cats have been digging them up. Using up every spare stick in the garden I have now re-cat-proofed the peas. It may look a bit of a mess but it appears to have worked as I later spotted one of 'em having a pee in the potato bed. I sowed some maincrop peas in between the earlies, as it looked like there was a lot of space not being used there. Then after I'd done it, I wondered if I'd done the right thing! Time will tell.

I sowed some lettuce (Tom Thumb) in one of the window planters. It's one of the smallest varieties. I'm hoping the planter will hold about three fully grown, as I don't hold out much hope for growing them in the ground, due to slugs, of course. Thinking about next year, I sowed some purple sprouting broccoli in the other planter, using it as a nursery bed. That's about the most forward planning I've ever done in a garden.

Indoors I sowed a couple of globe artichokes. I have never eaten them, but would like to try.

Incidentally, I was amazed to see the size of some of last year's bean roots. They look like parsnips gone a bit wrong - the sort of parsnip you could customise to make a small figure, or a face. The earth left by the beans is looking good though - a little compacted but breaking up OK.

Fainthearted Beware

2007-04-11T21:06:00.000Z

I spent a lovely couple of hours pottering in the evening sunshine today. The main task was to revitalise the Wormery which I have been struggling to get right since I set it up last November. It has been waterlogged a lot of late - I think I have put in too many teabags (a lot of tea gets drunk in this house!), so I have been adding newspaper regularly. Today I made a concerted effort to mix the whole thing around and get some newspaper right to the bottom where the problem is worst. I also added Calcified Seaweed as I went along, to keep it from getting too acidic. Oddly, I always find the worms in the same corner of the bin - I have no idea why.

After a good mix up it all looked (and smelt) a lot better.

In reference to the title, here are the pictures. If you eating, look away...

You can see why they are called tiger worms.

And here's a botttle of finest liquid feed, distilled by the worms over the last two weeks (I think they are on a go slow in protest about the conditions in there).

The early peas are starting to look like peas now.

I put in some more broad beans to fill in gaps from non-starters and re-potted some parsley that had seeded itself from last year. It looks a bit straggly but it might catch up. I potted up some chives last week - a root that was given to me by a friend (Win). I put it in a pot which has copper tape around it - last year the slugs enjoyed it far too much. The copper tape seems to be working and it is looking well. I sowed some cucumbers in pots - am trying two outdoor varieties, Marketmore and Burpless Green. I sowed some sweet peas too, for a bit of colour in the veg garden. I love this time of year.

Potatoes Planted

2007-04-10T20:48:00.000Z

Yes I put the spuds in today - only six of them, maincrop Reds. Didn't buy seed potatoes as I only wanted a few - can't spare any more space. Used organic ones though, so I'm hopeful they should be a good variety to grow.
The strawberries seem to like their new home - they are looking very perky today. Indoors the tomato, courgette and aubergine seedlings are all getting bigger, and I am hardening off the tomatoes. Some basil has come up today. Tomorrow I plan to sow some cucumbers.

Make Your Own Strawberry Planter

2007-04-08T20:21:00.000Z

Cost - 1 Pound

Time - Less than 1 hour

Difficulty rating - Easy!

Materials - 1 pop up bin bought from Tesco ( 2 for 2 pounds, reduced), soil from garden, bit o' this, bit o' that (compost, bonemeal, sand etc to mix in), strawberry plants (from garden).

Bish bash bosh, work it out as you go along - not very complicated....Job's a good 'un....Holds nine plants, no problem

And now that's a whole border freed up for other things.

Courgette On Camera!

2007-04-05T19:51:00.000Z

Ok, so I haven't got much to report today. The courgette is already starting to grow scarily fast - it has doubled in size in the last twenty four hours and is already forming its second pair of leaves.

Today I sowed some leeks and yet more cabbages in pots outside, as well as two more courgettes indoors. Quite a few more peas are coming up in the garden, though still waiting for the rest of the broad beans.

And, hmm, I found evidence of cat prints in the recently filled window boxes. Is no-where safe?

Rhubarb Rhubarb

2007-04-03T20:33:00.000Z

Yes, I planted a crown of rhubarb which my nan kindly bought for me. Dug it in with the trustee soil improver, bonemeal and calcified seaweed, then covered it with mulch and finally sand to ward off the slugs, though I am not sure that they like rhubarb. I planted it next to the rose - all the digging in and mulching will benefit it too. Bargain. Topped it off with the old bucket trick, just to see if it works (and because my nan is impatient!)

Yesterday I dug out some old compost and filled a couple of window boxes which I plan to grow lettuce and salad leaves in. I put them up in a sunny spot, taking care to level them up against each other but...well quite frankly I don't know what went wrong...

The compost I dug out was sited on a heap I inherited when I moved here. Strangely there is a pipe coming out of the ground at one end of it. I assume this is some sort of ventilation shaft, but it is a little odd.

Meanwhile, some of the broad beans are thinking about putting in an appearance, though by the looks of they are still in two minds.

I was amazed to see today that the carrots sown only a couple of days ago are starting to come up. I put a cover over them for tonight's frost
The cabbage and cauli seedlings spent their first night outdoors last night and looked well for it, so they are staying out now (I have been hardening them off over the past week or so). They are also covered up tonight.

Indoors I sowed some basil today, and almost all of the other seeds sown have now come up, including the courgette.

I am impatient to sow the beans - runner and berlotti - but am going to wait until at least mid month.

The peas have split

2007-03-31T18:08:00.000Z

I didn't spot them at first look, in fact I only spotted them at all after noticing that the garden saboteurs (that's the cats) had been busy along the pea rows. So while removing the said deposits, that's when I noticed that the peas are finally coming through.
Still no broads though - not even a bean (sorry!)
Meanwhile the garlic is doing well - the ones I planted early March are looking much healthier than the ones that overwintered. And the apple buds are starting to resemble leaves.

Things are warming up then.

Indoors two out of three pepper plants are up, the cherry tomatoes are doing fine, along with various cabbage seedlings and a few cauli's which I am gradually hardening off, and the aubergines are growing... but ever so slowly. I put them outside for a few hours of sunshine the other day but after an hour I noticed they had all fallen over in shock - they'll be staying for the foreseable future.
I have seeded about four or five other varieties of tomato; plum, beefsteak, stripey etc but they are not up yet, and neither is the courgette.

Still no sign of the peas (or beans)

2007-03-28T18:30:00.000Z

I am starting to wonder where they are!

Meanwhile, have been getting on with an endless list of things to do. I have planted three apple trees on the edges of what used to be a lawn. I wasn't really planning this one, but they were on offer at four pounds each in Aldi which seemed too good to miss. I got a Granny Smith, A Jonagold and an old english variety (apparently) called Elstar. It seemed like the rain descended the day I bought them, so they have been waiting in my shed for about three weeks. At least it gave me some time to read up on fruit trees and planting. Happily the ground has dried out just as the trees have started to bud, so getting them in the ground was timely. They don't look much as yet, but the buds are looking noticibly larger since I planted them two days ago. That's the Granny Smith above.

I got another great bargain recently at B + Q (I am a bit of a bargain shopper).I found some water damaged bamboo edging reduced from ten pounds to ten pence a strip. I bought as many as I could manage which was about fifeteen. I have used six of them around the fruit trees - to hold a mulch around their bases, and am thinking about using the rest to raise some beds in the veg patch, though I am not sure whether they have been treated with anything I might not want in the veg garden. Does anyone know?

Yesterday I planted six shallots next to the garlic. I will put some more in next month.

Today I have sown some carrot seeds in a container. I tried growing them in the ground last year but the slugs devestated them as they came up. So this year I've got some special Mini Finger seeds which are apparently suited to container growing. I used a pot that has copper tape around it - last year I grew a courgette in it. I have re-used the same compost, adding some sand, calcified seaweed and bonemeal to revitalise it. I bought the last two for the tree planting, so thought I might as well make use of them. I don't really know what I am doing with these mixes - I am hoping it will become clear as I go along!

That last photo is a nets of snails I found today living in a dry stone wall. Though they limit what I can grow in the garden I can't bring myself to harm them, as I am a bit daft like that and they are beautiful creatures when you look at them closely.

Wired for Sound

2007-03-23T22:24:00.000Z

At last the stormy weather has eased up so Igot to spend the whole afternoon in the garden. First up I put in some outdoor speakers (a new variety that doesn't need watering, and apparently can survivie anywhere).

They are quite space age to look at - ridiculously out of place in my ramshackle back garden. But it's great to have some music out there. Today I mostly listened to the Guillemots (that's the band, not the bird).

I have started trenching the second bean trench - half done and the rest dug over and weeded. I am starting to feel like I'm finally getting somewhere with it all. No sign of the peas or the broad beans yet but the garlic is doing very well.

I sowed a small drill of beetroot today - squashed in behind the compost bin and the bamboo. I was glad to use up the little space - I don't want much beetroot anyway -I don't like it myself, am only growing a bit for my nan! In case the cold returns I covered it with some old window frames.

First Ladybird of the Year Spotted

2007-03-13T17:52:00.000Z

Yes, I was amazed, but here it is, as seen on Sunday afternoon (11-03-07), taking shelter on a stalk of bamboo.

With the weather much improved the garden has seen quite a bit of activity in the last few days. I was especially pleased to hear from the council - they are promising to come around next week and clear back the overgrown brambles on their land. This saves me a thankless job - though I shall be out there when they arrive to make sure they don't go spraying it with anything nasty. And if it comes to a sit in to make sure - well quite frankly I am up for it!

Back to my own bit of scrub then, I have been busy preparing the bean and pea trenches. One bean trench dug and lined with newspaper (The Guardian, of course) and a layer of veg peelings as well as a bit of wood ash, some sand, some rough compost, and a bit of organic chicken manure for good measure. So much in the mix, it felt a bit like making a cake. Another bean trench still to do (as I like beans a lot, and so do the rest of my family who expect a steady supply). And two rows of Meteor peas sown, with the same trench method. Here are the pea rows, along with their trench.

Yesterday I sowed some more cabbages indoors - too many slugs in my garden to sow them outside. I have put in some red cabbages (Red Cap) and some type of green ones - can't remember exactly what type, and the seed packet doesn't reveal anything but the variety (Shelta).

At Last The Weather Has Cleared

2007-03-07T23:28:00.000Z

...So I've been busy busy busy in the garden. I've noticed I spend more time cutting back overgrown weeds coming over the fence than I get to spend on digging and planting. So this year, am trying a new approach and going beyond the boundaries, to tackle the root of the problem, so to speak. There are two problem areas - a piece of council owned wasteland which my garden backs on to and the garden to the left of mine, which has been left to overgrow for years. It's this next door garden which causes most of the problems, as there's good soil to feed the weeds and the fence between us is low. Until recently it's been a forest of brambles and bindweed - then a gardener (allegedly) turned up and cleared the lot down to ground level with a 3 day long bonfire.

This was a stroke of luck for me - he was just completing the job when he found out he'd cleared the wrong garden. So the last two days I have been doing a lot of fence hopping to dig up the bramble roots from the other side of the fence. Luckily they are coming up quite easily after all the rain of recent months. I have been in a hurry to get on with it before they start growing back. Now that I have done the hard work, I may ask the housholder if I can plant some spuds over there - there's plenty of room now and they will slow down the other weeds.

I have also been tackling the council wasteland. This was the starting point. I have made a good dent in it and, weather permitting, will continue to push it back over the next few days.

I did manage to spend a bit of time in my own garden today too - have started digging over the beds, though it's still looking a bit of a sorry mess. More sunshine please for the next few days...

I do love a good fire!

2007-03-05T19:13:00.000Z

It might be still too wet to dig but I managed to get a fire going today. What you see burning is all of last year's pegs, stakes and supports. As there's no shortage of woody shrubs around the garden I get a new supply of these every year.

The First Seedlings Are Up

2007-03-01T23:10:00.000Z

Yesterday morning I spotted the first of the cauliflower seedlings and by the end of the day all of them had poked up their heads. With some room in the propagator I sowed some aubergine (Calliope) seeds and a few more cauliflower.
Today one of the cabbages made an appearance - the rest hopefully won't be long. I am starting them off in a seed tray to give them a fighting chance against the hungry slugs. Last year I tried using copper tape around some plants as slug defence but it is hideously expensive and some really determined slugs did get past it somehow. This year, again, I will use a lot of sharp sand to keep the slugs back, as well as plastic bottle necks around taller plants. I have also bought some biodegradable gel which is supposed to act as a slug barrier - it's in for a thorough road test in my garden.
At last the rain stayed away for a whole day today - I celebrated by planting a row of broad beans and putting some gladiola bulbs in the front garden for good measure.
Fingers crossed for another fine day tomorrow!

Rainy Days

2007-02-25T23:21:00.000Z

In between rain showers yesterday I pruned the woody shrubs in the garden and also the bay tree and solitary rose bush. Evicted the opportunist brambles trying to move in from next door and had a general tidy up.
When rain stopped play I recovered the propagator from my shed and sowed the first round of seeds - Black Cherry tomato, Greyhound cabbage and Avalanche cauliflower.
This morning the rain cleared for a while but the near gale force winds drove me back to the house within minutes. Sometimes I wish I lived somewhere a little less exposed. I am now trying to work some wind breaks into this year's garden plan.

My first post!

2007-02-23T23:55:00.000Z

I was hoping to get this done before another day passed - and here I am at three minutes to midnight in a race against the clock. So my first post will be brief then, but at least I won't be a newbie blogger anymore!
Welcome then, to the newest garden blog on the plot.
If by chance you have visited - do say hello with a comment.

Oops there goes midnight.

So now for the why's and wherefores
I am the enthusiastic keeper of a small veg patch at the top end of my steep Welsh garden. Right now, it's not a pretty sight - looking a bit messy and really rather muddy. I reclaimed the space last year after it had become over-run by weeds and brambles from next door's garden. So last summer I ate from the garden till late October. This year, with biggger and better plans I am hoping to over-winter some greens, for an all year round supply.