Things are starting to grow!

Went to the allotment today to plant some of the peas that are rapidly climbing up the kitchen windowsill - and found things are growing!



The onions are starting to peak through

Turnips above the twig, radishes below

Lettuce and salady type leaves

Was quite impressed to actually see something as I wasn't expecting anything to grow for some reason lol.

The trellis on the left is for mangetout and the ones in the front are for the peas. Behind are the bean sticks ready for the runner beans.

Put in some garlick too today. Not sure how well they'll grow as they may be a bit late. Considering the weather I don't think it will matter too much if they are a bit late in though lol.

Start of a new year

It's been a long time since I last posted, but the allotment is finally starting to take shape. I've got lots of seedlings starting off in yoghurt pots on the kitchen windowsill so thought I'd better get the rest of the grass dug over.

Been down there a couple of times in the last week, and have managed to get over half the plt dug over now, including the grotty patch where the shed used to be. There's lots of 'stuff' in the soil and I'm keeping fingers crossed it's nothing nasty. It's now been turned into the bean patch - and I've even put the canes up!

Over the other side I've made another raised bed and planted salad leaves, beetroot, turnips, spring onions and radishes. Not huge amounts, but ust enough to test the waters and see what grows. I also put in some onion sets and a few rows of carrots. Last time we were down there a lady came over asking if Becky and Thomas would like to help her plant some potatoes. They each came back with one and told me how they should plant them. So we have 2 potato plants growing as well - each with a name on lol. The rest of the spuds I've bought will be going in once the shoots are a bit bigger.

Main jobs now will be clearing a patch for the peas that are currently trying to take over the windowsill, and dig over the rest of the grass ready for the tomatoes, courgettes and various other things I hope won't get chomped as soon as I plant them out. Also need to get the plastic greenhouse frame down there from the garden. The cover disintegrated over the winter so I will be covering the frame in netting and using it as a fruit cage.

Better remember to pop down there more often now to water things if the weather is going to carry on like this!

Thought it about time I came back!

I have neglected the blog here a little bit recently, for which I apologise. Thank-you fo rthe comments too - seeing as I've not been reading other people's blogs either. Been busy trying to keep the kids entertained.

So, what's been happening with the allotment? I've been digging, that's what!

Been down there a couple of days this week, and now have a small bed planted with beetroot, turnip, lettuce, radishes and swede. The bed will be for the strawberries later in the year when I can transplant them, but for now I just wanted to see what I can get to grow. Have also made a compost bin from pallets. Needs some cardboard or something to line it with, but it's a start. Marked out a couple more beds, but the shed is still in the way until 'some time in the future', so I'm having to work round it. The new shed is up that we brough back from mum's, and the water butt managed to collect half an inch of rain today. Need to dig the guttering out from around the gaden so we can connect it up to the shed.

Managed to harvest a few things from the garden the other day too. We had 2 runner beans and half a dozen pods of peas. The peas were huge! Tasted lovely though. Can't beat fresh food. Am so excited about starting the crops off at the beginning of the year. Runner beans, peans, tomatoes and sweetcorn are going to be among the main crops.

Talking of tomatoes, had a look at the couple in the garden and have got loads coming along. The chick peas are growing too, and there's quite a few pods. Doesn't feel like there's much in them yet, but they're happy where they are. The grape vine has really settled in and is growing rapidly.

The only thing that isn't going too great is the chicken house. Haven't had a chance to get out there and finish building it. At least I have hinges now for the doors so should be able to get on with it soon. Not this weekend though as I have my sister coming down with her 2 kids next week so I have to blitz the kids bedrooms to be able to fit everyone in for sleeping. Going to be fun as she wants me to take her foraging. Well I know where there are plenty of blackberries.....

The lottie

Went to see the plot today, and it's not bad. Bit smaller than I remember, but that might be beacuse I was much smaller when dad had one, so everything looked bigger lol. It's in the corner of the sire, with scope to 'acquire' a little extra land, and overhung by a couple of trees, that hopefully won't be a problem causing too much shade. They'd strimmed it back already, but it looks like there's plenty of bindweed waiting to re-grow. I'm not intending to do much this year but plan beds, so fingers crossed it won't be too much of a problem.

We went to have a look at the other plot I was offered, but it didn't have the same feel to it, even though it was a little bit bigger, so I think I made the right choice. The shed on it definately needs to come down. It's a mess! Not to mention full of junk and falling apart. I did find a metal tank type thing in the undergrowth that I will use for collecting water, and mums old shed will go nicely under the trees.

I should be able to work in sorting the beds out while I'm waiting for them to remove the shed. Paul told me today the wife of a chap he works with keeps horses, so mulching won't be a problem. Might stink the car out a bit bringing it home mind lol. Time to get building a compost bin or two now (along with finishing the chiken house!).

Still excited :-)

Very excited!

I've got an allotment!!!!!

Came back from school this morning to see an envelope with the parish council's stamp on it, and that could only mean one thing - the lottie! It's taken 2 years 2 1/2 months, and I wasn't expecting to hear anything until at least October when they come up for renewal, but I'm not complaining. I am about to become the proud owner of a neglaected overgrown plot, awaiting strimming.

Hopefully going to see it soon. Can't tomorrow as I'm out all day, but hopefully Friday, or Saturday at the latest. Going to spend the evening planning what to plant, how to plant it, how to make beds etc. At least the bits of wood we picked up from Freecycle at the weekend ready for raised beds won't be hanging around the garden long!

The kids seemed impressed with the idea, especially when I told them they could have their own little plots. Thomas wants to grow carrots and pumpkin, and Becky wants sweetcorn and tomatoes. Thomas, bless him, wanted to go down there this evening and have a look, but we had to go somewhere else instead. Luckily it's not too far from school, so I can drop them off then spend the day at the lottie before coming and picking them up again. May have to put the basket back on the front of my old bike, or get/build a trailer for it to carry the fork and spade etc in.

Not a lot else has been happening. Most of the plants I grew have been chomped by the slugs, but the rhubarb is coming along nicely, and the chickpeas are doing fine. One tomatoe is doing well, but the other one is a bit small, and I have one good bean. Planted out the sweet peas though, and the recent rain has bedded them in well. Need to get the tyre planters sorted in the front garden for the nasturtiums and lavender. I want loads of lavender to use in cooking and scented thingummies. I keep passing huge bushes in people's gardens on the way to school, and I'm quite tempted to ask if I can have a bunch. Might take a long a pot of jam to swap.

The elderflower wine is still plipping away in the kitchen. The champagne turned out better than expected. Even my mum liked it, which I certainly wasn't expecting as she doesn't like the cordial. But then it's not quite as sweet and has a definate 'winey' taste about it. Will have to make loads more next year.

Not seen much sign of the tadpoles in the pond lately. Mum's had froglets hopping around hers, though they've either hopped away somewhere or been eaten by the cats/birds, as she can't see them any more. I see the odd one here and there, but not many considering the amount I transfered over when I emptied them out of the water feature temporary home.

The hen house is slowly coming along too. It's ended up slightly wonky though, so I'm not sure how i'm goig to get round that. but the coop bit has a back, sides, legs and a fully felted roof. Just needs doors and a ramp, and the rest of the run built. We're hoping to get the chickens next month, so I'd better get on with it!

Blooming elderflowers!

Tis that season - the one I've been waiting for. The elderflowers are out! And after I escaped to my mum's on my own over the weekend, I came back with a very large bag full of flowers ready for wine, cordial and all sorts.

Read that the stems are a) inedible, b) make wine bitter, and c) are midly poisonous, depending on where you read, I stripped the flowers off as most recipes suggested. It took hours! But, in the end, I turned this:



into 2 of these:



I ended up with 8 pints of flowers!

4 pints went on around 5 gallons of wine (bucket wasn't big enough for any more), just over a pint has gone on 'champagne', to be bottled later this evening for drinking in a couple of weeks time, and the rest I thought about making jam with.

The only recipes I could find were elderflower and something, mainly gooseberries. Now my recently bought gooseberry bush is coming along fantastically, but it doesn't have any fruit, so I decided to just go with the flow and use the elderflowers on their own with some apple and lemon juice for pectin. I'm obviously not a natural jam maker, or knowledgeable enough about the technical bits. I've got pouring sauce for ice-cream now! Didn't help that I'd forgotten to add sugar, but while that helped a bit, it didn't reach any kind of setting point. Have put it in jars anyway, and will see what happens when it's colled down a bit.

Note to self: When the gooseberries come in, freeze some for the elderflowers next year!

Still, at least I now know where there are loads of elder trees ready for the berries in the autumn. Am quite looking forward to elderberry this, that and the other - wine, jam, cordial, crumble, cakes.......

The garden has been a bit waterlogged the last couple of days, so I thought I'd have a quick look to see what was going on. The slugs have certainly been having a feast!!! A runner bean (quite a big plant) is leaf-less, a broad bean (another quite big plant) has gone. The re-growing rhubarb has gone gaain, as has as squash, the 3 marrows, a courgette and a couple of pumpkins; 2 cabbages, all but 2 turnips (from a 2' row), and the tops from the black eye beans I sprouted and grew on. The chick peas are doing ok though, and I'm surprised I still have half a dozen carrots.

Hopefully, if the rain holds off a bit longer, I can mend the repairs on the greenhouse. Things were growing quite well in there before the wind broke the plastic tubes I'd used to join the metal legs. Have now bought some canes to put down the middles, so hopefully that will hold them together. I liked going out and pottering around the greenhouse. One day we might have enough room to get a proper glass one to replace the freecycled plastic broken one.

Have got a step closer to the chicken run - got some wire today for the run. Ok, still haven't had a chance to do anything with the fence panels we got, but I will get there - darned rain. Came back from mum's with a bee house though, so we're doing something for the animal accommodation. Mum didn't think she had the right sort of garden for a bee house.

Am worried we have backward tadpoles though, after seeing hers. They came from the same batch but many of hers have back legs already. I can't see anything on any of the few I can find in our pond. Not that I can see many though, as they tend to hide down in the depths of the bottom. It's all slowly coming along though. Need another few days of good weather........

How does your garden grow?

Pretty well, even if I say so myself. It's been a while since I updated, so thought I'd better get around to it.

Most things are growing well. The marrow, squash, pumpkin, courgette, tomatoes, peas, runner beans and broad beans have all got big enough to plant out - and have survived one (very wet) night so far. The cucmbers haven't fared so well and keep being eaten, but the chiclpeas are growing great, and the mung beans, aduki beans, black eye beans and black turtle beans are all coming along. Not sure how they will turn out as it was a bit of an experiment to see if they would grow! The rhubarb leaf is re-growing after being completely eaten - so I now have 3 crowns, as the 2 replacements I bought are doing well (got wise, didn't plant them straight away). Good job I like rhubarb!

I managed to clear a space for the greenhouse and chicken run. Mended the legs on the greenhouse with some plastic pipe, but was away the weekend (ran a marathon in Edinburgh), came home monday to find it had fallen down and all the repairs were broken, so now have to find something stronger.

Haven't had much of a chance to do anything a bout the chicken house as the weather has been naff this week. Can you tell it's half term? But I did manage to get out and pick enough elder flowers to make some cordial. The bush round the corner is bigger than I thought, as is the one down the road a bit, and I've found 2 more. There's a big tree in town, but it's at the junction of some very busy roads, so I'm not sure about the pokkution aspect. Hubby says to just wash them, but I'm not sure how far in things impregnante the surface, if you follow me. Don't want to pick too many of the flowers though as I want the berries for cordial and wine later in the year, and I'm not sure there's enough flowers to make wine AND get the berries. Quite impressed with the cordial though - it's not as sweet as the shop bought stuff. Went down very well with some lemonade.