First vegetables: Onions

Finally the time came!

I got to plant my first vegetable seeds!

A couple of weeks ago we took a trip to Homebase and I picked up some veg seeds and some seedling compost.

There are still a couple I want to get; Munchkin pumpkins and runner beans from Sarah Raven.

But yesterday i braved the cold and went to get messy!

I decided to make 20 pots up and place two seeds in each. Eventually I will remove the weeker seedling as they start to sprout.

I had no idea how small the seeds would be, and unfortunately, right after this photo was taken i dropped the inner white packet (still full off seeds) onto the floor!
As my little GH sits on mud, it was impossible to find and retrieve any seeds...boo!

Luckily, the amount I had in my hand was just enough to place two seeds in each pot. They were watered and then bought in side to sit on the conservatory windowsill.

Hopefully is should only be a couple of weeks until I see something.

I absolutely adore the idea of being able to eat an onion i have grown from seed!

Gosh I hope they grow!

Im also making my own little "Gardening Journal" at the moment....i will show you when i have finished!

I am With POO!!!!! and other garden happenings

I finally bit the bullet - and dragged my poor best friend with me to the local stables!

The people there couldn't have been nicer; even providing me with sturdier bags than the plastic ones I had to transport it home!

I also treated myself to a new rake, costing a whopping £2.99 and spent yesterday clearing up leaves. Loads of leaves.

Which promptly turned into this...

Its all now been stored away in the hope i will have produced my own leaf-mulch next year?!

I also finally sorted out the compost heap...by making another!

I put the top lot off the old one into the new one, covered it and will mix it after Christmas. Which left me the able to get at the bottom bit of the old one.
It has amazed me how quickly its all composting!
With a good mix, it looked like this...

Im so pleased! Those worms have been very busy!

I feel a real sense of calm and happiness when I'm in the garden...despite the weather (which I hate at the moment by the way!)

And now that it looks so much tidier with the absence of the leaves I'm even more proud of my little patch!

In the Green House

Happy December!

I went to catch up on some things in the Greenhouse yesterday....

Plenty growing!
The Busy Lizzie has now been potted on as it was starting to look a little limp in its shallow pot.
So we have: Crocosmia, Forget Me Nots, a Hyacinth and one mystery plant...?!? I have also sorted out the other side ready for veg growing, and cant wait to get some seeds going next year!


I also decided to bite the bullet and sort out my long forsaken bird feeder...

Yes, I know, disgusting! No wonder it never had any visitors!
So the purple, mouldy feeder had to be binned and the rest was given a very thorough wash...

I kid you not, within FIVE minutes, it was swamped by greedy Starlings, TWO Bluetits and my ever faithful Mr Robin!

Now, forgive these pictures as I only had my camera phone handy and I had to really zoom in....

I was so happy watching them!!
Note to self...KEEP IT CLEAN AND TOPPED UP!

Little Wonky Lottie...up and ready, but not yet running

Its been a week or so of hard graft. Lord knows how my lovely old dad manages an allotment plot of around 20ft x 30ft!

Its been trial and error.

I knew in my head exactly how I wanted it to look. It was increasingly frustrating when that wasn't what I was seeing.

But finally, I think I've got there...

And now, with a little bit of computer magic (and a big thank you to "Google Images")...

So this is my plan;
Carrots, red onions, strawberries, munchkin pumpkin, potatoes, parsnip,  cucumber and dwarf french
beans!

And here is what I have made using a brilliant app from Growveg.com:

And here is the "growing plan" that accompanies the vegs you choose:

Amazing hu?! I think it would be better in 3D, but you get the gist!

Now, back to my little "structure"...I'm aware its a bit "rough around the edges", but that's what makes it mine!
And considering I never had any intention of growing food at all!

Here are some close up shots of what I have going on here:

Little tubs from IKEA, that have been screwed to the fence, with several drainage holes at the bottom

Trellis; made using growing canes, string and twigs from my trees, all attached to the main frame and the
fence above to keep it supported for the Cucumber to climb up.

I've been inspired greatly by one person in particular: Katie from Lavender and Leeks. Her videos are top quality, relatable and easy watching, as well as being finished professionally.

From her I have discovered...Sarah Raven...my "Wish List" is already bursting at the seams! Thank god for Crimbo around the corner; The Hubs has been informed!

Anyway, I'm off to the local stables next week to try and get some manure (Mmmm! Yummy!) for free to put on my little patches.

After all this, all there is to do is sort out my little Green house for starting the veggies off in next year. Planning on having one side for flowers and one for veg...should be ok!

Ah! Real sense of achievement that all this is done!

Veg patch stage 3

Hello again.
I have come to realised I've become a little obsessed with my Little Wonky Lottie...
My hubs has informed me that my nose is permanently planted (pun intended) in my tablet, watching videos of other growers or blogs of allotment-ers.

I think he is right...a bit.....but i want to fill my head with as much knowledge as possible!

I have spent the last two days digging out both veg patches and covering them with bin sacks so the weeds don't grow and then I can put compost on them next year to start growing.
Well, that's the plan!

I will seeks some more advice about what, if anything, to do next.

On the flower front, I have spied some more treats coming up over between the Willow tree and the Bamboo...

There is also a small Forget-Me-Not that managed to photo bomb the pic here in the bottom left. Apologies.
Thank God I put labeled stakes in the ground when I planted my bulbs!

I've also spied these...

There are three in total come up...not sure what they are yet, but they are from this bulb pack...

So I'm guessing either the Crocus's or the Scilla...time will tell!
The majority of thus large pack were planted in the same area (to the left of the garden). Its more shaded over there, but still gets the sun later in the day.

It feels great to know that, if all goes well, our garden will look beautiful come summer and it will all be down to a bit of hard work and a lot of love!

My "Little Wonky Lottie"

Hello again!

With the temperature reaching an astonishing 15 degrees on November 1st (!) I had the fantastic opportunity to get out into the garden and make up the wooden frames for my mini allotment.

Now, because I did the measuring and I cut the wood, and I put them together...they are quite very wonky!...Hence forth I dub thy mini allotment: My "Little Wonky Lottie"!

But, they do the job! Now all I need to do is remove all the soil in them (as its very stoney and clay-like and grassy) and get it covered so I can add new soil/compost at a later date.

Because of their unique wonky-ness, I didn't have room for a compost bin in between them, so its now squeezed in at the side.

Its made from growing canes, bits of old "2 by 4" and chicken wire, with a bit of cane wire weaved in to keep the layers together. I'm actually very proud of it!...Especially as its cost me a grand total so far of Nothing!

I'm thinking maybe I should have cut the Pumpkins down a bit before plonking them in there, but never mind! Its since had a lot of leaves thrown on top...I'm hoping in time this will indeed turn into compost at I can use for my Little Wonky Lottie and my flowers.

Speaking of flowers, my lovely Aunt gave me a couple of new ones...

They are officially my first, and only flowers in my garden!

They are placed in a sunny spot, next to Little Wonky Lottie. Hoping they will flourish!

I was also given some new Forget-Me-Nots. When I received some before, they lasted a while and looked glorious (in my header photo) and then died. In a panic, I scooped them up, potted them in the greenhouse and planned to put them back when they establish. My Aunt has told me not to do that again, as when they die, they will naturally self-seed and re establish next spring. Phew! Okie Dokie!

I've put these new ones in the same place as the old ones, and will just add my old ones (now starting to establish again in the Greenhouse) back with them when its time.

Hopefully if the rain stops by tomorrow, I will manage to get the Little Wonky Lottie dug and covered!

Late October plans

Welcome!

We have been in our new lovely home for 6 months now.
The garden is my baby. We have always rented and now, finally, I have a patch to call my very own.
I want to keep a track of how the garden develops over the months and years to come.

It is a relatively small garden, measuring around 40ft x 20ft. Its mostly lawn, and we intend to keep it this way as our children are still young.

The boarders around the lawn are mostly empty, except for a few trees and bushes.

I have now planted many bulbs and seeds since we arrived and look very forward to seeing them greet us in the spring and summer next year.
I have also removed several trees and shrubs to make way for a small pond, which I plan to finish next year to encourage more wildlife to the garden. In addition to this, my children and I have made a "hedgehog house" (top picture) behind a large Maple tree, complete with links to the neighbour's gardens.


My plan for this Autumn is to get a small patch ready for vegetable growing next year.

It is currently in between a Blossom tree (with a Campsis Radicans next to that) and my small greenhouse.
In the middle of the two modest plots, I plan to put a small compost barrel/bin.

The patches are only about 3ft x 3ft but should be enough for a few basic veggies to get me started.

More to come before I'm forced out the garden by the weather!