Christmas in the garden

Merry Christmas!

We had a fantastic Christmas day and because today (26th) is still soooo mild, I thought I would pop into the garden to see what's going on....

The potatoes have been popping up so often over the last week...

...that I've had to put more bricks around them so I can keep piling the soil on top of them...

I've also got some more chitting in the kitchen and I plan to plant them in a couple of weeks time. If the weather continues to be mild, then I might try making better "raised" beds around them rather than the bricks, but I will have to see....

Its been so mild that I seem to now be in the possession of some rather confused daffodils...

I believe these are all the "February Gold" variety that were planted about three weeks ago. Eager little buggers aren't they?!

I had so many wonderful and thoughtful presents this Christmas, but the one I'm most excited about (and didn't think I would get) was the Year Round Seed Tin from the wonderful Sarah Raven.

In side there are seeds including:

• Artichoke 'Violet de Provence' 
• Broad Bean 'Stereo'  
• Leek 'Hannibal' 
• Purple Sprouting Broccoli 'Red Arrow' 
• Spinach 'Medania' 
• Squash 'Red Kuri' 
• Beetroot 'Boltardy' 
• Chard 'White Silver 2'
• Lettuce 'Salad Bowl' 
• Lettuce 'Solix' 
• Carrot 'Nantes 5' 
• Courgette 'Romanesco' 
• Cucumber 'La Diva'
• French Bean 'Blue Lake' (Climbing)  
• Tomato 'Sungold' 

(All taken from the Sarah Raven website)

There is a very exciting update on the carrot experiment...

They have been growing very well, considering they are in toilet roll tubes, on the kitchen window sill for nearly a month now! (Planted 29.11.15). I've resigned myself to the idea that if they don't grow or develop into fruition, then I wont beat myself up about it; this is an experiment, after all. 

The last thing to show you is my own other "Allotment" I've been (...erm...) growing ;-p

Its a cross stitch kit by Bothy Treads called "Allotment Fun". Its come on a bit more since this picture, but I'm really enjoying it!

I'll leave you with a picture of a beautiful Hyacinth that I re-potted after discovering it in the mist of sorting out the new veg beds. It bloomed for me last year and I'm so pleased its decided to do the same again!

That's all for now. Until next time, you take care now x

Better late than never

Its been so mild again; apart form the wind!

But, Finally I have all my spring bulb planted!

I went and treated myself to some new compost and bulbs...

I have a real thing about Yellow; especially when it comes to flowers so I chose Tulips "Yokohama" and daffodils "February Gold" and "Jetfire". Last year my little Tete-a-Tete daffodils made me so stupidly happy that I knew I had to have loads more in the garden for next year.

So I decided to plant them in the beautiful pots at I've been given from my parents new garden as they wont be needing them. That way, I can dig them up when they are done, store them and re use them again next year.

I really do love getting out in the fresh air and getting my hand dirty!

The veg beds now also have a load of compost on them mixed in which will hopefully help the soil for growing next year.

I still think I need to re-jiggle these again, but Im so pleased they are all planted up and I cant wait to (hopefully) be greeted by all those happy yellow flowers in the spring!

In side, I noticed something very exciting today...

My little "carrot experiment" seems to be working! I've had some growth!!! These are on the windowsill in the kitchen, covered by grape packet boxes...

...I do love a good bit of re-cycling! (Note to self; continue to save grape boxes and toilet roll tubes!)

I've also planted up some Aubergine seeds ( from Grow your Own magazine) and some Green Pepper seeds that i collected from a paper several months ago and have stored.
I've never had Aubergine before, so that will be interesting!

And lastly, I went back onto "Veg planner"(via Google) today and re-planned what I have with what I want to plant:

Quite where the Peppers are going to go, I'm not sure yet! But my sister has just moved into a house with a lovely green house in it so I might well be "borrowing" it!

All that's left to do now is to take care of what I have planted inside and wait for spring outside!

I'll leave you with a pretty picture from my Potting Table of some beautiful Polyanthus and some Hyacinths...

That's all for now. Until next time, you take care now x

A year of nothing, and now...

My, My, My....

Boy did I get lazy!

After all that work, I decided I didn't want to grow veg at all and focused on growing flowers. What happened in the end was...

...This mess!

I planted lots of "Wild flower" seed mixes and most became over grown and messy rather than pretty.
I decided in about September that I did want to try growing veg again and just have a couple of designated flower stations,  So after a LOT of hard work,  I ended up with this...

Here is my new and improved "Wonky Lottie"! Three beds with room for pots and plants if I want them ( Which I do...and I have gathered lots of lovely pots for the spring flowers!)

The first things I've planted are three potatoes that I just let chit for about 5 weeks. They were out of a packet of shop bought potatoes and Little Miss and I planted them out in "Bed 2" (second from left) about a week ago...

I have also decided to experiment with growing carrots indoors in toilet roll tubes (very much like with Sweet peas) on the Kitchen window sill....

These have now been potted up and I will let you know the results!

Only one of the "designated flower beds" has been sorted and this is under and around the Willow tree. I did intend this to be circular, as this looks a bit like a grave! But I hope once some flowers are in there it will be fine!

During all this mass dig-up I potted up lots of flowers and put them on my lovely (and very wonky) potting table...

(Its even fuller now!)

So in theory I will have lots to put in the flower beds!

There will be one more over in the corner next to the little kids play house....eventually.

But for now, let me leave you with a couple more pictures of the new and improved Little Wonky Lottie...

Until next time, you take care now x

Spring has sprung

Well, that was horrible.
and by "that", I mean Winter.

There were times, occasionally, I would look out the window at the garden and think "God, its so cold and miserable out there, I'm glad I'm tucked up inside".
Then that fleeting thought would end and this one would scream out of me "....I WANT SPRING!"

I am so very very pleased to announce that Spring has finally sprung!!!

Crocus

Daffodil Tete-a-tete 

Many of the little bulbs I picked up from Aldi at the end of last year are now sprouting, and I'm so thrilled to see even a little bit of colour in the garden!

I really do love these little Daffodils! So sweet and perfectly formed, as well as being my favourite colour! I will be sure to plant lots and lots of them for next year!

There has been one major change of plan though:
No more Little Wonkey Lottie.

This is for two reasons. One: I realised I didn't have the energy or heart to grow veg, when I really would prefer to grow more flowers and two, there were already some Hyacinths growing around the LWL anyway and I didnt have the heart to pull them up and move them!

Today is Mothers Day, and I went to treat myself to some new tubulars and compost...Very exciting, I know!

I have now potted up almost all of this and along with some Ivy from mum and dads garden, (all but two bits of which I have planted with stakes around the garden) and some Calendula (orange).

Ivy and Calendula

All potted up on Mothers Day

I didnt have much luck with tubluars last year, so I'm hoping this year will be different!

The only thing I have growing indoor are Sweet peas... and in another week or so, I will make a support structure for them and plant them in the old LWL, which I hope will now become a Cutting Garden Patch (CGP)!

Sweet Peas; Mixed