Bean and pea sowing

Today has been a good day for sowing and potting up. Eight trays each of peas and broad beans. Looking forward to planting these in the garden soon. The weather's still a bit cold for me so I have them waiting in trays for the big plant out.
 I also made time for potting up a few Geraniums which I hope to pop outside the front door and sell to passers by. I took cuttings back in August and they have grown so quick.  All proceeds go to my designated charity (my back garden).

Christmas.

This year was a great year for gardening presents. Santa brought me plenty of bird food, bird feeders and seeds. The birds will love my garden this year. A nice new watering can arrived too. I'm a bit of a snob but I'm fed up of plastic cans so asked for a galvanised one instead. Should last a while.

As well as these great gifts I received a beer making kit and some Demi Johns. There is beer brewing as I write. When it's ready I will have about five days to drink it before it goes off. That'll be a great weekend!

Merry Christmas everyone

and a prosperous New Year.

I know what Santa's bringing!

Arriving home from work tonight I spied a wrapped present in the shape of a watering can.  This could be either very stupid or very clever wrapping. Stupid, if it is a watering can or very clever if it's really a pair of slippers or a DVD player.

My rainy day off.

I've been waiting for my two days off for ages now. Just when I think I'm going to be outside the weatherman is warning me of rain and storm force winds. Why can't I have a bit of luck for once?  So, no gardening means Christmas shopping instead. Off over to the Mall at Cribbs Causeway to indulge in some retail therapy (phtt, I hate shopping. I'll get it done in about half an hour and be back home with my feet up in front of the telly).

At least this year I won't leave my present buying until Christmas eve!

All I want for Christmas is?

I'm sat at my pc trying to work out what I want for Christmas. I need to make a list. So far I've thought about a home brew kit (something to keep me busy during the winter).  The big day will be here before I know it so I need your help. I'd like to have a few gardening gifts for around £10 - £20 to put on the list. Any suggestions?

Time in the garden

I've the next two days off. What will I do? It would be a good opportunity to do some proper tidying. The shed could do with reorganising and so could the garage. I'm going for a breakfast first thing with an old friend so that will set me up for a great day in the garden.

Hopefully I'll get time to get to the garden centre and see if they have any reduced plants for sale.  Last year I bought some empty pots of soil for around 10p each. The guy in the store said I could have them because they had died in the cold weather. Little did he know, they were perennials and had just gone to sleep. I managed to get about fifteen or so lupins and hollyhocks. Let's hope he still works there.

I just don't know what to do with myself.

The days have shortened and it's colder than a witches boob. I work until six and don't get home until half past. That's no time at all to get into the garden this time of year. I have thought about investing in a miner's helmet to help me see in the dark, but I worried what the neighbours will think.  What can I do to help me pass the time? What do other gardeners do this time of year?

Pepper-ama

My last few measly peppers! Why do I bother tending and nurturing for 6 months for such a pitiful harvest?
Next year I'm going to grow giant pumpkins again. A couple of years back I couldn't move for enormous orange gourds. At least they look after themselves too. I just got to try and get used to pumpkin pie, urghh!

Leaf mould

After clearing up the leaves from the garden I jammed them into some old bags I had lying around. I'm hoping that next year I'll have lots of lovely mulch to lay around my veggies. After a good few hours of leaf collecting, I felt a bit disappointed that I'd ran out of leaves. Is it wrong to sneak into next doors garden and pinch his leaves?

Only 5 bags? Pathetic!

Pickle wants to know why his Dad is photographing bags of leaves.

The hedgehogs are back!

It's been a long time since I last saw these spikey little chaps wandering around the garden, munching on slugs and nicking cat food.
 I decided it was about time to remove my home-made "hog box" and plant something in it's place. On lifting the lid I was greeted with the sight of two plumpish looking pin cushions. Carefully placing the lid back on, I popped back inside for a brew safe in the knowledge that my torch-lit slug-hunting evenings could be put on hold once again.

Who's pooping in my bed

This question's been bothering me for some time. One of my little kittens has decided that his litter tray is clearly not big enough and instead has taken to using one of my raised beds. We've not spoken about the matter since but I can tell by the look on his face, he knows he's in the wrong.

Leaf clearing day

I love trees. They add structure to my garden and shade me from the baking sun in the summer. Even in the Autumn the colours they provide are beautiful.

Then winter comes and they make a mess of my paths and borders. All morning it's taken me just to clear away a few leaves. I've changed my mind now. I hate trees. Horrible spindly things.

My little kittens

Chutney

Today I made some really simple Chutney.  Wondering what to do with the hundreds of apples, apart from making more crumble, I looked for a recipe book.  Although I didn't follow the instructions to the letter I ended up with quite a tasty concoction.

I chopped up some Apples, Onions, Pumpkins, Carrots and whatever other fruit or veg that was within eyeshot.
Added some spices (don't ask, I can't remember) and topped up the pan with some Red wine vinegar.  Left it to boil for what seemed an eternity (3 hours) and packed it into jars. I steal these from neighbours recycling bins on collection day (I do this Ninja-like at 6am to avoid capture).

A break from Gardening and a trip to New York.

The best park in the world?

That's what I call a pond.

The Garden in June

Through the square window

This mornings view from the lounge.

Bootsale Sunday

It's that time again. Up at 6 (ish), load the car with as many plants as possible and off to sit in a field for 5hrs.
Out came the decorating table and on went the Tomatoes, Cues and Pumpkins. The sign at the front of the stall clearly said what I had for sale so why were so many people asking if I had Melons? After a great start and £30 in the bag, the trade dried up (unlike the weather).
It's strange how I spend all week at work waiting for the weekend and when it comes I sit in the back of a car in the hope that someone wants to spend 50p on a Butternet Squash.
A thoroughly miserable day was had by all and a grand total of £38.50 achieved. Can't wait for next week.  Oh, and is it too late to sow Melons?

Hole digging, bird food eating, fig stealing mystery solved?

Caught red handed (or at least grey handed) eating the food put out for the birds. Could he also be responsible for the other crimes in the garden?

Hmm, tasty bread

Busted!

Trip to London

On my day off this week I left the garden on it's own and went to London. It was a nice sunny day and we visited several famous sites including Westminster Palace (from the inside). We queued for a good 45 minutes to get into the public viewing gallery in the House of Commons but it was well worth the wait. William Hague was telling us his plans for Libya. And later Andrew Lansley was roundly booed by the Labour benches for his National Health speech.

We really enjoyed our day out in the capital though with all the walking, my legs now wish they hadn't gone with me.

My lovely raised bed

Here it is. My raised bed. On Wednesday I had a day off so I set to work on weeding, turning and raking. The seeds I have sown are Carrot, beetroot, parsnip and spinach. I also added some bottomless pots at one end ready for some tomatoes later in the year. The bed already has some asparagus so it should be brimming with veggies come summer.

 Some handy name pegs made from offcuts of wood I found in the garage. Waste not, want not.

Once these crops finish I will need replacements.  Any suggestions for what to grow in the bed later in the year?

Sad?

Is it just me or does anyone else believe in seasonal affective disorder? I used to think it was a load of old rubbish. That was, until now. I now truly understand how depressing the winter months can be.
 The weekend's here at last and with the week I've had I need some gardening therapy. This winter has been going on far too long and I can't wait to get out and sit in the sun or potter around in the shed. I plan on potting up some more of my Ailsa Craig toms in the morning and if it stays dry I might even make up some spring baskets. I'm sure the summer's just around the corner. Let's get gardening!

Sunday seed sowing

Today was a beautiful day. The sun shone from early morning until 6pm. Today's job in the garden was seed sowing. All of a sudden the year seems to be marching on (no pun intended) and I feel as if I now have lots to do before it's too late.

 I found this old packet of salad leaves from last year and started them off first thing. Before I realised, I was opening seeds left, right and centre. Lettuce, Tomatoes, Courgettes, Sunflowers, Cornflowers, Sweet peas and African Marigolds. All done before lunch.

Some of last years seed from the BBC.

"Cut and come again" salad leaves.

Plenty of tea was drunk too.

After lunch I cleared out the shed and hung all my tools neatly on the wall. All in all a thoroughly productive day. Back to work for a week and looking forward to next weekend.

Rain rain go away!

Rain rain go away,
Come again another day.
Little Nathan wants to play;
Rain, rain, go to Spain,
Never show your face again!

A bath in the garden?

I've always fancied the idea of a bath in the garden. So last year I did. I planted it up with onion sets last autumn and hopefully in a month or two I'll be pulling some tasty bulbs.  Once the onions are done I intend to plant some potatoes. I like the idea of making use out of unwanted objects. The garden also has a collection of car tyres too, planted up with winter greens.  Is this the strangest raised bed or do you have your own wacky ideas?

A present for the parents.

It's been a bit of a quiet day in the garden for me today. The sun has been out for most of the afternoon but I've had little to do. I'm short of money at the moment so that doesn't help. Usually I'd be at the garden centre buying a new plant and squeezing it into a gap somewhere. Anyway, so far I've washed the car and dug up some Rhubarb to take to my parents house.  They love Rhubarb like me so now they can have their own patch. The sun seems to be setting now so I'm going back outside to do some pottering before it gets dark.

First colour of spring

The front of my house.

These are the first bulbs to offer some colour to the garden so far this year. Things are moving fast now and I've a feeling the garden will soon come alive.  This little patch at the front of the house gives me enormous pleasure when I pull up in my car after work. Can't wait for the deep reds and purples of the tulips to break through.

A pane in the glass

I heard a loud crash in the night a few days ago. This morning I found out what it was. Two sheet of glass had fallen out of my greenhouse. I need to repair it this weekend but I am not sure whether to use real glass or polycarbonate. Which is best I wonder?

What a nice butt!

The sun was shining for a while this morning. I thought I'd better make the most of it and do something useful in the garden. It seems to be raining most of the time at the moment, so as it was dry, I installed two water butts.

They've been lying around for a while and I know I am going to need their precious bounty this summer. Let's just hope they stay full all year. I feel satisfied with a job well done and hopefully it will save money on my water bills as well as helping the environment a little.

Hurry up Spring

I wish the warm weather would hurry up and arrive. I can't wait to be back out in the garden. I miss sitting in the sun admiring the flowers. I'm going stir crazy at the moment. So come on spring "pull your finger out".

Rhubarb rhubarb

Things are beginning to happen in the garden at last. Last week I covered up my rhubarb with my home-made cloche. To my amazement, when I looked again today there were signs of life.

The beautiful pink buds are poking through the soil and will soon be the focus of my veg patch again.

 Bring on the Crumble!

Some tasty fresh produce

Hmmmm

Gooseberry Jam

After my last success with the blackcurrant jam I decided to have another go.
Having been made redundant recently, I've had to cook, clean and wash, all while my partner goes to work to pay the mortgage. The latest attempt to question my manhood came as a friend suggested I join the Women's Institute. He found that very funny but still took a jar of blackcurrant home with him
Anyway my bread, cake and jam skills are coming along a treat. When I do go back to work I will continue to do all the cooking though I may leave the washing to someone else.

http://www.channel4.com/food/recipes/popular-cuisines/british/gooseberry-jam-recipe_p_1.html

Carrots for dinner

They may not be perfectly formed but they tasted great. Slightly disappointed I didn't get any rude shapes though.

Jam making

Having lots of Blackcurrants going soft in the back garden, I decided to make some jam.

Found a recipe on the net and set to work.  The worst bit is topping and tailing the currants themselves. After three nights, my partner and I had finished. 8lb of trimmed currants.

After several hours of boiling, stirring, cooling, boiling, stirring, cooling, I had a substance that looked a little bit like JAM.

 To mine and everybody else's amazement it tasted like jam too.

You can find the recipe at woman and home.

July photos

Bee Hotel

This is my bee hotel. It was empty last year, but this time around it is filling up with Mason bees. I love the way they cut little doors out of leaves and attach them to the front. 

For information on how to make your own Bee Hotel visit Gardener's World.com

Holy Moley!

The watering took a lot longer than I expected tonight. A least half an hour longer than normal. Eventually I realised I had a hole in my watering can. Should 'ave gone to Specsavers.

Look at those Cues

Wow! I am enormously impressed with my cucumbers so far this year. Although the skins are slightly tough they taste great when peeled, sliced and used in sandwiches. I've got so many I have to give them away to anyone who visits. At least the Postman's lunch is sorted for next week.

Off to an early start

These are some of the seeds I have under way. Tomatoes, Marrows, Cucumbers and Aubergines. They are on an enormous propagator to give them a nice early start.

The ones I don't grow myself will end up being sold from the front of the house.

Looking for a fish supper.

While updating my blog I looked out of the window and saw this fellow on a neighbour's roof. He's keeping a keen eye out some tasty fish no doubt.

Anyone work from home?

Try this new site for helpful advice.
startup-at-home.blogspot.com

Great Tips For Greenhouse Gardening

by reviewsandinfo

While most everyone associates gardening with growing a garden outdoors, that is not how all folks do it. When the weather outside will not permit, some folks enjoy gardening indoors. Thus, we have now come up with a way to make that happen. Gardening indoors, under a glass housing, is called green house gardening. The following paragraphs will discuss greenhouse gardening, as well as some of the processes involved in doing it successfully.

Green house gardening does not drastically differ from the outdoor methods of gardening, although there are some differences. The main difference in green house gardening is it is highly important to learn how to properly control the temperature inside of your greenhouse. Most plants tend to thrive in temperatures slightly lower than normal room temperature, and most of the time require much more humidity than we live with in our homes. This is a general rule when it comes to greenhouse gardening.

The very best way to produce the proper amount of sunlight, heat, and humidity in your garden greenhouse is to construct your actual greenhouse in an area you can take advantage of maximum levels of sunlight all year long. It is important to pay most attention to the sun locations during the spring, as well as autumn, months, when the sun is at its lowest point in the southern skies. For this reason, the ideal location to construct a garden greenhouse is where sun rays will reach through a southeastern to southwestern direction without obstruction.

When you are green house gardening, it is important to space your plants out evenly throughout your gardening areas of your greenhouse. This should be done in order to help ensure that ventilation flows evenly throughout your greenhouse. You should also open your greenhouse doors during the morning hours, then close them in the late afternoon. This will, as well, help to ensure proper ventilation. You can use these methods during the winter months, too, as long as you make sure weather reports do not indicate frost or snow.

As with any type of gardening, a water source if vital to the healthy production of your different plants. This is absolutely true with greenhouse gardening, as well. It is important to understand that your plants will not have natural water sources, however, it is as equally as important to understand not to over-water as a result of this. Some sort of irrigation system may work best in your garden greenhouse.

Finally, there are many ways you can design where your plants will grow when you choose green house gardening. This is much like outdoor garden planning, except that with greenhouse gardening you will not be growing your plants in the ground, but in deep containers, growing boxes, as well as big tubs. By doing this, you are not only protecting the roots of your plants from freezing ground temperatures, you are also making them easy to move, in the event they need special attention.

Interested in Organic Gardening? Consider These 10 Tips

by anutt

Imagine providing your family with food that you know is healthy, because you grew it yourself without the help of chemicals. With organic gardening this is possible. Organic gardening involves using natural pest control and fertilizers to grow flowers, vegetables, and fruits, rather than commercially produced and environmentally hazardous pesticides and fertilizers. If you are interested in organic gardening, consider these ten tips.

Tip 1 - Use Natural Pest Control

Your garden is going to have pests. Once you have identified them, research natural controllers you could add to the garden. These natural controllers could be other insects, such as ladybugs to control an aphid population, or plants, such as garlic to prevent armyworms or apple maggots.

Tip 2 - Rotate Plants Regularly

Rotating your plant sites will keep them healthy and also help control some pest populations. When you rotate your plants, the soil has a chance to recoup. Each plant takes different nutrients from the soil, and some even return nutrients to the soil. Properly rotating your plants each year will keep your entire garden healthy.

Tip 3 - Prune Plants Carefully

Remove any dead parts you find on your plants. They are not going to heal, and they will cause the plant to become diseased. Do not leave them on the ground near the plant, either. Remove them from the garden and destroy them right away.

Tip 4 - Make Good Compost

Compost is the best way to feed your organic garden. Compost is not difficult to make. Simply layer leaves, lawn clippings, and organic kitchen waste in your compost heap. If you need to get the compost started quickly, you can add a compost starter to the mix. Keep in mind that the good compose is at the bottom of the pile, so you will need to have a way to turn it or access the pile from the bottom. Once you have a nice amount of compost, work it into your soil to create rich organic soil.

Tip 5 - Air Your Compost Pile

Compost needs air to properly decompose. You can add air by turning the compost pile regularly. You can also provide the pile with air by putting a PVC pipe into it in the center of the pile. Also, build the pile on a layer of branches and sticks to provide some air from the bottom.

Tip 6 - Choose Organic Fertilizers

Organic fertilizer will help your plants grow bigger and healthier. This is particularly important if you are growing food. Choose a low-dose fertilizer, however, because they will not burn the roots of your plants or provide too much of any particular nutrient.

Tip 7 - Purchase Organic Seeds

Since seeds come from plants, the only way to have a truly organic garden is to buy organic seeds. You cannot sell your produce as USDA certified organic if you do not use organic seeds. Organic seeds must come from open pollinated or hybrid plants. Seeds from non-organic plants have been exposed to pesticides and other chemicals, so they may not grow properly.

Tip 8 - Test Your Soil

Your soil is not going to contain all of the nutrients your plants need. Test it to determine what nutrients are missing. Then, alter your fertilizer and compost materials to provide the missing nutrients to the soil.

Tip 9 - Water Carefully

The soil in your garden needs to feel moist, but over-watering can lead to disease and strip nutrients out of the soil. Typically, plants need an inch of water per week. You can keep a rain gauge in the garden to help you determine how much water it needs.

Tip 10 - Intercrop

Intercropping, which refers to growing one crop in between rows of another crop, is an important organic gardening technique. Planting herbs and flowers, such as mint or marigolds, in between your vegetables will keep some pests away. Also, intercropping improves the soil nutrient levels.

About the Author

Organic gardening store features organic tips and solutions to common garden problems. Find indoor plant ideas at Redenta's Garden.

Article Source: Content for Reprint

Japanese Onions

I have all these onions to eat over the coming weeks. I was told that they do not store well, so I am looking forward to some onion soup.  The next crop to go in will be some Carrots.  I will store these in boxes of sand in the shed so I can eat them at my leisure.

The garden in June

Things are looking a little greener in the garden at the moment.  There are still some gaps but I hope to fill them with bedding soon.  At last I finished the path.  It seemed to go on for ever.

Before

After

What do I do next?  I need a project to keep myself busy in the summer.