Where to start part 2!!!

Well I am back for the second installment. This time I will concentrate on the veg.

Potatoes

The potato sacks are coming along nicely and hopefully they will start to flower soon.

Veg Patch

I have sown peas, mange tout, cauliflower and Broccoli and they are now in the raised beds. I have also sown onions and leeks. I also grown lettuce and tomatoes. Here are a few pictures.

So I am pleased with my progress. I was hoping to grow more but I need to turn my attention to the rest of the garden now, as it is a tip. I am currently digging up the old lawn and putting a new one down. Then I need to build a new fence and then build a decking area.
Never a dull moment

Where to start!!! Part 1

Hi Folks,

Not posted for ages, so bear with as this could be a long update.

Fruit Borders:-

The fruit borders are coming along nicely. One of the three Rhubarb plants is growing quickly and the other two and growing slowly.

The strawberry border is ok too. However, I won't get any this year as I will dead head the flowers producing stronger plants for next year. If you remember for the strawberries I bought roots and I put them into pots until the weather was better and the ground was not frozen, then when the grow was good I planted them in my strawberry raised bed.

The raspberry border is also starting to grow nicely. I have two summer Rapsberry plants and two autumn ones. Firstly I planted the raspberry canes into pots until the ground and the raised bed were ready. Then I planted them.

So that is it for part 1 and the fruit section. I will be back later with the rest

Happy Gardening

17th March 2013

Hi Folks, sorry I have not posted for awhile.

The last few weeks in the garden have been a mixed bag. Up here in the north we have had a little bit of sun, some snow and lots of rain. Therefore, I have had to fit things in as best I could.

I have managed to finish the raised beds for the veg patch, although I still have a couple of compost bins to complete.

I have also managed to build a couple of smaller raised beds in the fruit patch. I have planted my rhubarb in one of them. I have also planted my strawberry bare root runners, although I have put them into pots until the frosts have gone before planting out in the raised bed.

I have also constructed my small tomato greenhouse. Now what a job that was; for starters the instructions were only one crude picture. It took me a few hours to build what I thought would take me a maximum of 1hr to do. I swear that it is the worst thing I have ever built and even Ikea instructions were better than this. However, it looks ok and I have put my strawberry pots into the greenhouse for now. 

I am now working on constructing the raspberry raised bed and the gravel path along the veg patch. I have not gotten a lot done this weekend as it is quite slushy underfoot, but I have done a bit. I am hoping this week to start sowing some seeds in some heated propagators and my potato ‘chits’ are now ready to go into the sacks.

Hopefully this is where the fun starts now

A Tale of Two Weekends

Well last weekend it felt as though spring had come early; the sun was shining and I was out in the garden continuing my project. As you are all aware, this year, my goal is to grow as much fruit and vegetables as I possibly can. Next year, I would like to try and grow everything for myself, if I can’t grow it, I can’t have it; but that is a long way off and let’s take one step at a time.

Last weekend I managed to finish the three raised beds in the vegetable section of my garden. I also managed to complete one compost bin and started the frame for a leaf mould bin. It was a good productive weekend and I felt invigorated and excited about the coming seasons. I could not wait for this weekend to arrive, as I work all week and there is not enough light on week nights to get out in the garden.

However, much to my dismay; when I woke up this morning, a thick layer of snow was on the ground and there was thick snow falling. My excitement dissipated and worry started to set in; I am running out of time to get jobs finished. Also my Rhubarb crowns arrived yesterday and they need to go into the ground!!!!!!

Oh well, I suppose there is nothing I can do. I do have an outhouse, so I may go and do some more woodwork today out of the cold, trying to get as much done as possible to make my life easier. I also have some more seed planning to complete; so it could be a day by the fire with a cuppa and a pencil and paper; we will see.

Anyway before I go I will leave you with a few pretty pictures. Snow is very picturesque but it is a pain in the backside!!!

Backbreaking Work, But Taking Shape

I have not posted for a while as if truth be told; there has not been much to report. January was cold wet and snowy of course. The poor weather prevented me from carrying out any more work in the garden.

Last weekend my seed potatoes arrived and have been chitting on the bedroom windowsill for the last week; shoots have already started to appear. It is amazing how a simple thing such as chitting potatoes can bring a smile to your face; it also brings a sense of anticipation. My lean-to greenhouse has also arrived; it is not very big, but it should be adequate for this season to grow a couple of tomatoes plants and maybe a cucumber plant. I am just waiting for my onion sets and garlic’s to arrive and my fruit trees; but they will not arrive until the end of February.

So this weekend, was the first weekend were the weather was decent enough to brave the garden; I say decent as it was still very cold.

Now in my last post the back raised beds were almost ready; I was going to cover with cardboard and a thin layer of compost and then place the raised wooden beds on top. However, I decided against this as the ground was very uneven and there was a lot of perennial weeds around with big roots. Therefore on Saturday I donned my boots and took my spade and fork in hand and went in for the kill. I dug the whole border over; the amount of roots I removed was astonishing. I knew I would never manage to remove them all, but I did the best I could. Digging is certainly a backbreaker and the part of gardening I hate the most, but it had to be done. Then I covered the area with cardboard and then placed a thin layer of compost (5cm) over the top. I spread the final section with compost as the final light of the day disappeared. There is something relaxing and even therapeutic about brushing compost over an area of ground with your hands, making it even, spreading it out. Here are a few pictures from begining to end!!

Sunday was colder than Saturday and there was a strong wind blowing across the garden, but by this time I had seen how far I had come and I had the bit between my teeth. I spend a couple of hours building the first raised wooden bed and putting it into place; I also set-up the first path next to the bed. As I placed the last concrete slab onto the ground the rain started to fall and it was time to call it a day and the end of a good productive weekend. Before I hung up my tools, I surveyed the land, a smile beaming across my face. Not bad for a beginner I thought!!!!

The tree has been vanquished!!!!!

I do love the snow in the garden; it can make even the most boring garden very pretty. The shapes that are formed, the layers that cover the benches, the trees, the ground and the fences. However, snow and preparing the garden for my vegatable year does not go hand in hand. Never the less, I braved the sub zero temperatures today and the snow to try and make some more progress in the garden, and in particular the huge tree that covered my raised beds at the back of the garden. I have been steadily chopping the tree back over the last several months; but today, once and for all, it was vanquished. I also managed to clear some of the rasied beds as well. Here are the pictures before.

And here are the pictures afterwards

So pleased with my work and the tree has finally been vanquished.
Things are coming along nicely.My two heated propagtors arrived yesterday, and most of my seeds have arrived now as well. I am just awaiting my lean-2-greenhouse and then I am ready to rock n roll. The next step once the snow has cleared is to put up some willow screening, which I have bought, along the back fence. Then I need to build the raised beds and hopefully I can grow some vegatables.

Wish me good luck!!!

2nd January 2013

Well I have finally decided what fruit and vegetables to grow in the garden, and where they will go.  At this time of year, with the weather so poor and not enough hours of light in the day to do much work, I find myself imagining what the garden will look like. I must confess, I get carried away; and the thoughts of growing so many lovely fruits and vegetables make me as giddy as a school kid. Now I know my plan will not come to fruition overnight, and I know I need to be patient, but I just can’t help myself.

So I have two raised beds at the back of the garden. One is a smallish bed, 2.3m by 2.1m. In this bed I will grow some fruit. I will have several strawberry plants and some rhubarb in the middle. You can’t beat British strawberries in the height of summer, especially with cream. Rhubarb crumble is also a classic dessert that I want to be able to cook, it reminds of my childhood, when my mum baked apple and rhubarb crumble, lavished generously with warm custard.

Around the edges of the bed against the fences, I will have a blackcurrant tree, a blueberry bush and a blackberry bush. Due to lack of space, I will most probably look for dwarf varieties. Hopefully, with these lovely fruits I can try my hand at some refreshing jams.

The second raised bed is 5.7m by 2.1m. This long raised bed will be divided into sections. I will grow, or should I say try to grow, carrots, garlic, leeks, onions, cauliflowers, cabbages, runner beans, peas calabrese and lettuce. I know, it’s a lot, but I suppose you have to aim high!!!!

I will also have a greenhouse for growing Tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers and peppers. Hopefully the greenhouse will have enough room for a lemon tree too.  Finally scattered around the rest of the garden I will hopefully have enough room for potatoes in pots, herbs and a couple of apple trees and raspberry bushes. I know it will be a lot of hard work, but it’s just something that feels right, and something I want to do. I can picture myself on a sunny summer afternoon walking around the garden picking tomatoes and lettuce and cucumber for a lovely salad lunch; then having strawberries and cream for dessert. Seasonal food, to love and cherish at exactly the right time of the year.

It will take a couple of years before the garden is complete, although I suppose a garden is never complete; there is always something to do, things are always changing and evolving. This year I will start with the raised beds and pots; growing a few of the basic’s, learning the tricks of the trade. I will also plant some fruit trees, as these need time grow before yielding delicious fruits.

So I think it is safe to say that my New Year’s resolution for the garden is PATIENCE!!!