Its been so long!!!

Hi all

I know ive been shockingly bad at the blog in the last 2 weeks but am aiming to update in a big way on sunday!!! Got loads of photos and news so watch this space :)

xxxx

Up The Garden Path..............

Hi!!! Been a week or so since last post and muchos has been done!!!   My herbs have a new home....... along with some salad leaves they now live in a cast iron pot that Lee got for me from a farmers auction.........

Growing Lollo Rosso, Yellow leaves and rocket salad with my herbs................

This is living outside at the moment to get the full light on it but will live on my kitchen windowsill eventually

The veggie patch is now ready for planting...... we have sprinkled some bonemeal on it this morning and are letting that rest until the weekend when we'll start planting onions, carrots and spuds........

I now have a path down the middle of the veggie patch (thanks to Lee!!!) this will help to section off the plots and also easy access with less mud when digging them up!!!!

The chooks came out to help but decided it was too warm and this is how they have bath and cool down!!! (In case you didnt know like me and stared at them for a few minutes before Lee told me what was going on!!)

However.... the bath soon turned into some kind of Chook Hot Tub party...... I averted my eyes and left them too it at this point!! (Thank the lord we dont have a cockerl!!)

This is the part of the garden that is known as the dumping ground!!!!! However, my grand (read: unreal!!) plan is for this part to be a bit of a quiet spot!!  I aim to plant fruit trees and have wood chippings on the ground and a wooden bench/swing for chilling out.  Possibly a log Chimnera at some point but at the minute its still the dumping ground!!........... I keep looking at it and imagining me lounging around though!!!

In other news, I was digging merrily away at my spud patch on Monday and trapped a nerve in my back!!!  Currently hobbling around in immense pain, and this is my new best friend.............

So digging has ceased until Lee is off at the weekend!! BUT to cheer me up yesterday he bought me a plastic temporary greenhouse :D  Which ill take pics of later because it takes me 20 mins to hobble up the garden and I need to feed the chooks later anyway!! So more to come later!!

Ta-ta for now :)

xxxx

Who needs the Gym???

Work has commenced!!!  We have now sectioned off an area of where the veggie plot is going to be.... thanks to the sunshine yesterday, Lee and I have started to dig over the plot ready for potatos and onion planting next week......

We decided to have a good sized space where we could fit about 12 full rows in then split down the middle with a small path and have 24 smaller rows.  The front section will stay as one big bit and have potatos and onions in!!!  Very excited......

I like to call this next picture "Genius at Work" (actually Lee informed me that Id not been in any of the pictures yet and it seemed like I was just being lazy and getting him to do all the work whilst i "take pictures for my blog"......... not much gets passed him!!)

Anyway after half an hour of back braking digging id got this far...............

Yeah so not very far but digging is hard!!!! :(
*disclaimer* I had ALOT of layers on as it was freezing........

Eventually, I'd (Lee) had got over half done and after much bending down and picking up bloody roots, stones, glass (?) and other things we mucked out the chooks and piled on the poo...... (leaving a space for potatos at the front with no poo on because you cant grow spuds in poo..... yeah ive been reading !!!!!)

The chooks have multiplied overnight and we now have 12 of them........ this helps with the poo and the worm to soil ratio which is all good, but Lee decided they needed another house.  I compromised (sulked) and got him to build a run to put on it for when I start planting so the chooks dont eat the goods!!! 

The run is a work in progress!!!! But they seem to like their new bachorlette pad!!!

Woke up to some lovely herb news this morning..... ( I feel like there should be some kind of news reader type music inserted here so feel free to bom bom boaaam with me!!!)

My first baby corriander leaf has appeared!!!!  Im very proud of this and am expecting more any time soon :) The parsley is looking good too so pics over the weekend to show this!

Anyway, seeing as Im aching for England today (Ive remebered ive got backs of my legs!!) im off for a cuppa and to watch the chooks dig the garden for me!!!  Updates soon.

Loves xx

Herb garden!!!!

Hellloooo!  Not posted for a few days but still trying to wade through the mud in the garden (can it still be called a garden if its a mud pit??!?) Actually thinking of putting a sign up outside the house to advertise mud face/spa treaments for like, a tenner to make some dosh!!!!

However.... in Herb news..... *shuffles papers on desk newsreader style*

Check. This. Out.

 Also a very "arty" shot!!! ha ha ha

Im really impressed with how quick these are growing!!  Parsley, Corriander and Basil!  Although I had white sticks in them to say which is which, but my lovely Other Half changed them round so they grew together at the same time the other day and now cant remember which one he changed!!! Its a good job I love him!!!

My 2 helpers have escaped for the weekend, so Ive enlisted another 2 -

But by the looks of things it'll just be me!!!  Oh and Lee, but he doesnt get a choice :) Its good job he loves me!!! ha ha.

Hoping to plot out the veggie patch tomorrow and should be able to get the soil turned at least in that part.  Chickens due a clean out too and apparently the best thing for good soil is chicken poo!!! Well we've always got plenty of that!!

So more updates over the weekend!

Loves x

Latest news....

Hi ya'll

Been so wet in the garden this week I am now massivley behind in the turning soil stakes and am starting to panic slighlty about how/when this is going to get done..... I did venture out the other day and stood in my wellies to start but sank into the ground it was soooo muddy!!!

In other news we now have herbs..... no not the smoking kind, but the cookery kind!!!  First shoots have started to appear in my makeshift mini greenhouses (read: takeaway containers!)........

So im dead chuffed with the fact that I, have managed to grow something!!!!  (yeah I know.... start small aim high!!!)  The kids were more impressed until Dan said "but cant you just BUY them Mum???"  Bloody kids............................ha ha.

Spoke to my Mum about veggies and it turns out that she is the fountain of knowledge when it comes to growing and knew all about male/female cucumbers!!!!  So from now on Ill be text/ringing/bugging the hell out of Ma for info :)  (regretting it now arent you Mother?!?!!!) ha ha.  Also went to the library and took out a rather good book on month to month jobs to do in an allotment.  Turns out I should be out there everyday now doing something.  Ooops!  But my wonderful other half is now re-hiring the rotorvator for next weekend so we can crack on and section off veggie plot!!!

Keep you all posted throughout the week!!

Loves xx

Update on the Mud pit/garden.........

Hi everyone!!!

Just a quick update on the mud pit that is my garden......  Due to the large amount of rain and snow SNOW (!!!!!) we've had over the past 3 days ive not ventured out there!!!  (Im brave but not stupid!!!!) However, some behind the scenes work has been going on and ive been reading up on planting seedlings and what to plant when/where etc.......

So not forgot about the garden and the other half is currently making me small fence panels so I can fence off the veggie patch tthis weekend and begin to get the soil right for planting me spuds (oo-eeer!!), carrots and onions over the next few weeks.  Also will be purchasing a greenhouse, which im very excited about (I need to get out more), hopefully the end of this week so can begin to plant seeds to germinate (check me out!!).

Got to say so far, im really enjoying learning about all the differnet ways to grow stuff.  Its turning out to be a bit of science and hopefully ive got it all right!!!

In helpers news Leah has suddenly developed a "sore throat" which Im taking to mean it'll be "sore" all week and thus she'll be unable to help out with any turning soil/digging activity.  Although she said she may be able to manage potting some seeds for me........ Dan on the other hand walked into my room with his wellies and his PJ's on at 6.30 this morning ready to help out...... he was sent away with a groan and told to go back to bed for another hour at least.... but seeing as its a horrible day weather wise, we are now baking cakes and having a trip to the library!!!!

So more photos/news to follow this week.

Loves xx

Male or Female????

Forgot to add.........

I found out yesterday that you can get male and female cucumbers?!?!????  I have yet to research this and you have to throw one of the two types away because they taste really bitter!!!! 

Now I have images of going into my greenhouse one morning to find a cucumber in drag or one in suit heading out the door to work!!!!

Ha ha

xx