Preparing for New Year

We were having a few sunny days so I decided I need to wash the green house, the glass is getting very green with lichen and such like. But there was a necessary job beforehand which was to get all the debris that had accumulated around it during autumn and winter. Now it is all nice and clear 🙂

It was too late in the day to start washing the green house, so that’s a job for the next sunny day. It was good to get outside, put my washing out…

and dig up the last of my carrots. They are enormous but very sweet and delicious 🙂

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A Small but perfect Harvest

I do love growing things, it makes me very happy. Here’s an example of my small but perfect harvest 🙂

Me and Mr O. love broad beans so they are a must. I’ve never grown the yellow beans before and they have done really well.

Delicious cucumber, really sweet,

and my first ripe chilli is being used tonight in dinner!

News From My Greenhouse

I just realised that I haven’t reported on how things are doing in my green house. Well they are doing grand!

I have two lovely aubergine plants with fruit and more flowers,

four chilli plants doing amazing, full of fruit,

and twelve tomato plants, several different varieties, performing quite well.

I am so enjoying growing. All my plants are being fed with organic seaweed plant food. 🙂

Tomatos

I have just written a postcard to a lady who has sowed up to 150 varieties of tomatoes in one go. Her enthusiasm was contagious so straight away after writing the card I was out in the garden sowing mine. I definitely didn’t worry how many I sowed! 🙂

I sowed 12 different varieties, a couple saved on kitchen tissue so I won’t know the variety of those until they have fruited. Some of these are the ones I got free from a magazine.

I find, with me, extravagance pays. Last year I didn’t sow many and didn’t do very well. I hope this year is going to be different!

I sowed them in organic vegetable compost that I bought. When I pot them on I will use my own homemade compost. I don’t tend to sow into my own compost because of the weed seeds in it.

Seed trays

If you are like me and it is late winter where you are, you will be thinking about sowing your seed, whether flowers or veggies. Therefore how about re-using the meat or veg trays that sometimes are unavoidable when you are shopping.

I’ve got some here, and some seed trays I made a while ago with wood from a broken fence panel. I also re-use trays that I occasionally get from the garden centre or nursery when buying plants.

It does show that gardening doesn’t have to be unnecessarily expensive, especially when you can get free seeds like I showed you in my last blog post! 🙂

Although, if anyone has any solutions on what can be turned into cloches I’d be greatful!

 

Seeds

Oh yes, it’s that time of year when I review my seeds and start planning what I’m going to sow. I just get itchy fingers, only put off by the cold weather!

I had some packets left from last year and bought a couple of magazines which had free seeds with them so I have a good amount of seed to go on with. All I need is some winter sunshine to get me out to prepare for sowing! 🙂

Tomatoes

Despite the neglect, my tomatoes a doing surprisingly well 🙂 They are showing signs of irregular watering but still taste delicious!  
The same goes for my peppers and chillies.

I’m planning to roast and preserve the peppers in olive oil

and dry and freeze the chillies 🙂

In the Green house

I’m very happy with what is happening in my green house.

Broad beans ready to plant out,

These potatoes ready to plant,

Tomatoes ready to pot on, peppers and cucumbers,

Mixed chilli peppers,

and a couple of strawberry plants I’ve bought inside to get some early fruit.

It’s time now to sow courgettes and squash. Growing things makes me happy, but I wish the weather would warm up! 😉

 

One of My Favourite Times of Year!

Yes, it’s one of my favourite times of year. I can see everything is brightening up. The particular bird song, new shoots peeping through the soil, blossom coming out, so it’s time to get active in the green house. My fingers get itchy this time of year and I get the impulse to grow things! I’m not one for gardening in the cold so tidying up is being done now as well. 🙂

I’ve had a sort out in my green house and moved a few things round and it’s now set for action.

Today I sowed some tomatoes, cucumbers and small red peppers

I have made a gardening journal from an old book, that I try and keep a record of how things go in my garden as well as hints and tips for me to refer to.

Here’s a sample page. 🙂

Latest Produce report

Despite the major neglect of the garden it is still producing wonderful things for me!

I think it’s the best year for beetroot in a long time and my carrots haven’t had carrot fly this year 🙂

…and the first proper fruiting of a young apple tree. The apples are still quite sour so have to stay a bit longer, but I must keep an eye out for scavengers!

We’ll soon be building a new chicken house, so watch out for that 🙂 I’m very excited!