tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47784012021049100822024-03-13T10:22:22.831+00:00Gardening on the moveA gardening beginner, setting up a way of gardening on the move..bird5_3http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537495079549139592noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778401202104910082.post-4737557260441399022011-04-10T11:05:00.001+01:002011-04-10T11:09:23.975+01:00Something's eating my radishesProgress has been made in the garden, and we've inspired the neighbours to get some raised beds. This is, apparently, the green side of the street!
This picture shows the garden two weeks ago.. I have, unfortunately, started multiple jobs and not really finished any of them, though the veggies are the first thing I always start with - to make sure I'm planting when I should be and keeping an eye bird5_3http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537495079549139592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778401202104910082.post-37136783426507283352011-03-05T10:45:00.000+00:002011-03-05T10:45:14.124+00:00A new space to play in - so much space!Although I haven't written a post in a while I have been busy planting flower seeds each weekend, and doing my best to keep the seedlings alive. This has been the background garden activity while we have been moving house. I was fierce with my threats to the removals men that if they damaged my plants there would be hell to pay, and from their face it's clear that I have turned into "Crazy Plant bird5_3http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537495079549139592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778401202104910082.post-67220071232374829682011-01-30T21:15:00.000+00:002011-01-30T21:15:16.395+00:00The fight against dying seedlings continues..So this week, the seedlings that I had lovingly sprinkled cinnamon on were doing ok, but the soil was developing a whitish hue.. More internet research required, and the opinions were that sprinkling vermiculite on top of the soil would help (why I'm not sure of the science of) but regular fans of the Gardening on the Move blog (!) will remember that I have more vermiculite than you can shake a bird5_3http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537495079549139592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778401202104910082.post-10398481143661534052011-01-23T17:13:00.001+00:002011-01-23T17:16:12.167+00:00Cinnamon on seedlingsAs we creep towards gardening weather that I know I prefer (light in the evenings and sunny in the day), most of my energies are on tending to the seedlings I'm trying to grow.
Flowers include Lemon Eucalyptus, Chaenorhinum, Polyanthus, Scabious Japonica, and Red Hot Pokers.
I've found I'm doing OK with getting the seeds to germinate now, using quarter size seed trays and heated bird5_3http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537495079549139592noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778401202104910082.post-52014847939037067272011-01-16T17:06:00.000+00:002011-01-16T17:06:26.187+00:00Thawing out and loving seedlingsDue to popular demand the gardening blog is back.. Snow and minus temperatures revealed that I'm a fair weather gardener. My feet turned blue in wellies in November.
So now that the snow has melted and the weather has warmed up a little bit, I've ventured back outdoors to see what damage the frost did to my plants and the cuttings I took in the Autumn. Unfortunately the frost saw off the bird5_3http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537495079549139592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778401202104910082.post-28700984097145833702010-11-07T20:04:00.007+00:002010-11-09T06:27:07.972+00:00Poo huntingThis weekend I have been hunting poo. Having heard the advice of my experienced gardener friend, Dave, I am now under the impression that adding manure to my compost heap is an absolute MUST.
My in-laws advised me, when we were staying with them last weekend, that there was a local farm that would sell us manure at 50p a bag (it is The North) but that it would stink the car out as we bird5_3http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537495079549139592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778401202104910082.post-16033960511336167822010-10-24T10:57:00.000+01:002010-10-24T10:57:26.826+01:00Focusing on flowersThis week I've trying my hand at propagation - planting the seeds that arrived for Eucalyptus Lemon, Polyanthus and Chaenorhinum. Some are happily sitting in a heated propagator in the kitchen, but some of them had to go in the fridge for a few weeks. I think that this is called cold stratification - tricking the seeds into thinking winter has been and gone so that when I put them on the bird5_3http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537495079549139592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778401202104910082.post-25360340783986482792010-10-20T22:34:00.000+01:002010-10-20T22:34:39.966+01:00How much is 100 litres?Square Foot Gardening calls for vermiculite. The"soil" that you grow your veg in is made up of ⅓ compost, ⅓ sphagnum moss, and ⅓ vermiculite. So as part of my research I had found a supplier in readiness for ordering in the New Year when the building of my Square Feet will start in earnest.
As I spent the weekend researching how to propagate the shrubs and perennials I have planted in bird5_3http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537495079549139592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778401202104910082.post-8957050930919254552010-10-17T00:45:00.005+01:002010-10-17T00:54:44.120+01:00Mini harvest, and preparing for the winterThis week has been quite productive in the garden.. Turning the compost heap as often as I have time to, to try and get things moving - though the frame did move rather too far after I fixed a cover to the top, I woke up in the morning, the wind had got under the cover and taken the whole frame down the garden. The heap wasn't very big though, and was still sat there in a tiny tidy pile on the bird5_3http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537495079549139592noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778401202104910082.post-76001143249557107702010-10-10T21:36:00.003+01:002010-10-13T22:05:49.802+01:00My first SFG step - composting!!Having read almost half of the Square Foot Gardening book, I am so keen to get on and do something in preparation for next year's garden. I've been doing research into where to buy timber for the boxes, conduit for the frames for climbing plants, and moss & vermiculite for the mix, as I am resisting the temptation to buy and build everything now, and just getting the plans in place.
bird5_3http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537495079549139592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778401202104910082.post-34496278085904140932010-10-07T21:36:00.006+01:002010-10-07T21:49:13.376+01:00This year in the gardenAs I've started this blog one year into my gardening adventure, after most of the growing this year is over and before much planting starts for next year, I thought I'd share some pictures of my garden in my first year of trying to grow veg and flowers.
This doesn't show the latest harvest, but does show my first (small) carrot, leeks and runner beans. The first salad I tried to grow bolted bird5_3http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537495079549139592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778401202104910082.post-80239002653251427032010-10-05T21:44:00.001+01:002010-10-05T22:45:08.571+01:00Planning next year's gardenHaving spent all weekend reading gardening books, drawing plans, surfing the internet for tips, ordering seed catalogues, and creating a planting plan for next year, my enthusiasm for next year's garden is still strong.
My little greenhouse in the snow in February..
This has been the first year that I have had outdoor space to enjoy, all be it rather small and paved in places, and have had a bird5_3http://www.blogger.com/profile/01537495079549139592noreply@blogger.com0