Just thought I would tell you about my partner Paul Lewis as he has some very special skills that I am very envious of! He is one of those people whose fingers really are green! Not only that but he can see plants in ways that fit the landscape and climate whilst also creating a design that is unique for your space and how you want to be in that space. I think he does this by firstly having a passion for plants and wildlife and how they all work together ecologically and then he uses that insight to create environments that buzz with life that you can enjoy just as much as the wildlife that inhabits it!
Here is his website-lots of pictures, I especially like the Wildlife Pond at Treborth Botanic Garden, a joy to all who visit it;
http://dragonflydesignsuk.co.uk/
Monday, 23 April 2012
Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Well summer has been and gone and soo much has happened that I have gotten a bit behind! February and March were really HOT! My niece made me a mud and stone 'sculpture' for my birthday:
We've been starting to get nicely settled, chairs and everything!
I got a random piece of carpet from Freecycle, turns out it is axminster and goes very nicely with our compost bins (also acts as a place to sit and have a picnic when we are down there)
Talking of settling in...we got the paint brushes out and get this-painted the wood that the GREENHOUSE will sit on!! So impressed with my gorgeous Paul-he's soo cool.
...and then we took a break:
There has been a greenhouse growing story that doesn't really show in my pictures as it relies on being able to show pane by pane how the glass went in. One must take into consideration that we dismantled this greenhouse from a house in Maidstone which took us about 4 hours! All lovingly wrapped in newspaper and blankets to stop the glass breaking, pictures taken so that we had reference for putting it back together.
Getting to the site was also a labour of love as not only is there no parking, our site is many rods from the gate. So it was many trips, hazard lights on at the gate whilst we dropped a few panes at a time, then carrying these huge panes one by one down the end to our plot...it was exhausting!
We weren't lucky enough to get any without any breakages BUT Paul (officially my hero) found a friendly local glazier who mixed and matched to Paul's measurements, and managed to use all the complete old bits of glass thereby reducing the need to buy too much expensive new glass.. it was all beyond me...my bit comes later...feeding him with all the glorious veg I am going to grow!
So here's a few stages...not sure if you can spot the difference:
My first crop to go in the ground were my first earlies!! Sharpes Express I went for and they went in when summer was still in full force.....and now they are just starting to poke through.
We've been starting to get nicely settled, chairs and everything!
I got a random piece of carpet from Freecycle, turns out it is axminster and goes very nicely with our compost bins (also acts as a place to sit and have a picnic when we are down there)
Talking of settling in...we got the paint brushes out and get this-painted the wood that the GREENHOUSE will sit on!! So impressed with my gorgeous Paul-he's soo cool.
...and then we took a break:
There has been a greenhouse growing story that doesn't really show in my pictures as it relies on being able to show pane by pane how the glass went in. One must take into consideration that we dismantled this greenhouse from a house in Maidstone which took us about 4 hours! All lovingly wrapped in newspaper and blankets to stop the glass breaking, pictures taken so that we had reference for putting it back together.
Getting to the site was also a labour of love as not only is there no parking, our site is many rods from the gate. So it was many trips, hazard lights on at the gate whilst we dropped a few panes at a time, then carrying these huge panes one by one down the end to our plot...it was exhausting!
We weren't lucky enough to get any without any breakages BUT Paul (officially my hero) found a friendly local glazier who mixed and matched to Paul's measurements, and managed to use all the complete old bits of glass thereby reducing the need to buy too much expensive new glass.. it was all beyond me...my bit comes later...feeding him with all the glorious veg I am going to grow!
So here's a few stages...not sure if you can spot the difference:
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| Funky base and frame in place-the easy bit! |
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| Carpet down...still a pane or two missing! |
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| But finally man in glasshouse definitely NOT throwing stones!! He he!! Paul is definitely man of the month-he rocks big time in my world! I would never have had the patience or the skill to re-build this greenhouse-love you! |
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| Spot of chitting! |
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| Sunny sowing! |
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| Ooooh yeah! |
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Can you dig it?!!
Sooo tired I can hardly type! On one of the hottest Feb Days since 1998, me and 'Da Gang' got digging!
Paul and I put in some hard spade work for a few hours trying to analyse some of the roots we were coming across, we think couch grass is abundant, small amount of nettles and brambles. So we were thoroughly weeding and sifting then trying to get mulch down to keep that precious water resource from evaporating too much.
We planted a cheap Lidl pear tree...a £3.99 experiment!
As we worked, our plans for the site were tripping off our tongues....a shelter with a green roof, a small pond, fruit cage, 4 bed crop rotation, hot beds, greenhouses, solar panels, wind-up DAB radios, water saving, clay oven, bug hotels, bird tables.....we weren't getting carried away honest!!
But first....more digging...more weeding....ooh and some BURNING!! So I put my trust in my brother's fire-starting (and fire-controlling) skills, made sure we had marshmallows for the kids and off we went! I was a little nervous as everything was so dry but we watered the edges and kept vigilant.
Whilst old wood panels and vegetation crackled, me and mum sat on my 'Freecycled' bit of axminster carpet and perused the seed list. Hot favourites include courgettes, sweetcorn, chillies, potatoes, squash and peppers-so we will really need a greenhouse!
Paul and I put in some hard spade work for a few hours trying to analyse some of the roots we were coming across, we think couch grass is abundant, small amount of nettles and brambles. So we were thoroughly weeding and sifting then trying to get mulch down to keep that precious water resource from evaporating too much.
We planted a cheap Lidl pear tree...a £3.99 experiment!
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| Blink and you'll miss it! |
As we worked, our plans for the site were tripping off our tongues....a shelter with a green roof, a small pond, fruit cage, 4 bed crop rotation, hot beds, greenhouses, solar panels, wind-up DAB radios, water saving, clay oven, bug hotels, bird tables.....we weren't getting carried away honest!!
But first....more digging...more weeding....ooh and some BURNING!! So I put my trust in my brother's fire-starting (and fire-controlling) skills, made sure we had marshmallows for the kids and off we went! I was a little nervous as everything was so dry but we watered the edges and kept vigilant.
 |
| Fire...boys looked studious, girls nonplussed! |
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
A Welsh Wonderwoman, a tool delivery, and a natural progression
I am totally out of sync and playing catch up...so do excuse-nothing new there!!
Before snow stopped play we did make some real progress....quite literally the day before it snowed
Our Welsh Wonderwoman, Dr Thomas arrived with a boot full of tools for us to caretake at our allotment and we quickly put her to work building the compost bays! We decided this was a good first job to be achieved so that when we start clearing vegetation we have somewhere to put it!!
A natural progression.....
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| Composting avec la dame Cymraeg! |
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| Paul ably assisted...first pallet up |
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| A lonely half built compost bay... |
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| A funky finish! Paul and Abbey in a compostable pose! |
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| ...et enfin...the ladies of the canyon..er compost! I think we are impressed! |
Snow stopped play...but only for a while!
Well it bloomin' snowed....and it was a tad on the chilly side for a while there. No photos to show as I didn't venture out!
So sat at home reading, reading, reading...most enjoyable reads:
'Grow your own vegetables' by Joy Larkcom a super level, experienced, considered and non-flowery account of Joy's take on veg growing-highly recommend it!
Also: 'Organic Gardening-The natural no-dig way' by Charles Dowding. A great approach to soil management that I know I will come back to again and again. Funny if you read some of his forums-quite a fiery character!!
So sat at home reading, reading, reading...most enjoyable reads:
'Grow your own vegetables' by Joy Larkcom a super level, experienced, considered and non-flowery account of Joy's take on veg growing-highly recommend it!
| What a lovely lady! Read all about her at this link: |
Also: 'Organic Gardening-The natural no-dig way' by Charles Dowding. A great approach to soil management that I know I will come back to again and again. Funny if you read some of his forums-quite a fiery character!!
| Charles on his vegetable 'bed' ha! http://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/ |
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Soil to soil!
It's a soil thing! Had another peek at the soil today and bagged some up to do a test.
The good news is that the man who I am taking it over from..Mr Brown...is a very nice man and told me some of it's history. Apparently it was cultivated by a retired couple for many years for whom it eventually became too much and Mr B took it on. He admits that his progress was woeful and he only managed to plant a few trees and attempt a couple of beds which is why it looks in such a state. He also told me that he had invested time in some rabbit control, although when I saw him at the plot today he had found what looked suspiciously like a rabbit hole....OMG!!!
Rabbits.....time for some decisive action-nothing cruel mind....We will chceck all fencing, set humane traps once secure, out the blighters and cover anything tender in the meantime! 'Bout all we can do really!
Back to seedlists and listing! Tedious but worth it!
The good news is that the man who I am taking it over from..Mr Brown...is a very nice man and told me some of it's history. Apparently it was cultivated by a retired couple for many years for whom it eventually became too much and Mr B took it on. He admits that his progress was woeful and he only managed to plant a few trees and attempt a couple of beds which is why it looks in such a state. He also told me that he had invested time in some rabbit control, although when I saw him at the plot today he had found what looked suspiciously like a rabbit hole....OMG!!!
Rabbits.....time for some decisive action-nothing cruel mind....We will chceck all fencing, set humane traps once secure, out the blighters and cover anything tender in the meantime! 'Bout all we can do really!
Back to seedlists and listing! Tedious but worth it!
Saturday, 28 January 2012
I have bought potatoes!! Soo exciting! Spent the afternoon looking at the recommended list from the Ryton Organic Potato Day (would have loved to be there choosing by the tuber!) and wieghed up options to order on-line or try the local garden centre. Opted to see what they had in stock locally then think about on-line orders. Do serious growers buy all the season potatoes now? If I buy my 'Earlies' (finally I understand the difference-see: http://www.millbrookgardencentre.co.uk/fileadmin/downloads/How_to_grow_potatoes_01.pdf for a neat little 'How to') but wait to buy the others will they still be available.....hmm more research needed!!
Off to chit now-I will be chitting Sharpes Express, a 'first early' and then a bit later in the spring I will chit Charlotte my 'second earlies! All will become clear!!
Jaxx
Off to chit now-I will be chitting Sharpes Express, a 'first early' and then a bit later in the spring I will chit Charlotte my 'second earlies! All will become clear!!
Jaxx
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