Kitchen Garden Forum

Thank you for your kind words, Geoff…..I know lots of people have had to deal with this exact problem, regarding their parents….but it’s just horrible to watch and deal with!
And she will keep me on my toes, that I can be sure of…..just letting me take a spot of dinner down for her last night, was like a major battle…but you have to smile!

Evening Westi, have you got a start date for the building work yet?

Just starting to dry out on top now but, looking at the weather, it will be wet from tomorrow again and as for Friday, well, not sure what to say about that!
Has anyone got any seeds sown yet? I’ve got some broad beans just pooping up in pots, in the greenhouse…..

Only a few onions sown, two seed pans of these are up whilst a second set of freebie Stuttgarter are in a series of pans and in the propagator. These are a bit of insurance back up against any deterioration of the sets that are in cool store.
I did sow a few own seed herbaceous bits and bobs...but that really counts as late last year...

Today saw red sky in the morning and then a rainbow....and red sky at night too.....a little uncertainty in the forecast, maybe.?


C.

Hi OH/All

Building work starts in Feb, had a couple of their team come around & do a remeasure regarding how much spacing the footings will take up of the garden in relation to the drain & confirming the drain position. We are trying real hard not to have to touch the current position as it will cost loads as feeds right down the back behind about 10 houses. I don't think we will need to move it, just run narrower pipework from the disabled bathroom into the existing drain.The new dropped door to get Mr in & out the house back door without a dodgy ramp is in the UK finally, so that is next.

I planted some early broad beans in the tunnel, but they failed so did a repeat & they look much happier & growing well. The first lot probably got too cold with all the extra ventilation from Mr Fox! Have the propagator set up & seeds chosen but not sown yet as far too much interest from the critters, but I've lowered the light & a bit too warm & low so they're loosing interest. My re-sow of Pak Choi outside are up & looking perky, but Storm Eowyn is on it's way so they could end up like their predecessors!

Misty start and cold but then a brief sighting of the sun...enough to up the greenhouse temperature to a pleasant level with vents open....rather short lived as fog rolled back in and then it was rather cold on the fingertips..

Amazingly still and clear this evening with some very bright stars/planets available for viewing...stargazing on my trip out to the bins....and without a trip up the step this time...

C.

I hope Burnie doesn’t catch the storm too badly….. I was hoping he might have put a Spring appearance in by now…

I hope everyone is tucking down in the affected areas with Eowyn flexing it's muscles.

Was a bit breezy for a while today down here but nothing too extreme, but Met Office have a yellow warning for stronger wind tomorrow. Surprisingly no warning for Saturday which is sunny intervals & light breeze then Sunday is back to another warning for big wind for a couple of days & local weather saying it will be another named storm. Down on Saturday then to secure everything & do a few chores then no doubt a repeat on Thursday when this new one passes.

Well can't do nought about, but fingers & toes crossed this is not what too expect in summer, would be kinda nice to start moaning about filling my water butts, but no doubt if that fulfils then there will be a hose ban!

A little bit lighter again this morning I could see to put key in the door at work time without assistance of the outside light....and there was quite a lot of birdsong to be heard...maybe chattering about the impending storm...

C.

Moles seeds do give excellent customer service, there was a small problem with an order, so they rang to see how they could resolve it for me….nice to actually talk to someone about a problem.

These news reporters reporting on the storm have to be mad! Can't they just set up a camera' & see what it shows when checked? Everyone of the reports I saw today had them saying they were in a tunnel/underpass or whatever away from the storm, but they all went outside to prove it, some unable to even stand up outside! It's not the wind itself that is the main danger but the flying debris & dodging that with erratic wind behind it is unpredictable at the least.

Anyway Saturday remains OK down here, so after securing everything again I will crack on with the 1/2 finished chores as so close to getting these off the list! Then just the tunnel to sort then. Seeds sown & in the propagator today, took longer than anticipated as I either left the markers in the tunnel or they dropped out of my back pack....got crafty cutting up take away containers to use. Those takeaway containers are well tough & hard to cut with scissors & I was just using the lids!

Well got away with no damage from the storm yesterday, hope everyone else was as lucky. Freezing hard here as the sun is rising but, lovely and bright….just annoying that the soil is still soaked.

4:45pm and still light enough to see when packing tools away from gardening...except I wasn't...but was stepping out the Co-op having stocked up on Ginster pasties etc, etc...

C.

Farmer Gracy, ...... She keeps telling me I need Dahlias....

Seems she wins, as I have just bought some Dahlias....this might make me clear my old Dahlia patch by the back door here...

C.

You can’t beat a Ginster pastie….
So saying that, Sam and Lily went to Central MK the other week and they had a stall selling what I class as proper Cornish pasties, so brought one back for me…absolutely delicious.

Balmy 5C waiting for the bus to the plot; 0C on the plot complete with ice, but not too much to clear from the wind which was a bonus. Autumn raspberries all cut down, stems cut up & into the bag ready for the neighbour to take to the tip for me along with some black bags full of the all the excess cardboard & broken clips & wire. The raspberry bed all weeded, fed & mulched & tucked up.

Just the leek bed to finish then it will be the tunnels' turn to be sorted out. I did a little sow of cabbage direct into one tunnel section that was bare & they are up, really tiny so I will pot them on & they can reside on the staging along with the rest I can sow now. Then a complete clear out, dig, feed & top up. Someone suggested that the fox's interest maybe that he has a cache buried in there which is why he is trying so hard to get in, if I find that it might make him less interested. Mind I didn't know they buried food but he says they do & particularly common to find eggs buried.