2008 beckons 30.12.07

Greetings and Salutations to you all .

I hope you have all had a good holiday, although it certainly has flown by. I managed to work 2x 12 hour night shifts last week, but am now off 'till the 2nd Jan 08.

Have you managed to drag yourselves away from the comfort of your armchairs and central heating ? I did today and was pleasantly surprised:
Not a great pic, but if you look closely you will see that the Broad Beans ( v. Bunyard Exhibition) have started to show through my mulch cloth. I planted these about 3 weeks ago, as I have been advised that seed sewn before the full onset of winter, is less likely to succumb to the dreaded blackfly. Regular readers will remember my crop earlier this year was wiped out due to the blackfly, So I'm hoping to fair better next year. As always, I'll keep you posted.

The Curly Leaf Kale (v. Frosty) has been a bit of a let down on my plot. The plants are surviving quite well considering the weather of late, but that's about all they have done. The seed pack estimated growth to a height of 18" , but I have about a third of that! There might be enough for 1 stir fry, though i might just leave them where they are a bit longer. Maybe they will start to grow now that I've threatened to pull them up !
Wasn't it Prince Charles who advocated that we should talk to our plants ? Not sure, but hey - it's worth a shot !!!


My open composter ( my next raised bed ! ) is filling up nicely.
Tomorrow I'll go and buy some GC compost to make a top layer, before I finally cover the bed over with mulching cloth . This will help to rot the contents down a bit, and also prevent any weedgrowth.
It'll be interesting to see how my runner beans perform next year !
Incidentally, I have some Runner Bean Seeds for sale on ebay (ta Neil) , and its strictly first come / first served. Krissy & Topveg - if you're reading this - you'll get yours for free as promised earlier in the year.



On a non veg note, here's a pic of some Cineraria that I planted early in the year. I have been amazed at how well these plants have grown, considering how tiny the seeds are. They are also a great colour to have in the borders, which without them would have been rather dull and drab.

Well that's it for this weeks update.
May I take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy & Prosperous New Year.

All the best,

TTFN.

Season's Greetings 22.12.07

Once again, the festivities are upon us, and we really cant wait.
This will be our daughters first - she will be 6 months old on Christmas Day and we plan to spoil her rotten !

Not much has happened in the garden of late, the weather has curtailed any plans that I might have been harbouring for hard landscaping of paths / fences etc, and all that I have been doing is filling my new raised bed with the daily compostable waste, in readiness for the spring plantings!
Next years garden design is already in my head, and the planting and crop rotation is all worked out!

Next year I will be working a new shift pattern, and hope that I will be able to spend a bit more time on the plot, as well as keeping my blog updated. I'm also thinking about adding a cookery blog / section, so will keep you posted on that one.

All that remains is to wish all my contributors / readers a Very Happy Christmas, and a prosperous New Year. May all your dreams come true.

TTFN.