Wriggle out of that one!

We made a wormery this weekend.

OS wanted to have another pet as he wanted to get another badge at Beavers. (No!!! I hate sewing them on, but you have to encourage these things). We compromised on sticking with the cats we have, and getting worms (Mini had nits last week so all life is here!). I looked on the internet to see how much a wormery would cost. OMG! the best part of £100. So we made one, it's more of a worm youth hostel than a five star worm hotel but hey we'll feed them and love them - as much as you can love a worm, and Grandma has agreed they can visit her when we go on holiday.
Apparently we can look forward to worm tea, which makes a good fertiliser diluted 1:10. Also the worms will increase our composting capacity. Total cost(including worms) <£15 but I'm sure we could do it cheaper next time... We loosely followed the instructions here http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/6EB1C3FA-723E-4F03-8806-74A73B7BDC83/0/stacking_wormery.pdf We have chicken patrol on duty to make sure that the lid is kept in place so as to make sure that the girls from next door dont't eat them. They usually pass by to check out the compost buckets on the way to (hopefully) lay an egg behind the compost heap. We will follow the settling in process mentioned in Joy Larkcom's book, 'Grow Your Own Vegtables' - you do have a copy don't you? It's the only gardening book you will ever need - unless you like lots of colour pictures... Disclaimer I am not related to Joy Larkcom, nor are my fingers so green. I just hope they don't escape (the worms not Joy).

Boiing!

Boiing! I think spring is on the way (get it?) - shhh! quietly now it's creeping up on us. I've got potatoes chitting, onions shooting, sweet peas sprouting and I'm going to plant some tomatoes this weekend. I'm so excited I might even remember to post some photos in the blog...

On the plot we planted the raspberries in the right place found a place for the currants and weeded the onion bed but it's still pretty wet out there. I'm hoping things will dry out a bit so I can get the shallots and garlic planted at home in modules into the soil. The boys made a big puddle and smashed the ice on the water butts with a spade. They then made a track for the rescue vehicle and played costguards. Another short visit though, it was still darned cold.

We seem to have a new neighbour on the weedy half plot next door. Which is good news except that in the back of my mind I'd decided I wanted to expand this year and had designs on it myself. Oh well.

Yippee the season starts here!
(I know it's too early to get excited - but I'm an exciteable kind of girl).

The white stuff

The best laid plans of mice and men...well the mice seem to be doing alright with the broad beans but I had planned some gardening for this weekend, and then it snowed.
Just to add insult to injury Aldi are positively giving away their bare root fruit bushes, but the dilema is how many and how to keep them until I can get a spade and some manure in the ground? I'll heel them in into pots for now but I can feel the spring calling - it will be here soon - won't it?