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?

The power of poo

All the boys decided to accompany me to the allotment on Sunday. Inexorably drawn by the power of poo.
"What are you going to do Mum?" was the question when I asked if anyone wanted to come with me. "Spread manure", was my reply.
"That's poo" explained oldest. Then they fell like dominoes. "I'll come", "I want to".
So we spread muck, dug for worms, filled some more of the bean trench with compost and youngest dug an enormous hole in my seedbed. I couldn't be cross though, it was a great effort.

OH conspired to tread on the rhubarb which had just poked it's head above the parapet - I'm hoping it will recover. It has as they say two chances - and luckily more than one shoot.

Brassica massacre

Well nearly.
Dropped by the plot today on the pretext of taking the boys out for a blow. (My Mum says that boys are like puppies need to be trained and exercised twice a day. She knows a lot my Mum...I'm working on the training.)

We went and lent on the fence and looked at what was growing.
Broad beans - check
Onions - check
Spinach beet - check
Broccoli?? I did net against birds but the slugs seem to have had their thermals on. Or would it be mice? Or is there a hole where a bunny is ambushing them? Ambush can't be the right word - broccoli is unlikely to run off.
Oh well hopefully about half seems to have survived.

At home we have now planted the shallots in modules, peas in toilet roll tubes, onion seeds and sweet peas in modules and I'm looking forward to a bit of digging when the weather warms up a little. It's the windchill plays havock with my dry skin don't you know...

Plots afoot?

Went to the allotment today with OS. We are itching to get ready for the new season. It was soooo cold! OS complained his feet were frozen after half an hour, I really should have bought him some thermal socks for Christmas - not sure a 6 year old would have appreciated them though...

We:

1.Dug a trench put ex wrapping paper in (mostly newspaper - we are nothing if not frugal!)

2. Added two buckets of kitchen waste, most of the liquid having tipped over the boot of my car during the journey, note to self; do not stack buckets in boot if corners are involved in journey.

3. Walked along trench to "firm"

4. Speculated that the police might visit us as it looked as though we had buried a body.

5. Speed planted 18 broad beans grown in pots at home.

6. Cloched said broad beans.

7. Hightailed home for hot chocolate and a biscuit as we had burnt off so many calories. OH and Mini were convinced we were bonkers.



I had plans to get the shallots in. I've missed the shortest day but not by much, but you know what they say about plans. Maybe tommorrow?

Now back to those seed catalogues.

The start of something

New Year - well nearly - new project. I enjoy reading various gardening blogs so I thought we could start our own. Hope you like it!