Grow Your Own Magazine

Just sat here and thinking about what jobs I have planned for the plot this year and I'm getting a little anxious.

Things I have planned:

Create a pond
Make a second compost bin
Finish making the raised beds
Create a herb wheel type thing
General digging
Make some netting structure thingys for the raspberries
All the usual planting/sowing

Then there's the garden at home....

Could do with this weather improving (and not just mid-week).

Are you getting worried about the amount of jobs to do?

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A simple dude trying to grow veg.

http://haywayne.blogspot.com/ - Updated 30th November

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Don't stress hun!!! THe idea of your lottie is to de-stress!!!! Think of your blood pressure!
Having said that I'm getting mightily fed up of the weather, my clay soil just doesn't get a chance to dry out before the next lot of rain starts so my planting schedule is running very late!
You got some raspberries then?

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Imagination is everything, it is a preview of what is to become.

From time to time my stomach does a little flip- wondering how we'll fit it all in....and then I see what we managed this weekend and suddenly it all seems very exciting and something to look forward to.....and VERY achievable!!

Remember- you don't HAVE to do it all this year - and the light evenings are upon us!!

I want to edge my beds this year but to do it the way I want I'm going to need 240 feet of scaffolding boards!! I got a rabbit yesterday can I use his bedding as conpost? I also want to create a herb area. I want to take the plants out of my pond and create a bog garden with them tp give my lillies more room.... and on it goes........

Well, the lock on the gate of our site is broken, twill be Wednesday at least before it's fixed - which will require new lock and keys for all. So Won't get keys til then (or whenever we can get to LA offices during office hours after that! problem #1 for me).

I have a lot of digging to do yet, things to plant, and plans for later include:
Collection of lots of pallets
Make compost bin (hopefully a double) along back fence
Reclaim land there and possibly put mini fruiting cherry tree (on the basis that mini will not be spotted by locals for raiding).
Make a plastic shelter for toms and peppers - involves tall fence posts, plastic and pallet wood
As land gets freed, lots more deep clearing of couch grass roots and stones (having purchased sieve for job recently) as well as generally trying to level it all out and make some proper beds

And that's not including the general planting, weeding, watering and harvesting.
All around toddler's schedule (but luckily I should be freer later on to get down to some in the evenings after work!).

Clay soil for me too - still some large puddles in places (maybe the pond won't be so hard to create) that refuse to dry out. Went to the plot quickly on Saturday - before our guest arrived, and mud was really sticky and claggy, so decided to stay at home and do some more sowing.

Raspberries are on order via the ebay dude, so hopefully will be with me soon.

Oh, and blood pressure should be sorted soon, we have a cross trainer at home now, so 15 minutes (working up to 1/2 an hour eventually) on that every morning before work should do the help bring it down - along with other measures.

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A simple dude trying to grow veg.

http://haywayne.blogspot.com/ - Updated 30th November

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/p/dev036pr___.png

I went to the lottie yesterday having not been for two weeks to find all the grass I'd dug up on my first bed coming back - had a moment of doubt that there was any point carrying on, then got stuck in ... now have five beds dug and covered to warm up (one with cloches, one with clear plastic, one with black plastic, one with fleece and one you don't even want to know - won't win any good looking contests!) so am feeling much more positive about the whole thing.

BUT -

The front garden at home needs dewinterising, the back garden looks like the local tip and last years veg plot which is supposed to be transformed into a herb/evergreen bed next to the decking is currently sporting a lovely selection of weeds, and as for the indoors ... well, shall we just not go there!?

But hey, it'll all get done in good time - spring is upon us, the evenings are lighter and we have a whole summer ahead. Just relax, do what you can, enjoy, and don't sweat what you can't!

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Life may not be the party we hoped for but since we're here we might as well dance

got to try and do in next month !

1; move polycarb greenhouse from present position to lottie so i can put in aubagines and peppers .

2; stone paths around new raised beds and greenhouse base.

3; finish seiving soil into new long raised bed for the brassicas ( the bottom half is already seived in last october so the base will not be lose for the plants )

4; dig over two sisters bed for sweetcorn / squashes

5; finish bean trench and onion bed


not stressed yet ! try me in a month.

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---) CARL (----
ILFRACOMBE
NORTH DEVON

a seed planted today makes a meal tomorrow!

www.freewebs.com/carlseawolf

now in blog form ! UPDATED 01 / 04 / 08

i had a minor "panic" last night - not a real panic tho, just a sudden realisation that i didn't have anywhere near enough seedlings for planting out and i need to crack on and sow more

i have my own business, normally work from home, but at the end of april i'll be working full time at school for 2 months - i won't have time to do much so need to get it all organised now

so yesterday i checked seedlings, pricked out etc, realised i didn't have anywhere near enough, was still sowing in seed trays and cells at 2am! and a few more to do today
and i took a chill pill so all happy and relaxed

i'm doing ok - shouldn't have any major problems - got loads to do like tying the canes for the french and runner beans, cutting some canes to support pea netting, and of course digging over the whole patch and covering it with weed sheeting - i'll make compost bins and ladybird box etc when i get time