the daydream fund challenge thread

Davesnave

ukmaggie45 wrote: »

Hi Dave, looks like things are finally moving for you. What a pain having to move all that earth again though. :eek:

It isn't too bad, Maggie. Machinery does most of the real work, though I get the worst job, rushing around with a wheelbarrow, pulling out and collecting up the various 'nasties,' wherever they are exposed. It won't cost a huge amount extra, as hiring a digger here is cheaper than in a city.
We removed more than was used for the polytunnel site, piling that up in a holding area on the field, so we'll just add to it. We have two more 'normal' mounds to shift in our immediate schedule, and the better parts of those will just replace what we remove.

Good to see you cracking-on with your garden too, which reminds me, I must pop over to the other thread to see how the house renovation is doing. That's the bit I dread, when we move out into a mobile home! :eek:

Thanks Rummer for your comment too. This place is amazing in terms of its potential, but there is a lot to do. You can see what over-grazing by horses does to the land, and now they're gone, we have to sort it out a bit. The lady next door keeps two thoroughbreds on a very small paddock and the amount she does to keep it looking A1 is huge. It costs her a fortune, both in terms of the machines she has, and in woman-hours.

I see that any of the photos I put up will give access to their file, so I shall keep adding things from time to time, now I know how to get them in chronological order! Unlike Maggie, I'm a bit new to this photo-sharing lark.:)

Rummer

Finally another dry day here so I am going to get a few bits potted up today!

Poppycat1

Yippee, I have three spears of asparagus growing, not going to make my fortune but thought it was difficult to grow. Labels says I can't crop this year and I can only take a light cropping next. Hope I don't kill my then.

Chickens are laying well, should be able to sell some soon. Have started looking at properties with land just to keep the dream alive. Sometimes I forget the dream when I am in my favorite shops.

Going to Devon for a field trip Friday so I hope I don't lose any of my seedlings in that time. Have asked to visit a self sufficiency farm there, hope I get my first choice.

stitching_witch

Just a quick update from me. The chickens are growing well but not laying yet. They must be nearly ready surely??

We're taking advantage of the good weather and spending long days at the allotment. We have a camping stove etc there so can have as much tea as we need to keep us going, and take a veritable feast with us too.

We have opened up another third of the plot this year and just one more third left under cover. That will probably stay covered until next year as was the original intention.

I've repotted all my tomato babies and just waiting for the cayenne peppers to grow a bit more before potting them on too. I must get a wiggle on with the other bits.

I've been busy making corset samples ready to launch full-time. Scary move but it has to be done.

But the biggest news as far as I'm concerned is that our GP has finally decided that DH is fit to go back to work on light duties. He's been off for 23 months so it will be a big change for us here. We might start getting some money in at last. :j:j

Davesnave

Great news Stitchy! :jI'm so pleased for you both, after the set-backs you've had.

Using an adverse situation to start a business is admirable, and it's the way many successful ones began too. Sometimes, something that makes us sit back and take stock of our situation is a good thing, even if it seems not so great at the time.:)

We have made our first sales here; a couple of plants to someone who called, and a dozen or so in the local farm shop, which we shall be supplying. We are not really 'open,' but I guess the tax year is, so may as well get on with it!

Nice weather in these parts today for your field trip, Poppycat!

Rummer

Morning! Great news stitchy both for you and your OH. As Dave says people who start businesses in tough economic climates often do well in the future so I have everything crossed for you!

Dave congratulations on your first sales from you new home/business! I am sure this is just the steady beginning to your future success!

Today the weather here is finally dry again so we are going to spend the rest of the day in the garden clearing and digging and weeding as well as getting the greenhouse sorted. We are so far behind but instead of dwelling on it I am just going to have to work extra hard!

Rummer

Well I have spent the last few hours in the garden and it was blissful. My OH and I got the patio weeded and swept and I weeded all the patio pots and cleared areas of the herb garden so the fresh growth has space to come through. It just makes such a difference to be able to potter about and get little bits done.

After watching the edible garden I planted a whole tray of dried peas to have a supply of pea shoots to put in salads. The rocket has started to grow that I planted a few days ago and some carrots and parsnips I planted last year in the garden have started to grow.

meanmarie

You are all so much further on than we are with your planting, we have tomato and pepper plants raised from seed, cabbage and lettuce, going to put some dwarf runner beans in a bucket in greenhouse to-morrow, maybe some carrots and parsnips. Lettuce and scallions are about ready to harvest in greenhouse and sprouting broccoli might provide a dinner next week. Scallions and salad greens sown outside too, and British Queen potatoes, so things are kicking on....even managed to stash €200 for conservatory fund this month.

May wait another week or so before any more sowing as we are to have heavy frost during the week...we have had two wonderful days and hoping for a good one to-morrow too.

Good luck to all 'farmers' although your energy tends to make me feel even older than I am!

Marie

Butterflymind

Hello all

I haven't posted for a while, but, I have popped in often to see how you are all doing. Great to see so many of you in a planting frenzy, and loved the photo's. I've just about got over 'Chick' envy from CTC's great photo's (sigh). Hope you are doing ok Rozee Pozee? I would've loved twins, but, sadly, not meant to be. Hey, how money-saving are you - 'buy one, get one free!'

No chicks for our anniversary, but, OH must've felt a bit guilty as he bought a dwarf patio peach instead when we went to our local garden centre. I've been bouncing around looking at all sorts of forum posts too; there's an interesting one about saving to buy a house without a mortgage (on the mortgage free wannabe site around page 4, postings by Frugaldom, if you are interested) still a bit IT illiterate so no link to it, and it's really got me wondering if we can seriously set our minds on doing this for a bit more land.

I'd hate to get another mortgage again after working so hard to pay ours off early, just so we get the growing space we'd like...

On the planting side we're behind compared to the rest of you:

Seeds:

Brussels (for Xmas?)
Broccolli
Cabbage
Squash (Patty pan, yellow scallop)
Courgette
Sugar snap & main crop peas
Dwarf french beans
Broad beans
Potatoes
Red onion sets

Greenhouse:
8 tomatoes
4 sweet peppers
Mini q

Waiting to see if it germinates: chillis

Bit parky outside, but, done a bit of weeding. Peach keeps being brought in and out of conservatory as frost threatens...

I hope everyone keeps going on their dreams: DDCF = £23 (only loose change going in it at the moment!) But hey, one step at a time! 'From a little acorn, a mighty oak can grow'.

rhiwfield

Have just spent the last £100 (and the recent good weather) on completing the fencing of the garden area facing the road (the work had been started by a contractor but we couldnt get hold of him to finish it, probably saved about £300 ). This used to be a dog fouling area beloved of the local canine community but we've now terraced it, put in paths and enclosed the area which now hosts an old hibiscus, the greengage planted 4 years back and the new apple and pear trees. They will be undeplanted for a floral display, something simple like french marigolds and lobelias.

Thats it then. All done. Front, back and sides. After 5 years the whole garden has been changed to mainly fruit and veg with new greenhouse, raised decking to take in the valley views, rose garden, wildlife garden and high terraces. The site is so rocky with such different levels that we've had to build lots of retaining walls to be able to use the space freed up from clearing out all the leylandii and taking over the lawns . Its not been cheap, even though we've done most of the work ourselves, but at least we've not had to pay out legal and estate agents fees

Keep the dreams going!