Becoming self sufficient from scratch-my diary

ALIBOBSY

Had a great weekend of planting here too. Spent alot of time just sitting and looking at the plants, think i am hooked lol. Ordered a GH and can't wait for it to arrive, may move in lol.

Postie just been and got my dig in seeds and grow your own mag so off for a nice gardening half hour (as its raining out what good timing).

ali x

debbie_dee

hi all brilliant thread thought i would join in with our self sufficient tale. After deciding to give it a go we were lucky enough to buy a disused garden next to our house last year, took 6 months to clear builders rubble and junk but know have a poly tunnel (20 year old hoops of dads plastic from ebay) a greenhouse (old one of brothers) and chicken run as well as several outside beds Am very lucky. have 20 veg growing ( carrots, potatoes nearly ready in the poly tunnel) lots of herbs plus lots of fruit trees and bushes,make lots of jam and chutney and sell surplus eggs to friends they taste so good... only problem it seems to have come an obsecion i race round the house tiding up to get outside, forget to go shopping and tea is often late, good thing all the digging i am loosing weight..
but where will it stop my 15 year old son is talking about us getting a small dexter cow, and a few sheep, and we are looking in to it. We are even lucky enough to live in walking distance to the sea so have plenty of free fish. so we are certainly on the way to being self sufficient (or are we just totally mad)

Moozle_2

Wow, sounds like a fab little setup you have debbie. My house also suffers because i'm outside all the time, oh well, the houseworks going nowhere I suppose!

Alibobsy, glad you got the seeds, hopefully mine will be here soon as well. Where did you order the greenhouse from? I'm also looking for one, or a polytunnel, but they are so expensive. Hope it comes soon anyway so you can at least get in there when its raining and potter about.

ALIBOBSY

We looked at loads of GH and weighed up what to get. We decided with 3 kids couldn't go for glass. Plus as we don't know how much we will actually use it, decided to go as cheap as possble.
After talking to someone on a gardening forum (who has 2 norfolk greenhouses and loves them) as well as reading the numerous reviews on them we plumped for a 6 by 8 with the poly roll cover from them. Was £130 with delivery.
They are known for unclear instructions, but most reviews suggest once up they are good and have seen complaints about a few types of GH being hard to put up anyway lol.

OH is pretty good at DIY and I sort out the instructions. Dad was an engineer so I get that kind of logical plan it all out and put it together from him. Sadly I actuallylove flatpacks lol, same reason I love puzzles like logic puzzles and sudoku et al.

My old boss loved me on gteam building days when they gave you these sort of puzzles, "right this ones for Ali".

Spoke to a lovely lady in their CS and she says any probs to ring them up and they will advise.

ali x

ALIBOBSY

Will post back after it comes and we see how difficult it is if you like lol.

Had a good weekend, OH bought 16, yes 16 99p grow bags from Netto, saving some for the GH and others are dotted around the garden.

OH works for a local council who when they brought in recycling had these bags instead of green boxes. They had so many complaints of bags/rubbish blowing around they are swapping to boxes. Hubby got about 4 of these bags last year as they were throwing them out, around 1.5 ft square they are that material like potato bags but with handles and a lid flap (great cover for frosts lol), remind me of rubble sacks really.
We have used they for collecting rubbish in the garden and going to grow carrots and parsnips and maybe potatos this year in them. OH spoke to the manager of the waste dept at work yesterday who jumped at the chance to get rid of some more bags without them being just thrown, he was really pleased they would be recycled. reckons at least 6-10 bags up the corner of a shed in the council yard so will wait and see.

Such a shame the council didn't think of this themselves, if we get alot I can't use or pass on to other gardeners I know, will stick em on freecycle.

ali x

wildlifeservices

gizmocoe wrote: »

Hi Martin
What do you do with the ground elder? Treat it like cabbage?:o

Thanks
Gizmocoe

Pretty much!! I just steamed it and added butter and black pepper. It's also called goutweed, as it can help cure gout - used by the monks apparently!! ;o)

(Text removed by MSE Forum Team)

ALIBOBSY

Well can't fault Norfolk yet, GH was delivered yesterday. So less than a week to deliver.
Hopefully will stay dry enough at weekend to get it up
Will post back with results, so others can hear how good/bad the kits are.
ali x

poppet

Hi all - have been quickly scrolling through trying to catch up, have been offline for a few weeks and flat out with the garden and hens and stuff. the greenhouse has gone nuts and its full of seedlings ready to plant out and a hideous amount of weeds to get rid of. Have a few disasters recently too, lost some poultry to a fox and I think my potatos have got blight, not quite sure what to do about the spuds, need to do a bit of reading up me-thinks.
happy gardening everyone.

wildlifeservices

Hi Poppet,

3 of my hens disappeared a couple of days ago, too. The foxes will have large cubs now, and they probably wandered into the woods (again - I kept telling them not to!!). Bit of a surprise to lose 3 at once though, but at least I should be able to eat most of the eggs from the remaining 5 - was getting overrun with yummy free-range eggs!! Can't blame the fox, though, hey ho ;o)

(Text removed by MSE Forum Team)

Moozle_2

Update:
Well I have finally got my chickens! 2 Speckledies, 2 black Rocks and 2 Isa Browns. They are lovely and quite happily roming about the garden and in and out of the coop.
I have lots of seedlings lettuce, butternut and millions of dwarf french beans. No luck with the tomatoes and chilis though.
I have cleared an area for the polytunnel, now need to find £250 from somewhere:rolleyes: so I can buy it!
The new job at the garden centre is going fine. Its just 2 days a week, and low wages but i'm getting lots of tips for my own growing and I have a rather generous 20% staff discount which may come in handy:T.

To Do:
Sow more seeds.
Think of ways to make some cash for polytunnel.

Hope everyone is getting on well in the garden.:beer: