Its tough, it will get better and guess what its freezing brrrrr!

LovelyLollipop

Hi again, thanks for the welcomes

Good Luck Bluebag!!!

I made dumplings tonight to go with a lamb stew that DH made earlier....they were pipsy easy to make and I didn't have to use suet (which I didn't have), I was able to use Stork instead. They were yummy!!! I don't normally like "proper" ones (not keen on the texture of suet) but we all loved these. Very OS too, they came from the Victory cookbook. Would anyone like me to post the recipe?

Hippeechiq

A welcome from me too LovelyLollipop

Pink-winged wrote: »

Hi Hippeechiq,

I got a lot of pots from Asda this year...the one's that they use for displaying cut flowers. They were completely free. :j I was a bit dubious about asking for them, but the lady on the customer service desk couldn't have been more helpful and was more than happy to give them to me.

I used a Philips screwdriver to make holes in the bottom with no problems.

Most of them are at least 12 inches in diameter and some are deeper than others. They're perfect for both tumbling and cordon tomatoes and also deep enough to grow carrots in. They all match (yes, I can be a bit ocd about things like that too:o) and if they're too deep for your needs a good tip is to save any polystyrene you might have to fill the bottom third of the pot. It saves on compost and makes the pots lighter and therefore more easy to move around your patio if you need to.

Pink

Thanks so much for that Pink and I'm so glad I'm not the only OCDer on here

RAS wrote: »

Hippieechiq

You do not need a lot of space - I have espalier trees and they take up less than a 12in strip down the side of the garden. Mistake as I should have grown cordon trees instead, which would have give me more varieties.

Some piccies below of ordinary cordons. You need a bit of wall space 1.5 metres/5 foot long and the same height. In a 2.2 metre /8 foot stretch you would get three three trees.

http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/fruit_veg_mini_project_september_2e_apple.asp

http://www.gardenseeker.com/fruit/apples/cordon-apple-trees.htm

You need to be a bit careful abut varieties- spur -bearers and not choose hungry triploids but otherwise, you can use ordinary cheap bare-rooted whips. Choose Clone 20 if you want a Bramley though.

You can also grow U shaped cordons, which are upright and need about 2.5-3 ft/.75-1 metre. Would suggest using a restricting rootstock.

I've no idea what you said in the last two paragraphs it was over 20 years ago when I bought my Bramley & my Cox tree, but that aside, I have no earth RAS at all, and my space is limited as there is a massive Buddleia tree that takes up virtually the complete width of the bottom of my garden - apart from the gate and it's set in a raised 10' x 4' platform of breeze blocks, held in by a dwarf wall......I kid you not!

I've no idea what the previous tentant was thinking or what it's purpose was, but I don't have the money to alter it unfortunately. I love the tree, it's the platform I hate! lol, and it takes up a good third of the garden, but it's in total shade (because of the tree) so not sure I could grow anything there.

On the left hand side of my garden there is a minscule boarder, again with a dwarf wall, that is so packed with various large shrubs and a big bushy cane type plant that there is no spare earth or spare space. The right hand side of the garden is taken up by the length of my linen line so nothing can be planted there either, and I have an enormous patio door that opens into the garden, so I really do only have a few feet of space available.

Also, on the left side, the previous tenant built a square pond about 5' square, by about 18ish" deep. It leaked, and had to be drained, so that's empty and would be ideal to grow something in, but we worked out last year how much soil/compost we would need to fill it, and it was a lot. We couldn't afford it then, and we certainly can't now.

So I pretty much have to accept that I can only grow a few veg in a few pots I think, but I've been given some great ideas for my containers, and how to "earth-up" potatoes, which will be a problem with no earth, and I can't use grass cuttings as I have no grass, so potatoes may have to be knocked on the head. I think it will be tomatoes and peppers for a start next year, but thank you for everyones input

I miss Annie56s posts......I wonder if she's not been able to find us on the new thread?

charlies-aunt

oh dear -the budget has gone out of the window ...coming home from work I was salivating for the last half mile at the prospect of a large plate tasty slow cooked mince and veggies . . . . only to find that the energy-concious dd2 had turned the plug off mid-morning (not realising that it was`a-cooking)

DH suggested a quick visit to the chippie in the next village - but :eek::eek: two portions of fish and chips £9.20! :eek: Quelle horreur!

Haven't had F+C for years...what a shocker!

..they were very tasty though !

Nargleblast

I'm sure I remember Annie56 saying something about going to a job interview away from home around this time, perhaps that's why she's not been posting.

ceridwen

Hi Sammy

My feeling is that the two of you DO love each other:D - but you've both got your own individual problems going on at present (him and his eyes and job problem) and you totally shattered from very little sleep. Add the money problems into that mix and it would be very surprising indeed if you werent both feeling the strain.

I think you are in it together "for the long run" from where I'm standing - I think it will "come good" personally - with a lot of communication on both your parts...

Take care

charlies-aunt

Hippeechiq wrote: »

There is a massive Buddleia tree that takes up virtually the complete width of the bottom of my garden - apart from the gate and it's set in a raised 10' x 4' platform of breeze blocks, held in by a dwarf wall......I kid you not!

Also, on the left side, the previous tenant built a square pond about 5' square, by about 18ish" deep. It leaked, and had to be drained, so that's empty and would be ideal to grow something in, but we worked out last year how much soil/compost we would need to fill it, and it was a lot. We couldn't afford it then, and we certainly can't now.

Hippeechiq - you could think about giving the Buddleia a really good pruning - you could be quite radical as they always seem to spring back like magic every spring

For the pond - you would try using it as a compost pit this autumn and winter for all your fruit and veg parings and maybe look for a source of free/cheap compostable material (we're talking 'orse poo here!) to fill it up and then just top it with a layer of compost.

Our tiny garden has a thin layer on soil on top of the underlying bedrock and shale - we have walled it all the way round with stones from the garden and upright paving slabs and infilled the area with this kind of mixture...periodically topping it up with horse muck and compost to keep the soil in good condition.

Don't bother buying bags of [STRIKE]horse poo[/STRIKE] organic manure from the garden centre . . .ask any horse owner - they will let you have as much as you can collect for free and will probably hand you some nice big sturdy plastic feed bags to shovel it into ... come to our field and we'll even help you shovel the stuff! :rotfl:

Mrs_Veg_Plot

Hi Lovleylollipop
Can I have your dumpling recipe please?

witchwoopiggy

hellsbells45 wrote: »

Billy 8 bells (cat) has been very os today though brought home a guinnepig:eek::eek:he did share it with the others though:o. Now i'm faced with a moral dilema. if anyone asks if i've seen a guinnepig, do i a)deny all knowledge of said animal or b) admit to the fact that cat had it for breakfast..........got to be a all the way:D

long time lurker on this thread, i hope you dont mind me replying but as a owner and shower of guinea pigs, and belonging to guinea pig forums (lord i sound boaring) i know the heart ache that is caused by not knowing what happened to there pet, i wouldnt admit the cat ate it lol but perhaps saying he bought home a um dead one, would save the owner alot of heart ache looking.

HariboJunkie

Has anyone seen Frugalista? I miss her posts.
Good luck with the interview Bluebag.

We saved a bit more money today by foraging for elderberries, brambles, slows and rosehips which will be turnedinto jams, jellies and gns for Christmas presents. I have also started my first pair of knitted wristwarmers and if they work there will be six more made for prezzies along with 3 knitted rabbits and a knitted monkey (all with Lidl bargain wool bought last year). Between those and homemade chocolates and sweets and the hyacinth bulbs I have started off in bowls, Christmas should be fairly frugal in case OH's clients are as slow to pay in December as they were last year.:money:
I always do a handmade present from us to the girls on top of their presents from Father Christmas and this year it will be a hat, scarf and glove set.
Better get the needles out again.....

greent

good luck to all those having interviews!

Thanks for the apple cake recipe, Annie - looks yummy!

Hippie-Chiq- I was also going to suggest filling the pond with hm compost. you may find on freegle/ freecycle or neighours some rabbit/ guinea pig cage clearings - they make great mix for peelings etc. It's surprising how quickly a compost heap will grow. Most of my veg this year were grown in compost from my compost bin - costing me nothing I bought a couple of cheap growbags and that was it. (ANd I grew loads in pots/ bags etc and used HM compost for anything planted in the garden)