No T Words mentioned at all - a fresh start

pollyanna_26

Lyn I was also wending my weary way to bed at that time . I did raise the hot choc to you all .
Sounds as though you have much to look forward too and wonderful to hear that HWK will be joining yourself and Nell on your next adventure - I hope he feels better soon .
I too am garden planning after the neglect my poor garden suffered last year . I try to avoid resolutions or plans as life has a way of laughing and shaking it's head at my folly but I need to find a more easily managed way of continuing the veg growing . I am going back to the plan I was considering before the relevant thread hit the dust and have been looking at lots of information on poly tunnels . Will only be a small one but with the existing raised beds should be ample . I gave up growing potatoes years ago apart from a few new ones . Living close to the farms there isn't really a financial benefit and I prefer to grow the expensive to buy things and the ones where home grown tastes better .
I'm beginning to sound like my beloved Geoff Hamilton !
Thinking as always of Lainey and family x
I hope all are well and no sore heads today .
polly x

[Deleted User]

POLLY our polytunnel (how appropriate) is definitely extending our growing season by weeks either side of the outside season and we're harvesting and replanting inside before the outside crop is even set most years. It does give us good quantities of whatever we plant in there, we've experimented and always put in 1 early courgette which crops amazingly before the outdoor ones even have flowers. French beans and early peas are good, sweet peppers go crazy, we get 3' high basil forests and we plant carrots and cabbages half way through the summer to stand in for a winter crop, we plant up leeks and this year celeriac in the outside beds in the garden and have leeks, sprouts, oodles of parsnips and some savoy cabbages on the allotment too. We've successfully grown kale in the polytunnel and been picking it at easter when we're beginning to plant the early stuff! magic things polytunnels!

pollyanna_26

Appropriate indeed Lyn hence the gap as I changed polly to poly 4 times ! Thank you for your helpful advice I've been making a list of must haves and trying to decide on what will go where .
Spinach , Spring cabbage , Tomatoes , Dwarf french beans , Spring and white cabbage feature heavily .
All the herbs do very well in the deep raised beds .
Until last year I've had peppers and chillies crop very well in large terracotta pots but they were the main victims of not enough watering and attention .
Like yourself I hope to extend the growing season but I also want to have things in logical areas rather than pots all over the garden which is more time consuming to look after .
There are many more things to add to the list and then I can work out the right home for each .
I grow a lot of winter salad stuff and micro greens a lot of which take up indoor space . Do you find these do well in the polytunnel ?
Apologies to everyone I started a plan which never found a conclusion some months ago . As you were :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
polly

[Deleted User]

We've not tried micro greens but we have tried winter gems which were so tough they were inedible! we've overwintered land cress in there and also radiccio/red chicory which survived quite well but the heart was the only edible bit when we harvested them. Parsley survives well in the polytunnel but we've found that overwintering soft leaved things seem to attract every pest on the planet and it gives us problems with what we plant in the new season because they have established themselves very well inside so now He Who Knows clears the tunnel, pops in a sulphur bomb at the start of the spring and we just go for the extended growing season, seems to work very well.

pollyanna_26

Thanks Lyn . I grow salad leaves and just one winter lettuce the name of which escapes me at the moment
I find the notion of a sulphur bomb strangely attractive !
Back to the plan
polly x

fuddle

Iceland! Oh wow, envious much.

I'm shattered and about to settle down to Sherlock but had to say hello. We've been for lunch with DH's eldest sister who is down from Scotland and I have to say I laughed so much over such nonsense. I now have a sore lung (never goes on deep inhalation but consultant said I could have that for some months yet) but a happy head and heart. Does you good. Has done me good.

I'm very much looking forward to getting some sort of normailty back. I have missed my routine. Chat tomorrow friends. x

pollyanna_26

Fuds Glad you've had a lovely day and are happy and settled . I spent one and a half hours glued to Sherlock . I find you have to watch every moment or you miss a clue , very tiring but brilliantly done . No spoilers but I do wonder if what happened is yet another side track from reality ? We'll have to wait and see !
Night all , sleep well
polly xx

[Deleted User]

We have a sparkling day here in the south, blue sky and lovely sunshine and it's cold out there but not freezing. He Who Knows is feeling substantially better today so we might try for a stroll in the fresh air for him this afternoon. Baby Orley is continuing to thrive, he woke less often last night only every couple of hours and was content in his little cot between feeds so Ruthie is feeling much better today she had to stay in and wait for the midwife while Zebra went to the park with daddy for a run around. Neils parents went home today so now with all the visitors away they can start to work a routine that suits having two squigglers in the family not one, will take a little while but they'll get there soon.

So excited for you FUDDLE, such a wonderful thing to be owner of your own little castle my lovely girl, it really will be a red letter day on the day you get the keys and take possession, we'll have to have a virtual party to celebrate won't we?

I had not taken into account the fact that today is a bank holiday and got up with plans to go into town but they have reduced the bus service to Sunday Timetable which is only 3 in the whole day so shelved plans and will go tomorrow. I've been through the house, done the ironing and washed another load which is hung up in the utility room and the laundry basket is now empty, hoorah!!! Looking forward to normal life resuming tomorrow and a whole new squeaky clean year to play with.....bring it on!!!

pollyanna_26

Hi Lyn and all who follow .
Glad to hear HWK is feeling brighter today , a good walk should do you both good . All seems well with Ruthie and co and she'll probably be glad of a chance to chill a little after the last eventful days .
It was solid ice and frost here all morning and very cold overnight . The sun showed it's face late morning with blue sky but I can feel the temperature dropping rapidly again now .
I've been getting back to normal today have been removing Christmas - early for me but I want to have a good hoover through while I have a chance .
I bought some red and white carnations in the coop on the 19th of December and they're a bit of Christmas that will remain . They had lots of evergreen foliage dusted with silver in with them and are still going strong despite being in a heated room .. Next Christmas I'll just buy the carnations and raid the garden evergreens and silver them myself . They've been so pretty and cheerful and a good buy .
I hope everyone is having a good day . Back to preparing for normality see you all later .
polly x

candlelight_2013

Hello all

A lovely crisp day here, although the frost has only recently cleared.

I feel as though I have been kicked by a horse, haven't felt well for a couple of days. I am assuming it is some sort of virus I have caught, but feeling brighter this afternoon.

I am back on the blood sugar diet so should be feeling OK in a week or so. Blood tests in February and then have to see kidney specialist in May he wants me to have lost a bit more weight.

Lyn it sounds as though all is well with baby Orley and Ruthie and I am sure Zebra must be head over heels in love with his brother. Pleased to hear HWK is feeling a little better, there are some funny bugs going around at this time of year.

Lainey your Mum sounds to be so comfortable at the Hospice, what a blessing we have such facilities where our loved ones can be well looked after.

Polly you have many plans for your garden, I hope it all comes to fruition. I so hope you and your DD have better health this year.

Hoglet are you home yet, and have you had a lovely time in Australia?

Will be back later in the week,

Much love

Candlelightx