From debt to freedom...

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Cherryfudge...got busy sowing another couple of varieties today - Tomato yellow pear and Tigerella. I was given a selection of tomato seeds for Christmas which I have to say has been a most useful gift.

The weather has been lovely today, breezy enough to get washing dried on the line.  I took advantage of the dry day to get the grass cut. I have a push mower so it took a little time but it looked much better for having been  cut. My arms certainly had a workout!  The elderly lurcher and I got to the allotment and got another hour of chopping done. This time, I concentrated on cutting back the blackthorn branches that were growing over the raised beds. I thought that it would maximise light. I found the blueberry that had been swamped by the buddleja and it was coming into leaf. Hopefully will locate the others as I carry on chopping. 

The younger DDs have been focused today at cracking on with their home learning  tasks from school. Tea tonight was tuna plait with homemade potato wedges. It’s a useful store cupboard recipe, basically a cheese pastry ( 8oz flour, 4 oz butter, 2oz  grated cheese) rolled out into a rectangular shape.  Make cuts in the pastry on both long edges of the rectangle. Mix together in a bowl one onion chopped finely, 3oz grated cheese and a tin of tuna. Place the tuna mixture in the middle of the rectangle and bring up the cut sections of pastry to form a “plait “ over the tuna mixture. Bake for 20-25 mins. Good with jacket potatoes or new potatoes and salad.

Cherryfudge

Nom, nom, nom! I think I would like that. In the autumn it would be nice with a few slices of tomato in (I am sure you will have enough!).

I didn't manage any gardening today but our lawn needs a hair cut too. Perhaps tomorrow.

savingholmes

Yes - you sound like you are making the most of the relative peace of self isolation. Tuna plait sounds tasty. DH bought a battery mower just before the c-virus blew up - so he's actually enjoying mowing the lawn for once!

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Cherryfudge and Saving Holmes. I must confess I am very thankful to have the garden to focus on and in the midst of all the uncertainty it’s good to be thankful for the things that we can see around us - the primroses nestling in the hedgerows, lambs gambolling around the fields and unexpected extra time with our immediate families. 

Honeysucklelou2

I did look out my Good Life DVD last night. The humour was great, I thought I might get inspiration!!

BalanceBy50

Good morning HSL I am still loving your diary and all the positivity. I love my two boys (age 7 & 5) but I am not a children person however I am determined to enjoy this period of enforced isolation with them. Dh is still going out to work and I will be working from home too. I intend to do some formal stuff with them (reading & writing) but I want to do some more creative learning. We have a greenhouse but don't use it (it has a vine growing in it!) And a small piece of garden we could turn into a veg bed so basically I am asking what seeds I can sow with them and some basic growing instructions if you don't mind and have you a favourite place to buy from?  Thank you in anticipation xx

Honeysucklelou2

Hi Balance by 50, lovely to hear from you.  I tend to get my seeds from Thompson and Morgan ( online or at the garden centre), DT Brown ( good variety at modest prices) or Sarah Raven ( good for certain varieties, I tend to compare prices with the others to get the best price). Sowing a mixture of quick growing plants to keep the children’s enthusiasm and some slower growing plants would be a good plan. I would start with lettuce, radishes, calendulas, sunflowers ( Vanilla Ice is multi branching and great for cut flowers, Russian giant is a good variety for trying to grow the tallest flower), tomatoes, nasturtiums, peas and beans.  All of the above can be started now with the exception of runner beans - I would wait until it gets a little warmer but when they get going they will romp away.  You can use old egg boxes to sow seeds individually, then when the plants are ready to be put outside, you can pop straight into the ground to avoid root disturbance. Tomatoes would benefit from some warmth so might be worth utilising the greenhouse or a warm window sill. Gardener’s Delight is a nice variety of cherry tomatoes. Nasturtiums are edible and can be used within a salad, the leaves have a peppery taste. Plants will benefit from being started indoors. Any plants started indoors or in the greenhouse will need to be hardened off before planting in the ground. This involves taking the plants outside in a sheltered sunny spot by day, building up  time outside gradually but bringing them back into the greenhouse at night. Over a 10 day period this  prepares the plants for being planted outside. 

I would get some compost to start the seeds off. If you sow into individual cell trays ( or old egg boxes)  it’s easier to transplant the whole plant and root ball in one, straight into  the ground. You can sow into a seed tray but then have the extra stage of  pr*cking them out and potting them on.

With  a teacher hat on - get each child to sow a couple of sunflowers in pots. Once a week measure the sunflower and record the height in cms over the next few weeks. The measurement part will cover some  of the measurement work in KS1. Try growing one of the beans  in an old  lemonade bottle ( with a couple of drainage holes). As the plant grows, point out the roots, leaves, stem, flowers and you will have covered some of the KS1 Science curriculum🙂.   Create a map of the garden, make an insect hotel, discover which mini beasts live within the garden.

Sarah Raven has a website that gives weekly gardening tips which you might find useful. Have fun, gardening with children is fabulous.

savingholmes

I have bulbs coming out now that I planted for last mother's day - I gave MIL 2 pots last year and 1 for her friend who came with her so hopefully they both have bulbs and flowers coming up. It does make a difference. Pansies, violias, narcissi and muscari.  

Honeysucklelou2

Spring flowers are doubly delightful this year. The pots sound lovely SH. Muscari are so lovely and fragrant. I always think of my grandmother when I see them. She really didn’t like them because of their tendency to spread but I like the vivid blue and remember her whenever I look at one!

I’ve kept busy today by pr*cking out some lettuce seedlings.  I was a little enthusiastic when I sowed them and had quite a forest of seedlings. Thinning them out and putting each one into individual cells will hopefully help them to get an established root system before planting out in a few weeks.

More bramble chopping at the allotment. The younger DCs came to help. I was quite encouraged by how many paths had been cleared. I haven’t had the time to garden the area as I used to since having my youngest, so lots to chop back and reclaim!

I got some baking done today - a batch of chocolate muffins but did them as mini muffins in the hope that they will last longer and  Jan’s Apple cake which we had for pudding.  I’m much more conscious of food waste or rather making sure there isn’t any and composting whatever we are able to.

Reality is hitting more for the older DDs. One missed what was effectively her last day at school and the other has no work after this period of self isolation now that the pubs and restaurants are shut.   Haven’t persuaded either of them to the allotment yet! Not sure if the 80% wages covers zero hour contract workers.

Feeling thankful for the blessing of fresh air, the sound of birdsong & the beauty of the Spring flowers. Spotted violets and honesty in the hedgerow yesterday.

Sun_Addict

I suppose one positive coming out of this virus is everyone is being so productive.  It's like Gardener's World on here 😂 I like to see a nice garden but not too keen on the work that goes with it, however getting some inspiration from your diary.