From debt to freedom...

Cherryfudge

Happy Easter!
I have ivy under the fruit bushes here, the nettles haven't yet discovered that particular hideaway, preferring a dense patch of muscari because they know I can't get them out.

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you everyone for your Easter greetings 😀.

Good question Jan - my interest in gardening began  after the death of my grandfather. Up til then my dear grandfather had tried in vain to get me interested and he did sort some plants out for me in my garden.  When he died, I suddenly realised I couldn’t just ring him up and ask him what was wrong with the fuchsia, I had to do it myself! I  think he would like the allotment 😀.

Love the recipe, similar to a boiled fruit cake. Haven’t made that for ages. Happily DD2 has just remembered that one of her home learning tasks is to produce some sort of decorated Easter cake😁😋.

Back to work focus here. I’ve done a few hours and will probably get some  more done shortly.  Hope to get to the allotment later this afternoon. Need to carry on pr*cking out the forest of antirrhinums!

Mumoffourkids

I’ve just had a major catch up on your diary today. I’ve read from January onwards which even though it doesn’t seem that long has taken me a few hours. Your diary is one that always motivates me. You have your struggles but you always see to be busy doing something and I need to take a leaf from your book. 

We have been planting as Dd3 seems to hate schoolwork but loves gardening, so she is doing a gardening diary whilst being off school. We have a large variety of seeds now being grown in our small garden.  

Now I have caught up with what’s happening in your world, I really need to get up and do something today!

BalanceBy50

Just a quick one from me to say a big thank you for the seed tips! Tomatoes and radishes have already germinated and we have planted loads more today.  My five year old is so happy! Our garden has never looked so good in April before and I bet your allotment is looking fabulous xx

sashybo

Hi Honeysuckle, nice to hear that you get your green fingers from your grandfather. I'm sure he'd be very proud of all your planting and growing. 👏 

My Grampa was also the main gardener in my life, he used to mainly grow sweet peas, potatoes, rhubarb, tomatoes and roses but he had a go at everything really. 😊 I kept some small houseplants from around the age of 10 but kind of fell out of it in the teenage years. I didn't really get back into it properly until DH and I moved into our house 6 years ago as we finally had our own garden after years of living in flats. 

I find being out in the garden really calming and enjoyable (when my DS isn't tearing my flowers to shreds 😱) and it's great to escape and have some "me" time sowing seeds and transferring seedlings etc.

Honeysucklelou2

Mumoffourkids - Thank you for your kind  words. A garden diary sounds a great idea. Which varieties of seeds has your DD3 sown?

Balance by 50- I’m so glad that you and your son are enjoying the gardening.😁

Thats exactly how I feel Sashybo, a place to escape to and have some”me” time nurturing plants! I often call the allotment my haven and love to just pause and listen to the birds and the lambs in the nearby fields. 

I did get to the allotment to get some  watering done. I’d been able to pr*ck out another 40 antirrhinum seedlings, so those have gone to the greenhouse.  It’s been a little cooler today with more of a breeze which has been more refreshing than yesterday. 

Mumoffourkids

I do feel so much more motivated reading your diary. Yesterday was a chill out day, today I have plans!
My daughter is currently growing sunflowers, poppies and daisies. Then red tomatoes, golden tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, peas, broccoli, and sweet corn. Oh and strawberries. I couldn’t tell you what varieties but I have ordered some green zebra tomatoes like you had as she loves all things zebra!

Honeysucklelou2

That’s fabulous, another good striped variety of tomato is  Tigerella. Well done to her, that’s an impressive list of plants sown.

savingholmes

Well you've got me at it too. I swapped dwarf beans (hestia) for pepper seeds from a neighbour so pleased with that. This is the year for growing your own. I love antirhinnums too they are so pretty and colourful. 

Cherryfudge

Another jumping on the bandwagon - more onions sown today. I keep going to the window to admire the neat bit of garden.   It then occurred to me to put some annual flower seeds along the front edge of the onion bed, though I haven't chosen any yet. Might as well be pretty!
There is a meme going the rounds about 'my garden before/after the lockdown', in which someone's fairly 'casual' backyard becomes a wonder of landscaping (and mysteriously acquires a mountain range in the background, but we won't go into that). That's how I feel about my little patch of onions.