Prosperous soul in the making

doingitanyway

Hope your first day back was ok.

savingholmes

Thanks SSDD23, MF and DIA
Work went fine. Caught up with a colleague, chased some work and did some work of my own. Thankfully still on short hours so went quickly  once I'd started. Think I only have a couple of weeks of short hours left before review. After work I did a bit in the garden - gathering up weeds that DH had dug up. Also pulled out some blanket type weed from our old water feature. The dog kept interfering though so I soon gave up on that. I got carrot seeds through the post today. They are tiny. I made my own seed tape with some 3mm craft tape I already had - using an eyeliner pencil and licking it to get the individual seeds to cling to the pencil so I could add them to the tape.

I planted petit pois around a second obelisk against the shed so it balances the other one (I like symmetry) and it's in view of the bench that we moved. I broke up some of the poor soil that used to be under a storage bench and then added about 20 litres of compost and a  few scoops of chicken pellets over the top and raked it into position. (It's one of the sunniest spots in the garden). I created 3 short furrows and sowed the carrot seed tape in the gap between the two obelisks.  I also sowed some carrots in the pot with the tomato plant. I planted a few sweet pea stems I bought last week around the garden and gave some individual pots to grow on for a bit.  I don't have much compost left now but will need more to be able to plant the other stuff when it comes. Debating what to buy now and what to wait for to see if lockdown eases any time soon. I am treating some of my gardening spends as personal spends, some as pre-birthday spends and some as saving on future grocery budget.

My Mexican orange blossom is flowering now - delicate white flowers. In a normal spring/summer I barely go out in the garden enough to notice but this year super grateful for all my flowering plants. I tried to pull my hebe loose from  the pot but it looks like its pot bound so not sure that it will be practical to move - as it may then need too big a hole to be worth moving. We are getting a quote for widening the drive so it can hopefully take 2 cars - could be a good time to get it done if the tradesman can get the materials as it can be a 'contact free' job. Not sure how easy it will be as there are various levels. We have a strip of bushes on the other side of the drive that I hate which we would lose. We then have some other plants I really like on the side closer to our front window. .I would want to move these to the back garden: bluebells, white Christmas rose (hellebore), a pink peony, purple flowering hibiscus, chives and some other ground cover type plants.

Who needs a smallholding? Just what we've got is keeping us busy enough. I am a 'set and forget' type gardener though normally. I believe in liners to prevent weeds, bark etc to suppress them and lots of ground cover so there is less space for weeds anyway.

MovingForwards

Glad work went well and you still have some short hours.

You don't need a smallholding, just a reasonable sized garden for the good life!

How ingenious putting the seeds on tape, to space out sowing.

Have you got your greens covered? Peas or runner beans, again easy to grow.

DancingInTheRain

Pleased your first day back at work went well. Congratulations on the weight loss & the recurring delivery slot, what a result on both of these 🙂

savingholmes

Thanks MF and Dancing. I think we are very fortunate all things considered. Still waiting to find out if we have to pay DS uni accommodation cost - and then how much DS shares the costs with us. The campus is pretty much shut so we are hoping not to have to pay - but he did leave some stuff behind including important docs. I made a £68 OP to our mortgage today.

MF - I've planted strawberry plants, peas, beans, carrots, peppers and (pieces of) potatoes so far. I would be amazing if the potatoes take - but time will tell.  I am going to send some pea and pepper seeds to my BIL. May wait a few days to see if my other seeds turn up and if so send some of those at the same time. I have found a cheaper compost supplier at a different local nursery which is also delivering so planning to get more compost and some bark and a few more strawberry plants.

I may post some photos of my paintings / other crafts on FB buy and sell and then potentially offer local delivery/pick up service. It would help me know which colour combinations were the most popular. I am certainly running out of space for them all! Think DH will shoot me if I create more at the moment especially now DS is back. DH replaced the lawnmower a month or so back with a battery one - thinking of trying to sell his old one (which is on the way out) for say £10. It might help someone. 

Honeysucklelou2

What an ingenious idea to make the seed tape! Your garden sounds lovely...is there room for chickens?!

savingholmes

Hi HSL - I would love chickens but I am pretty sure it's in our house covenant that we aren't allowed. If we were allowed there is a small area behind the shed they could go. I'm also sure the dog and the cat would scare them - so they would have to be caged in some way which would be a shame.

Well I have found another local nursery who will deliver. So ordered bonemeal, grass fertiliser, multi-purpose compost, acid compost, farmyard manure and then some baby plants - broccoli, cauliflower, pepper, cucumber and strawberries. It should come in the next day or two. It's a nursery I don't think I have ever visited but is within about 3 miles of my house! For all those of you struggling to get compost - ring around your local nurseries - they need your business anyway. 

savingholmes

I have had a fab day. I got up early for me at around 8am as I was very unusually wide awake. I dieted yesterday (low carb - plus 1 curly wurly) and am doing the same today. I haven't felt hungry at all where when I eat 3 x as much I usually feel ravenous. I had breakfast and then had a few coffees in the garden and DH and the dog joined me which was a fab way to start the day. I worked and then mid afternoon my delivery came from this morning's garden centre. As it arrived my MIL offered to pay for most of it for my birthday so I can now enjoy it guilt free. 

I emptied a hanging basket - split the white and green leaved euonymous that was in there and rescued a baby primrose. They had been drowning! I dumped out an ivy behind the bench to grow up an old metal type butterfly trellis. I put in two new strawberry plants and a lupin with one part of the euonymous -  it is currently at ground level as DH need some new drill bits and rawl plugs to hang the bracket. I will take out the lupin once it's flowered or if it struggles. I planted another pot up with some chives and some carrot seeds. Apparently you can eat baby carrots from really early on so I may get through more of the seeds than I think. Next door has dug up most of his front lawn to plant veg. I think I should now have all the compost I need to plant everything I wanted - so I will be able to fill the pots and hessian growing bags I bought and refresh at least the top few inches of my other pots. I also got bark. So thrilled. 

Drawingaline

Your garden sounds lovely. I am quite jealous, my mil has a wonderful garden, and my dad is good with growing fruit and veg, it seems to have skipped me and my husband! 

jwil

Glad your first day back went well