2023 Frugal Living Challenge

Glittering_M

Absolutely, I really need to sit down and plan exactly the sort of things I want to do, why and how as I get lots of little ideas that I get excited about and look into and research then don't do. E.g willow weaving and growing willow, mushrooms, having a little stall outside the house. I'd also like some animals eg goats, sheep, llamas or alpacas but I don't like goats milk and I wouldn't eat the animals and unfortunately fleece aren't worth much. Again, another idea was getting a spinning wheel but as I've not done anything like this before and for just a very small number of animals it wouldn't be worth it. So basically they'd all be pets, which is lovely but not very money saving😂

willow_loulou

The willow is a great idea though glittering. I love mine and hope to make a full weaved hedge in a couple of years time. 

I have been really struggling with my health and it’s affected my emotions, I’m unnecessarily stressed. I know I need my holiday but I really don’t seem to be myself. So I’ve decided to grow things that have some benefits. Lemon balm etc. I want to grow lavender but have failed miserably. Does anyone have success with it? What’s your soil like? 

newlywed

I tried French lavender in pots and they died after 2 years. Tried again,.. the same.

last year my neighbour gave me a tiny lavender plant (egg cup size) so I planted it in a sunny border with not great soil, drips from the gutter… and it’s grown nicely so far.  Next year we will see….


rosemary and sage both seem to grow well for me. Sage tea is lovely…. Must try it with fresh sage and see what it’s like.

KajiKita

willow_loulou said:

The willow is a great idea though glittering. I love mine and hope to make a full weaved hedge in a couple of years time. 

I have been really struggling with my health and it’s affected my emotions, I’m unnecessarily stressed. I know I need my holiday but I really don’t seem to be myself. So I’ve decided to grow things that have some benefits. Lemon balm etc. I want to grow lavender but have failed miserably. Does anyone have success with it? What’s your soil like? 

I find both rosemary and lavender are quite contrary plants. Sometimes they won’t grow, sometimes they will 🤷‍♀️ The classic advice is somewhere well drained and sunny for both of them. If they are in pots, lift them off the ground so they don’t have their toes in the wet in the winter.
 I’m on my second attempt at a rosemary in this garden and have planted it at the foot of our south facing hedge - if it gets through this winter I will count that as a win! 😊
I think a lot of the herbs have positive effects on us - isn’t parsley a good source of vitamin C? 

Sorry to hear you are struggling - offering a hug if it helps. Perhaps some meditation or gentle walking in a different area might help clear your mind / ground you?

KK

wort

Normal lavender not French , is easy to grow, doesn’t like wet soils/clay. I don’t feed it ,so a poor soil and fairly free draining they are Mediterranean plants, same as Rosemary and sage all grow like weeds in my garden . When pruning lavender don’t cut back into old wood as it may not regrow.

kayannie

willow_loulou said:

The willow is a great idea though glittering. I love mine and hope to make a full weaved hedge in a couple of years time. 

I have been really struggling with my health and it’s affected my emotions, I’m unnecessarily stressed. I know I need my holiday but I really don’t seem to be myself. So I’ve decided to grow things that have some benefits. Lemon balm etc. I want to grow lavender but have failed miserably. Does anyone have success with it? What’s your soil like? 

Do you know anyone who would let you snip a bit of their lavenders for you to grow plants from cuttings? It really is dead easy. You need to take a piece that is non flowering. Cut the stem just below a leaf, strip off most but not quite all of the remaining leaves, put around the edge of a small pot & keep watered but not too wet. You can put 3 or 4 in the same pot. I've only tried with 'normal' lavender, not sure if this works with the French sort. KA

willow_loulou

Thank you for the hug KK 
I’ve had a huge amount to deal with this year, it’s taken it’s toll 
I think he lavender I’ve tried to grow was English but not entirely sure, I will investigate! 

Sage is hit or miss for me too, but it’s definitely better started in the pot I’m keeping it in to grow in the house rather than outside and move it out when it’s a decent size. 

Glittering_M

My English lavender was a bit scraggy in a pot but it has been much happier since I moved and it has been in the ground. I divided it a bit where it has spread and the divisions largely seemed to have done ok. I have tried propogating but no luck. 

My rosemary and bay both didn't survive their first year. Not sure why. The thyme they were next to is thriving. 

Mint is quite easy although should be kept in a pot unless you want it everywhere. You need to be careful the one you get though as some aren't very nice. I've got chocolate and black peppermint and the garden had some when we moved that look nice but taste vile. I often have a hot mint so boiling water and some mint leaves. I grew chamomile from seed this year but it hasn't flowered yet, it is the flowering type. I'd like to be able to use them in homemade hair rinses. Chives I've found are very forgiving. I left mine in my plastic greenhouse over winter and forgot about them (by accident) and they've come around fine. Don't eat the flowers though. A Thai recipe I was following used them as a garnish and a friend ate them and said they weren't very pleasant.

I have a preference for perennial plants whilst I'm getting my garden established so then I can focus on veg. 

We have some lemon balm growing, be careful it self seeds and can be vigorous. Again though I sometimes have a few leaves in hot water.

I guess it is worth having a think about what benefit the plant brings you? Is it pretty? Does it have a health benefit? Does it attract pollinators? 

willow_loulou

I figured out why I’m feeling like I am. Work. 

I went in briefly and left virtually in tears because of one dismissive person. I came home and sobbed and still feel wobbly. I’ve been pivotal in the businesses success (bosses words) and yet I’m so disregarded by some. 

I made my mind up, I am done there. No more overtime and as soon as I’m back from my holiday I’m going to start properly looking for the right alternative job.

fionaandphil

@willow_loulou so sorry to hear you've had a bad day - virtual hug winging its way over!  I was just thinking of you earlier, there is an article in Guardian online today in the lifestyle section all about how to grow lavender successfully, it might solve some problems for all of us