From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

greenbee

If you're not fussy about fruit tree varieties, supermarkets often do them at reasonable prices and it makes sense to get them in the ground sooner rather than later (I prioritised trees, fruit trees, and hedging here) so they get established. Not now, obviously, but in the autumn when the ground is softer (hopefully!) you could dig holes in preparation for finding a bargain!

And definitely veto Mr GP's metal shed. A summerhouse with storage sounds like a much better idea! If you can get pallets, and are feeling creative, pallet wood is good for making raised beds/edging beds. Or if you'd like a trailer-load of old bricks, just let me know… 😂

Greying_Pilgrim

Bricks are a bit of a touchy subject at the mo, greenbee, every time I've plunged the spade in the ground, CLANG! I've found another discarded house brick 🙄 Had I known there were this many 'on' the property, I would have had a good rootle round instead of paying summat horrendous for bricks to block up the old bolier outlet, when we had the CH changed 🤪

I'm trying to think where it was…. I'm actually leaning towards hB or bee&Em, and their fruit trees were quite good this time - in terms of variety choice - not perhaps what you'd expect, so it'll definitely be worth a look at places like that, alongside a specialist nursery. Perhaps if I was establishing an orchard, I would go after 'old' varieties, but I think "supermarket" trees would probably give me what I needed. I remember my dad bought trees from a specialist source, one…. pear? never took, and one of the apples got some sort of disease, so supermarket - thrive or fail - is probably the way to go.

Greying X

beanielou

A lovely way to remember your aunt. 🤗

Baileys_Babe

Family Greying have made so much progress 👏 Your garden plans sound great and what a huge improvement for all of you. To add to the fruit trees how about some blackcurrants and rhubarb 😋

What a lovely way to remember your kind Aunt.

Greying_Pilgrim

Yeah, thank you beanie and Baileys_Babe. Although my Aunt lived up the side of a mountain, somewhere not conducive to eating outdoors for approx 362 days of the year, she loved family, and hospitality and she'd have loved to know that we were together around the table, nattering, having a cuppa, and a bit of cake too. I've got a garden bench too, from a birthday (a longggggg time ago), that has never really been constructed for any length of time. We did use it at the rental, during c'vid - do you all remember how nice the weather was. Lots of reading to LG took place on that bench.

Mmm, I'm not adverse to a plant - of the right variety - of rhubarb, but of the soft fruit, if I had to make room, probably raspberries would be the only ones to make the cut. Of the currants, I like to have a bowl to make a pud or something - trying to remember what the name is of the one you soak white bread in the juice, and then put the cooked fruit in the middle - comes out completely pinky/purple. But beyond that, I wouldn't bother having bushes in this garden. Apples, pears, maybe plums would earn their keep, but there isn't enough space for everything. I would rather a few tomato plants than soft fruits I think.

Greying X

Baileys_Babe

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82013583#Comment_82013583

Summer pudding?

Space will obviously dictate what is planted, all fruit, including tomatoes sound good to me, but what would Family Greying enjoy

Greying_Pilgrim

Summer Pudding! Thats it! Doh - I'm so thick, clue is in the name!

DH still talks about the first of the seasons broad beans and the raspberries when we had the allotment. We used to go early in the morning, do the work, and then come home and have raspberry pancakes for brekkie, and broad bean risotto for tea. All prior to LG of course. LG's choice would be strawberries, and apples - eaters and cookers. It's not feasible, but I've have all of the above and asparagus 😁But if we can find dwarf things, or use espaliers to grow the trees etc we may have some of those things.

We won't have a veg garden, nor be self sufficient, but there should be space for some bits, interspersed with everything else we want from the space. We've still a long way to go yet though. With a degree in hindsight, we should have said we were going to do this project this week, although if that had been the plan, it would have rained, wouldn't it? 😆

Greying X

greenbee

I've got strawberries growing between cracks in the paving stones very happily (and currently fruiting), so you might be able to fit some in!

Jellytotts

The Bee and Em fruit trees have always been good for us. Good price little trees and have always rooted well.

Greying_Pilgrim

Jellytotts - that's a good endorsement. Thank you.

I can't remember if I mentioned we had egg mayo sangers for lunch. LG rolled their eyes a bit, and I know we've had them quite a bit, but I hadn't really got anyway to zing up cheese. I did slice up the very last of the cucumber and LG had that - DH and I had half a banana sliced up, each. For all LG's groaning, the sangers got munched 🙄

Tea was a curry plate. Not quite the weather for it, but I had some stuff in and could use it for this tea, so that won the day. I made Palak Paneer, with lentil dhal (for LG) , beetroot and carrot dhal for DH and I, and boiled basmati. I didn't think LG liked paneer, but this recipe was quite a reasonable one, and I think frying the paneer first made a good textural addition to the curry - and I just said paneer was cheese……. SOLD! I used a spoonful of yoghurt, rather than cream in the curry, but I think otherwise I pretty much followed the seasonings etc. I did use frozen spinach though, as that was what I had.

Ta for popping by, and for all the help and advice. It is appreciated.

Greying X