The Potting Shed

[Tâf]

Gathered the sunflower heads to collect their seeds... next year I plan to plant LOADS of them, minis and giants!

[Tâf]

Quince tree planted and watered-in just before the skies opened! It's a good 6 footer with 6 main branches, so I hope the seller is right that we'll get fruit next season. 

[fred]

Daffs are five inches tall 

[Ian]

Daffs are five inches tall 

  You can't fool me. I know they're bigger than that.

[dogsmum]

My Garlic is 4'' tall

[Tâf]

One of our new neighbours came over earlier to show me the engineering plans for his new greenhouse. One of the guys who built our garden wall introduced us, and I think we have a good friendship starting. His missus is "loaded" (lottery win) and both love gardening, so they are turning an empty garden into the garden of their dreams, including a huge 40'x12' greenhouse and loads of 3' high raised beds.

His greenhouse plans are obviously the work of many years of thought, with guttering to collect rainwater into barrels 4ft off the ground so they will gravity feed the greenhouse staging, a thick back wall to collect heat, no ventillation but a solar-powered fan system to draw warm air from the apex to an underground heat store, roller blind shading, mains gas powered heating in one of the end "sheds", electrical supply for underbed heating, and even an intercomm to the house and front door!

The work will start next Spring after they spend the Winter doing-up the house and front garden. They have lived in flats and gardenless homes all their married lives, so this is a work of built-up passion.

I offered him 2 grapevines I raised from cuttings, and 5 Kiwis I raised from seed, plus the offer of any excess plants I have (they are into veggies and fruit not flowers).

He has already built a makeshift compost bin, and set up a concrete mixing area plus a parking shed for his mini-digger.... I think his missus wants him indoors more than out, but he's loving this warmer weather.

I'm so jealous.

[Tâf]

Wandering around the garden earlier guess what I saw?

Hundreds of little slugs!

In the wintertime!

I gave them all something to munch on... slug pellets (organic of course).

Lots of spiders too, but the birds will get them.

The Xmas Box is about to flower, so I shall have to go out and enjoy the perfume....

Daffs, bluebells and crocuses all growing well, and I ate the last of the supersweet frosted grapes.

I suppose I had better sow my Kelsae onions soon if they are to get huge this year.



I've decided not to plant onion sets this winter, and will probably replace a lot of the usual beans with butternut squash vines grown vertically.

Almost time to prune the grapevines.... damnit, I need a ladder for that and it's at the back of the shed.... DOH!!

[dogsmum]

Yeah, I noticed lot's of little slugs here the other day so gave them a good feed too

[Tâf]

About 600g of chillis picked in the greenhouse... the plants are still in leaf, so they MIGHT make it through the winter. 

[Tâf]

Crocuses in flower! 

[dogsmum]

Crocuses in flower! 

Yep, here too

[dogsmum]

Snowdrops are flowering

[Tâf]

Planted out a few dozen onion sets. The soil was warm and moist! 

[Pam]

Snowdrops are flowering

Wev'e got snowdrops in flower,and the daffodils are coming up well.

[Tâf]

Loads of daffs in flower now, and the Xmas Box flowers are filling the garden with a divine scent.

Tulips are up, and the Aqualegia is sprouting.

There are still green plants in the greenhouse and chilliarium! 

I'll have to drain the water butts are they smell a bit whiffy, that'll be done at night when the neighbours have all their windows shut.