Skip Skip Hooray

Well the skip turned up this morning which was very exciting and we spent the whole morning clearing the garden knowing that the new shed is turning up on Monday. I took a sledgehammer to the shed and with great delight it fell apart, I had no idea how rotten it was, however it was obviously a well looked after shed at some point and had its back not collapsed due to soil being packed up against it then it could probably have been repaired.

Then 'he' turned into superman and started to clear the remaining concrete blocks while I dug a trench for the trellis, the sun was baking down and work was verging on unpleasent. We decided to break for lunch and then went out to Wickes to get materials - quite reasonable prices but the car hated us for the slabs that we made it carry home - we took the route that didn't involve any speed bumps!

After we had emptied the car we stacked everything did a few more hours earth shifting and gave up around half four to visit family and friends.by teh time I got home then I had discovered muscles i didn't think i had!

Gearing up for the weekend

Even though it was bank holiday last weekend i spent almost all of it in front of a computer, my lovely boyfriend did strip back a lot of the greenery & tidy up the rubble on the ground in teh garden ready for final clearing. The weather was pretty bad so there wasn't a lot of time.

Things have moved up a gear however as we decided yesterday to get a skip rather than try to get the debris into bags and down to the tip - especially with them restricting how much rubble can be taken. We have a skip being delivered on Saturday morning and hopefully we'll clear back a lot of the rubble plus the old shed and get the rubbly soil stripped off too, the shed is coming on Monday and we can get that up before 'he' goes away for a week, although have to get a few more slabs as the shed is bigger than the old one.

Just have to decide how we are going to block up the trellis to get a level as the trellis can't go straight onto the ground as the soil from the veg patch will come through. oooooooh its all so complicated!

A Butt by any other name

I saw this water butt today and have fallen in love with it - I think its funky and fantastic with the words "captured and bottled at source" I think it could be a classic. Its very slim and tall (about 5 foot) and although expensive I think its very clever. We're only going to capture water from one side of the shed so as to allow the garden to recharge.

We didn't get a huge amount done in the garden today 'he' was tired from being out last night and so we went and bought an arch and some rubble bags to get the rubbish down to the tip - we've decided to get a skip for the removal of the old rubble and the top layer of ruined topsoil. Oh and the ant nests.

A proud moment

Here is my wall - of which I am very proud. My trellis turned up today and I have measured up for the gravel bords and posts. I have also found a narrow arch in B&Q which will fit perfectly (with a bit of jiggery pokery) between the neighbours fence and my trellis - additionally it'll give me something to hang insect proof netting over which apparently is a good idea for bean growing because black fly can be a problem.

I'm beginning to see where the heartache in gardening comes!

Wildlife

Got home this evening and the sun was shining and the temptation to finish my wall was just too much with the result that by 7pm the wall was finished and I'd had a very relaxing hour and a half listening to the birds and completing a project before the weekend rains. We had one good banmk holiday so I'm not holding a grudge.

Despite me thinking that there is no chance of ever getting any wildlife to visit my urban garden 'he' saw a Blackbird yesterday pulling up worms and I saw a bee (more rare than one might think) on the lavender and the sweet peas out the front.

The tomato seedlings are doing ok but seem to be quite limp a lot of the time even with water, I'm pleased I planted more gourds as the ones which are coiming up at the moment don't look healthy. The biggest surprise are the sunflowers which I planted in pots at the front and forgot about - they are doing well and should provide an eyecatching dispal when I plant them behind the japanese cherry in the corner.

Gardeners bath time

Got up really early and the sun was shining bright - went back to bed and didn't wake up for a few hours! So once we did wake up then we got hard at it. The garden hasn't held back at all in terms of growing weeds so 'he' had to clear the garden back to be able to work at the top levelling the ground for the (new) shed and I had to clear the bottom near the house and redig my trenches to build a few more courses onto the retaining wall. This is it at the end of the day - the right hand side is now finished - the left hand side has had to be done in two stages - the bit nearest the house is finished and the other side will be finished this week in time for the pergola.

It was hard work, we stopped for lunch at 3 when I ran out of mortar, then I bolted up to Homebase to get some more materials and also a gravel board and post to test the trellis building theory. When I got back 'he' has got almost all of the shed base sides finished (its raised above the path) and the shed area was level ready for the pamments.


The peppers and the tomato seeds have done well, and in fact 8 lucky tomato seeds have now been potted into their own pots. However the gourds which are in the same propagator have not done so well and have gone mouldy so when I was at Homebase I bought a new toy - pictured to the left - follow these instructions to avoid my mistakes with gourds!


So where did bath time come into it? Well after all that gardening we were quite desperately in need of one!!

A Grey Day

Today started off well despite the weather with a trip out to Ashwellthorpe and the purchase of a shed from Taylors Building Supplies, fantastic range, good prices and friendly people as well. It made me realise just how good craftspeople stand out from the rest.

Then I went to Highways nursery where we decided it was lunchtime and had a coffee and a beef and mushroom homecooked pie which was excellent but expensive, after demolishingthe grub I bought trellis for across the garden - after we had worked out how to fix it at each end and where the posts were going to go. Which led to lots of funny loks from other gardeners who were wandering around with a pansy or two or debating where to put their new gnome. Delivery only£5 - very impressed.

Rushed home to meet my carpenter friend who is going to build me a pergola at the seating end of the garden, sudden embarassment as I showed him the fence - realised that the guy who did it (Green Lane Timber Services) truly ripped me off and did a diabolical job of the back fence and gate. Not to mention the fact that he as yet hasn't bothered to send me a receipt, he had to repair the back fence once and the timeber post supporting the back fence is starting to split. I shall be on the phone yet again and it he doesn't get back to me then I'll be sending trading standards out after him. Just so frustrating after I went on a recommendation and saw his work elsewhere which looked grand, I think to do a straight line of panels he is fine - to do anything remotely resembling joinery hes not so sharp.

Them dashed out to Tescos (not much gardening going on here I know) - on our return we found that the seedlings seem to have taken a chill and a couple of the courgettes have just died, with a gourd gone as well we may need to plant some more. The sunflowers haven't germinated yet so we're going to try starting them in smaller tubs.

Beantastic

Its very exciting gowing thing in pots, the beans have sprouted, both the dwarf/green beans which are so pretty see the piccy to the left, and the runners are growing up big and strong. I think these beans are fascinating becuase of the way that the bean stays perfectly formed attached to the stem. I wonder how long it will be before they drop off.



I'm not sure at the moment how to get the beans to not be so leggy, they have to contend with slugs, snails and cats when they get planted out so they need to be big and strong.





This is what my dining table looks like at the moment, we are just waiting for the lemon balm to germinate, although the gourds are doing quite well and we will certainly have plenty of tomato plants! Everyone seeems to be getting in on the growing ones own veg these days - especially since changing jobs most of us have a tomato plant on the and one collegue (who was obviously particularly organised!) has already had lettuces from her veg patch.


I have got home every night this week and carried out debugging on the rosemary and lavender, I'm quite concerned given the fact there seems to always be more than the day before - and trust me they aren't getting out from the pot!

Companion Planting

Well I never - plants have special friends! Was at mums yesterday and brushed past the lovage and decided to get some in the garden but didn't know that its thought to improve the health of almost all plants and that borage helps protect almost all plants from pests especially tomatoes! Off out to get some seeds today now, alhough apparently borage won't be happy growing on from pots. I knew that carrots and onions should be grown together.

Talking of pests I collected about 30 rosemary beetles from my french lavender and my once beautiful rosemary this morning, the little pests are shiny and new to this area so there aren't any natural predators. Other than me who puts them in a pot and sends them to the UEA for a man to study. More information can be found here. And watch out for the grubs they look like slugs. The damn things have even made it onto the BBC News!

Wow its hot

Have been amazed by the speed at which the seedlings are coming up, but even more by the front garden coming alive, I was very late getting the bulbs in this year so we have daffodils in May! The pots to the top of the photo are the tray of runner beans which got watered slightly too enthusiasticallythis morning so I had to put them outside to dry out. I also totally forgot about the sunflower watering for the last week so I suspect that they won't germinate now.

Off to the shed place near Holt tomorrow (if its open) have been told that they are very good - have also had the design plan drawn up by mum so no excuses not to get started tomorrow unless its just too hot in which case I'll have to study and ten i can work on the garden all next weekend.

Pigs tail

is twirly - kinda like the time I have to get up for work at the moment. The gardens look so peaceful with the sun across them, everything is perfectly still while I eat my breakfast looking up the path, have to apply that imagination a bit but I think it'll look fabulous.

Saw three small birds in my garden yesterday two I didn't quite spot in time but the bluetit came a perched on the willow near the kitchen, its the first time I have ever seen small birds in my garden in all the time I've been here. I'm hoping that the cats won't be able to get over the new fence that I can create a bit of wildlife, i need the birds to get rid of the snails!

Any suggestions for attracting birds gratefully received - I will have a raised bird table and a small bird bath out of the cats reach.

Where oh where have the sheds all gone?

We set out early (for a bank holiday) to look for a shed at Norwich leisure village, hmm - no sheds. Then we tried highvale & still no sheds - but lots of seeds and interesting plants, including a giant teapot planter which I may just maybe have to get for the sheer madness value.

Got home and potted up;
Gouards
Courgettes
Dward Beans
Runner Beans
Squash
Peppers
Rue (keep the cats off)
Basil
Lemon Balm
And some

First we measure

Then we draw an accurate drawing. Then we get our shoes back on and go out and measure again because with the best will in the world we all know it doesn't look like that!

So after many cups of tea and a bacon sarnie, the garden has been laid out and the veg to go in have been selected, as soon as the scale drawings are finished I can commission the pergola which will go over the stone circle to add some shade and allow climbers - maybe even a vine.

All very exciting although have discovered that the new gate has split already down one panel - I will be on the phone first thing Tuesday morning as thats just not right.

1 Finished Fence

Spent today working again on uni work, have taken a days leave purely to get everything finished so that I can have a break over the Bank Holiday. I'm not certain totally wether I like the height of the fence but it does look a lot better than the old one and it'll be grand when I can grow things up it.

Makes the shed look even worse than it did before! One of the problems with the garden is the different levels, not only does the garden slope right to left but also down towards the house. The gravel board lying on the soil is waiting for me to get the brinck retaining wall up to the right level to put the board onto as it won't quite fit the way the others have. I have to admit I think that in places the work could have been done better but I will learn and not employ the person again. Had checked and visited work as well so it just goes to show that one can never be too careful.

Spring has Sprung

I spent the day at the University with my head in the books trying to get the 7000 word literature review in for the end of tomorrow and got home to find that the fence work had started and there was a gaping hole where the fence had been! Made my garden look lovely and big though!






I can't believe that the last time we worked on the garden was last August when we hired a skip and got rid of all the old concrete and cement, this is how we left it then. The photo of the old 'patio' has currently vanished however I will load it when i find it. I can't quite believe that the summer before (2006) I had a mini veg patch where i grew some superb courgettes, the broccoli was eaten along with all the herbs but I did get one vegetable at least!