TARRAGON & THYME

GONE GARDENING BE BACK LATER

I had a few pennies spare again this week and ever mindful of my stomach and the fact that I want a proper kitchen garden I have acquired a few more bits and bobs courtesy of Wilkinsons and the Pound Shop. As we have been having better weather I thought I would save on using the tumble drier where I could and get the washing out in the fresh air. The washing always smells so much fresher once it has had a good blow outside, only problem was my washing line kept breaking. I have therefore bought a bright blue washing line and some new pegs in white pink and blue so that I can make use of the better weather and save my energy bills. For £2.75 I have a 30 metre line and 48 brand new pegs. Now all we need is the better weather. Its been raining here again on and off all day. Today I have invested in 12 asparagus plants for £8. It is indicated not to crop them in the first year, but only start picking from the second year, so although not an immediate return this year, they should if they g...

I was so pleased with the Cloches I bought the other day (I bought two at £1 each) that on Friday I went and bought 4 more. They may only be cheap but will enable me to start off some salad leaves under cover so that we have regular fresh lettuce etc withouth having to pay an arm and a leg. It tends to be pricy in the shops. Also you can't get it much fresher and more full of vitamins I also bought four bags of golden shallots, a horseradish root and another Rhubarb. I have my eye on some more rhubarb plants a different variety, strawberry plants, asparagus plants, onion sets, maincrop potato sets ( and some salad potatoes would like to get some pink fir apple and some charlotte, or Ratte). Having to do a little at a time as not many pennies - then again am not on my own. Have been utilising the pound shops and Wilkinsons. Would also like some fruit bushes such as gooseberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, whitecurrants etc. Would also like t...

This is the first rose out of my garden this year - I don't even know what variety it is. All I know is that it is a rambler, but I just love the flower heads. I absolutely adore roses. I bought it a few weeks ago from a local cheapie store for £2.99; it was a bit battered looking and infested with green fly when I got it, but I have nurtured it - it didn't have any buds when I got it. It doesn't have much scent but it is pretty.

Well I have a mushroom kit - now all I have got to get it to do is persuade it to grow mushrooms. I have put the impregnated straw in the bottom as per the instructions and have left it for a couple of days now I have to cover it with compost and water it - wait for a few days and then see - well that's the theory - now we just have to wait for the mushrooms. .............

Mum has always kept Cacti on and off since I was a small child. The most regular ones being the Christmas Cacti and whatever plant mum had it always eventually had the most beautiful display. The first proper prickly Cacti I saw properly in flower was a Cacti Plant that had belonged to my Mum's Dad, my Granddad. It flowered shortly after he passed and was absolutely gorgeous the most beautiful brilliant red flame colour. she still has that plant but it is not showing any signs of flowering this year and she was threatening to re-pot it when I went nosing round her greenhouse at the weekend. It is amazing that such treacherous plants often have beautiful flowers. Anyway she did have one of the Cacti in brilliant bloom and here are a couple of photographs of the same. Mum and Dad used to grow a lot of plants together - as they had the allotment(which has had to be given up). It seems very strange for her not to have many plants this year; but unfortunately she cannot now manage...

Well I must be doing something right - the beans are starting to come through and I also have Thyme seedlings and nasturtiums poking through the soil as well as the other beans starting to move the soil. Will see how it goes

Following on from my post yesterday when I was sowing seeds I managed to get the following seeds sown Nasturtiums Dayglow mixed Stoechas French Lavender Chives Mint Coriander Basil Thai Basil Moss Curled Parsley Oregano Chervil Dill Marjoram Summer Savory Penny Royal French plain leaved parsley Parcel Basil Sweet Genovese Angelica Sage Lovage Rosemary Thyme Alpine Strawberries Isabel climbing bean Andante Dwarf bean Gold Rush Yellow courgettes Marrow Pattypan squash Sunburst Broadbean Bunyards Exhibition That's just for starters there's still more to go. I am hoping to get a few more seeds sown tomorrow evening when I come back from work and am going to aim to do a bit each night. Its actually lovely to be in the open air after being cooped up in an office all day. I can breathe. I am hoping to start the transformation this weekend - mind you I have a lot to do and not many pennies to do it with. Now where did I put those Pot Marigold seeds. >

Well I think I am going to be very hard pressed getting this garden back into shape but am going to attempt to try and negotiate this over the next few weeks or so and try and knock it back into shape so that I can use the garden space and also produce hopefully some food to supplement the shopping bill. So we will have some before and after photographs. I do apologise but I have to start somewhere and not being sure just where to start I am diving in at the deep end as usual. So its sink or swim. Its been a lovely sunny afternoon here today and so fed up of being in the house I decamped with the requisite mug of tea and sat in the garden and started sorting through my seeds. I picked out a few packets of seed I wanted to plant. Then I stripped my mini greenhouse no 1 out and washed up a load of pots before setting too and starting to plant the seeds. I am not sure whether I am being a tad too early or more to the point over-optimistic. I am hoping however that I haven't set th...