Mrs Tea's Allotment

@MrsTea your doing great from what im reading ...i can only cope with flowers ...i do try my hand at easy veggies and herbs , but nowt complicated ...... You'll always get friendly n great advice on GC so keepnup the good work
you're on another forum …
arent we enough for you

 

Thank you John, I will give it a try and start them in the greenhouse around the end of May, and I mustn't forget to get protection for them. The birds around here eat everything that isn't nailed to the ground..

 

@BeeHappy : Thank you! My husband is the flower-gardener and I think he is not doing a bad job at all. I love them, but they don't seem to like me very much .

Yes, I am on another forum. I registered there before I found GC and kept my account. But the more time I spend on GC, the more I realise that the really nice and helpful people are here!

 

You are right John, the same thought occurred to me yesterday after they told me that I basically ruined my chances to get any brussels. Then I looked up some advice on RHS and it told me exactly the opposite of what they had told me on the other forum.

Seems to me they're more bothered about what their gardens actually look like than about the produce of said gardens. Just as an example: my idea to put the plastic greenhouse into my old glass greenhouse (do you remember?) was put down with the words: yeah but that'd look rubbish...

My husband said to me yesterday: "before the time of internet and forums people would sow and grow. Some plants worked out, others failed and at the end of the day you have to get a feel for plants and the earth and seasons first. And learning all this will lead to both success and failure". And I think he is quite right. I am just such a perfectionist and I want it all to work our perfectly first time. I know this is unrealistic and I am working on being less of a perfectionist and on being more patient.

And as for the time people have to spend in their gardens: if I could I'd spend all day down there and probably had a lovely less wild garden in no time. But I also work full time, so does my husband, and time is limited. But we do whatever we can.

I think cucumbers might not have been the best choice for a beginner gardener .. I realise that now haha!

 

1. [QUOTE="MrsTea,

Yes, I am on another forum. I registered there before I found GC and kept my account. But the more time I spend on GC, the more I realise that the really nice and helpful people are here! [/QUOTE]

Hum mm mm!!!! Well there are some scallywags on GC .......... but far be it for me to say who they are Mrs T

 

I hope I'll never find out .

 

The greenhouse is up and it's a lot sturdier than I expected it to be. Height-wise it fit right into the existing greenhouse which gives it a bit more support. And the seedlings have now been moved... strange to see the kitchen without all them in haha :D

 

Yesterday we went to the garden centre and picked a few plants to spruce up the small pile of stones that has been left in the corner behind the rose bed.

• Sempervivum Rubin
• Phlox Bavaria
• Saxifrage Peter Pan
• Saxifrage White Star
  
• Armeria Armada Rose
• Senetti Magenta

We wanted to make a start today, but the weather is horrendous, so we will wait until it is a bit dryer. It was quite a challenge to get down to the garden earlier when I checked on the seedlings in the greenhouse. I should have taken a plastic bag to slide down... .

 

I checked on my kohlrabi this morning and they are huge. They have to go out, and I will plant them outside despite the possibility of frost in the early hours of the morning. If they fail, I will try and re-propagate some more.

Live and learn...

 

Kohlrabi is out now, tomatoes have been replanted into bigger homes and the grass has had its fourth cut (and looks great!).

 

The grass had its fourth cut already, as the better half would like to keep it really short this year to stop moss from growing. In the event of a scorching hot summer (haha!), we might have to water the lawn though.

The kohlrabi and the brussels have now been moved outside. I was a bit concerned about the possibility of frost but I risked it. I put them out last night, and as if I had asked for it, we had frost again this morning. But they little ones are doing just fine.

The roses are picking up as well, even the yellow one. When I replanted the yellow one, I noticed that it didn't have any roots at all. So I think it'll probably spend most of this year to grow roots rather than leaves and flowers. You know the old rule "roots - shoots - fruits". I know the rule normally applies to fruit trees but hey, I think it's probably similar for many other plants.

The flowers are growing nicely and my sister's rhubarb loves its new home!

I am very pleased that the raspberry has come back to life as well. I didn't think it would, as it looked so small and poorly last year hidden away so close to the hedge. But there she is! I am still unsure whether to remove the (possible) foxglove that's growing next to it. I might..

And finally, last but not least, three of the cucumbers have been re-homed into bigger pots and are currently residing in the greenhouse. So are the tomatoes which have now been repotted into half a bag of soil each. Saves on spending an awful lot of money on huge pots, too. The garlic and onions are outside now, too and seem to like it. The chilies love the warmth in the greenhouse, but I have to have a think about how to keep the humidity down. I am sure I will come up with something. Watch this space!

See you soon! x

(See images on my blog)

 

Short update on the garden

Three cucumber plants are growing happily, and have a new neighbour: sweet peas.

My tomatoes are doing really well, so do most of the kohlrabi plants.
The brussel sprouts love their new home and grow very well, too!

My husband's chilis love their greenhouse position and grow slowly but steadily.

All in all, the garden is going well, and we finally have a new strimmer with additional attachments like a brush cutter and a chainsaw. Very handy indeed.

See you soon! x