This is always such an interesting time of year; the summer holidays just keep giving. I have settled down in my garden office for the 3rd time this year determined to start the year on the right foot, with a calm and steady focus. And then opportunities for summer fun came along that were too good to say no to. And so, I have been … Continue reading And now we can begin properly.
I have been away on our annual summer break. I do find Christmas and the summer holiday a tad incompatible with a fully burgeoning garden, however that is an argument for another day and at the end of the day getting away from it all and spending time creating family memories takes precedence. So, we dragged ourselves away from our lovely West Coast vista and … Continue reading Now the Year can begin
After the drama of the Great Water Escape over Christmas when we lost over 30,000 litres overnight thanks to a tap fiddler, I’ve made a few changes. The leak wasn’t intentional as the tap didn’t immediately gush with water and needed the pump by the tank to activate before flowing so it was impossible to know if it was on or off. There was no … Continue reading Waterwise
I had a bit of a problem. Well it was a good problem, but with a knock on effect that turned it into a not so good problem. But in terms of real life serious problems it is hardly a blip at all so could probably be described as a good problem to have. I grew my onions too big! Normally my harvest is a … Continue reading Pickled Onion Problem
This takes us to the final phase of what I got up to this week. It got a little muddily towards the end of the week. The wind died down to just a gentle puff which was lovely. The first time it happened I remember this weird feeling of something being missing, as the sound of the wind whistling through the cracks and crannies in … Continue reading The state of the Garden Part Four of Three (or possibly four)
When you are in the garden you lose all track of time. I was out there the other day watering until 8pm. I wasn’t in the garden the whole time but in bursts of several hours and with the lovely long summer daylight hours it is so easy to blur an afternoon into an evening without realising it. It was actually quite pleasant. I had … Continue reading The state of the Garden Part Three of Three (or possibly four)
I just wanted to quickly fill you with what I’ve done in the garden so far this year, and to be honest it didn’t feel like much, but when it came to writing it down I created a mountain of words and so decided for everyone’s sake it would be better to break it up a wee bit. If I had my wits about me … Continue reading The state of the Garden Part Two of Three (or possibly four)
Officially it is the first week back in the garden after the holidays. Last week didn’t count even though I did loiter in the garden a little, but as the first week of the year it was only a half one and to be honest I wasn’t up to gardening much as I have been struck down with a nasty head cold that has plagued … Continue reading The state of the Garden Part One of Three (or possibly four)
Things haven’t been off to a great start. 2019 ended promising with the early discovery and treatment of the Tomato Potato Psyllid. Last year, due to the holidays I found it too late and I fought a brave and brutal battle, but one by one my tomato plants succumbed to its enemy and I was left without a tomato harvest as they had barely found … Continue reading Word for 2020: Overcomer
Of all the garden tools at my disposal the one that works the hardest is the hose. It is the font of all hydration that is not heaven sent. Actually, all the water here is heaven sent, but the hose delivers the water that was captured upon the roof and then saved for… I was going to say ‘saved for a rainy day’ but while … Continue reading An Ode to the humble hose.
