Last week was a strange week. In fact, it seems we are living in a strange world and there is so much uncertainty than concentrating on anything for too long can seem overwhelming. But the garden is always a place of peace and somewhere to lose yourself in. The mornings have been much cooler and it has been lovely to potter about without overheating, but … Continue reading Dry Days
At this time of year, the harvest settles down to a trickle. And the immediate demands from the garden aren’t nearly as intense as they were a month ago. Now that we are passed the autumn equinox it is easy to get a little complacent, especially now the mornings are getting a little chilly and there is a heavy dew on the grass. But then … Continue reading Hot and Dry
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)
There has been an imperceptible shift in the garden. Up until this point I feel like I have been managing tender young seedlings, doing what I can to nurture them into independence. They have been scrawny, scrappy and poorly and several even died. I replaced a few, more than once, to ensure the garden matched the plan I drew up during the long cold winter … Continue reading Change Comes Quickly
I’ve been a round the gardening block for ages, and I’ve learnt things. Many things. But still I fall into traps, make mistakes and don’t follow my own advice. One of the things I say often to many people – ‘if you don’t like it don’t grow it!’ That is why I have a large bed of kidney beans for yummy and delicious winter chilli … Continue reading Not all that glitters is gold
The seeds were sown the other day, more than a few weeks beyond when I would have normally sown them. But I’m not worried because not only is their bed not ready, it hasn’t been filled or even built because I’m still umming an erring as to its location. This delay has a knock on effect for the irrigation of the rhubarb, globe artichokes and … Continue reading But what about the pumpkins?
I have a vague recollection from when I was a kid. There were these school books we had to read to help us in our journey towards literacy. There were a few books in the series, filled with short stories that would be easy for young minds learning the finer points of reading. Two of the books really stick in my memory – ‘Sweet Porridge’ … Continue reading The Donkeys Egg
When it was brought to my attention that there was to be a Giant Pumpkin Carnival, I thought that would be a great day out for the family. Hubby the Un-Gardener was more sceptical, and wondered what else was I going to drag my poor long suffering family through. Especially when we woke up on the day of the carnival to heavy persistent rain that … Continue reading A giant adventure of the pumpkin kind
I wake up at night in a sweat. My pumpkins. My poor pumpkins. They are bound and constrained in their pots. They should be free. I lie there and worry about finding time to give them their freedom before it is too late. Sometimes I wake up at night in a sweat because it is hot and muggy. Slowly over the spring the burgeoning table … Continue reading Guilt free in the garden.
