my poor garden

I spent a lot of time at the weekend just trying to weed and clear up in the border. For most of last year the garden was not tended to and there was only a small amount of weeding done, well I found where the line was drawn....the bit that was weeded last year has been weeded and cleared without too much major drama........and then there is a clear cut line that is populated with couch grass, buttercups, flowers that like to take over, tree seedlings....and on and on.

oh my goodness. Its almost so bad that I am considering digging up what I know to be plants and putting them in pots and then having to clear and re-start the flower bed again.

too wet outside...

Smokey Tiptoes says no to going outside...too wet!!

this little pot of Scilia Siberica has bloomed year after year on the doorstep. they are still in a plastic pot...think its time to upgrade them to something nicer.

turning up the snowdrops revealing how pretty they are...note the raindrops, I had to run back inside as the rain came on so heavily.

the last standing vegetable!! the leeks survived! I had left some purple brocolli as I have done this before and had a nice wee crop in the early spring, however this winter the very cold temperatures turned the plants to mush...

one veggy plot is tidied, the rest are waiting on some drier days. I must get out into the greenhouse and plant some onion and leek seeds. these will be 'leftovers' that are not yet out of date. perhaps germination is not as good with older seeds but its worth using them up.

I am an Urban Homesteader

my little homestead veggy plot

I am an Urban Homesteader. I grow vegetables organically, I have reduced my living style, I recycle all the waste I am able to. Unfortunatly I cannot do without a car so I cannot claim to be saving the planet as much as I would like to.

apparently this phrase 'urban homesteader' has been trademarked by a homegrowing veggy 'business' run by the Dervaes family.

I would have to ask them 'really? why?' and ask why they are having blogs using this term closed down?

the world needs everybody to grow their own food, even a little helps. Even the knowlege of how to grow vegetables is an essential thing to have.

This blogger puts it across very well, so I link to her..
http://livingthefrugallife.blogspot.com/2011/02/i-am-urban-homesteader.html

all is well, phew!

I have a very sweet tooth. I have been a vegetarian a long time and I've been increasingly worried about the contents of the average, easily available sweetie.

I had a 'list' of things I thought it was okay to eat, and I read labels. I don't know if the recipies have changed or is there a new 'legal directive' on what they have to declare?

A lot of sweeties now seem to have 'Beef Gelatine' or 'Bovine Gelatine' in them.

I did a bit of label reading today and found these lovely sweeties from Sainsbury's, American Hard Gums.

I can eat them. I am building myself a revised list.....

started spring cleanup

the snow drops are just begining to show themselves. I have some time off work so hope to get the garden tidied and readly to 'go'. also time to put pencil to paper and get the veg beds planned.
last year lacked colour in the flower beds, a combination of bad weather and being busy so I would like to deal with that a bit better this year.

blown out?

I returned home from work today to find four plastic panels out of my greenhouse, and one of the roof spars hanging. is this wind? vandals? an earthquake? I can't work out how its happened.
a panel from the door and two panels from the side were inside the greenhouse, a panel from the roof was against the hedge and one panel very squint as one of the supporting roof spars had come away from its bolt...
some clips inside, and some out, some missing.......
well, not very nice weather to be bolting and clipping and standing on buckets to reach. but its done. hope it stays secure!!
just need somebody tall to do the final clips on the outside of the roof