Living in a Box

Anyone for Pie ?

This is the mess I am having to clear up every morning. The blackbirds are destroying everything they touch in their search for worms. They flit from bed to bed, digging up, pulling out, and generally being a nuisance.  I'm about ready to make a pie !

Garden 2008

Garden 2008 ???? Yes...well...I've been planning !

Now that my little patch is filling up - I can see the mistakes. I can also see the plants that are working. I'm sure I will notice this more and more as the season wears on. I sat outside yesterday in the cool breeze with a pen and notebook in hand, and started to write down what I plan to do next year (by observing this year's garden). Always a sensible thing to do I think. Then I decided to record my notes on here, more as a reminder to myself than anyone else. I can add to the notes as the year progresses, and then resist all temptation to repeat the same mistakes as this year (yeah right). Make sense ?

1. Plan - I had no plan this year, none at all. We only decided a couple of months ago that we would convert the back patch to a growing garden, and I rushed, in my eagerness to get stuff growing. I'll make a proper plan, on paper, and stick to it.
2. Vegetables - grow less in the garden, and more in containers. I am a vegetable gardener at heart. I come from a long line of successful veggie growers - and would really love to concentrate on this, but this is a rented property, and I know the owner would not be pleased if I turned the whole garden over to veg. I am enjoying growing the few veg that we have at the moment (and so are the grandchildren) - peas, broad beans, lettuce (various), tomatoes, radish, peppers, aubergine. But...in reality...the garden is just too small for any serious sowing. If I want a proper veg garden, I would have to build raised beds as the young couple over at Fresh as a Daisy have done. (They're doing really well - worth a visit !) The peas 'n beans take up too much room. I only have a few plants of each growing and the yield will just not be worth the room they've taken up. I am still patiently waiting on the allotment list !!!
3. Roses - I love, love, love roses. I only have 2 - in containers. I want more roses next year. I'll continue to grow them in containers so they can move with me when we buy our own home.
4. Height - Add more plants for height next year.
5. Sweet peas - my few sweet peas will be blooming soon. I love these plants, and didn't put nearly enough in. I didn't prepare the ground well for them either. They are so easy when good prep. has been done, so I'll grow more next year, along the sunny-side fence.

Those were my thoughts yesterday. I'll keep adding to this category as I make my plans.