30 May - 6 weeks (and a day) after sowing

What's changed in the garden this week?

We built some protection from the cats who are loving all the freshly dug soil and keep digging up my plants.  This idea is taken from a reader's letter to Grow Your Own last year.  We bought a woggle, float or whatever you might call it from the leisure centre and cut it into 3 inch pieces, then used it to hold canes to make a frame for the netting.  The best thing (other than the minimal cost) is that once the cabbages etc are big enough it can be taken down and stored in a small space.  The cabbages, broccoli, sprouts and kale have all been planted out now.  Had to dig another 12 ft of garden to fit them all in.  Also planted out the sweetcorn.

This picture was taken to show that we plant  out the blackcurrant yesterday  but it can't really be seen as it's hiding in the ivy.  We should have a handful of fruit this year, not enough to make our own Ribena though!

Potatoes are doing well and were "earthed up" on Saturday.

 Not been good at successional sowing - so this week I have planted half a tub of carrots (large and small) so I can sow the other halves in a couple of weeks.  Also made a new salad tub with rocket, lettuce, salad leaves and radishes.  Just hoping today's rain hasn't washed all the seed away.

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Planted out the courgettes and they seem to be doing well

Tomatoes have also been planted out - we will have more than 30 plants - good job we have lots of ideas for a tomato glut: slow roasting in the oven; chutneys and pizza sauce so none will go to waste.

Waste not, want not

I am trying really hard to be less wasteful and the chickens are a great help with this.   Today I pulled up some radishes for lunch tomorrow, together lettuce, rocket and salad leaves.

I love the cycle of reducing waste.  The leaves from the radishes were given to the chickens who really enjoyed them.  They then provide us with lovely fresh eggs and lots of chicken manure which can be left to dry out and then in the autumn put into the garden to help next year’s crops grow.

22 May - 5 weeks after planting

Going to have a very busy week as lots of things need planting out urgently and we don't have any more space. But I have a plan.

In my usual disorganised fashion I'm not entirely sure what sort of beans I planted here but I think they are dwarf french ones. Time will tell.

Mange tout making good progress

Extra beans - yellow beans, broad beans and french beans - just in case the ones planted outside don't grow. Together with a couple of squashes and yet more courgettes. All planted about 10 days ago.

Courgettes need to be planted in their final spot.

Turnips have progressed a bit since the beginning of the month. Shame they are starting to cover up the carrots though.

It's amazing how much the red cabbages have grown - and the cauliflowers after a rather shaky start when they were first planted out. The mange tout are starting to climb the netting at the back.

These cabbages desperately need planting out, as do the tomatoes behind them but where?

Broad beans planted about 10 days ago.

Strawberries starting to ripen

Pictures from 1 May - (2 weeks after planting seeds)

Am aiming to keep a weekly diary of my garden but have been out of action for a couple of weeks so have this from the beginning of May and then a gap until today.

Eggs from our gorgeous girls

Greenhouse - including runner beans in need of planting out

Herbs coming on nicely

Red onion sets

Beetroot (hundreds sown by Boo) and turnips after thinning

Sweetcorn in the greenhouse

Early planting of strawberries already in flower

Later planting of strawberries

Cauliflower plants which George bought at Countrywide.

Red cabbage plants bought by Emily at a car boot and tiny mange tout planted from seed.

First signs of life!

Thursday 21 April

Just 4 days after sowing the first seedlings appear - just as well as I'm not a very patient person. These are turnips (quite a lot of turnips!) but what else would you expect a West Country girl to grow?

Sowing the Seeds

Sunday 17th April


After a lot of hard work buying and transporting garden soil, manure and compost the raised beds were finally ready for the exciting stuff of planting seeds.

Some of us planted a few more seeds than were needed - 1,500 carrots in a 1M row is going to be a bit of a squeeze and quite a lot of turnips were sown too.

Finally the cloches were added and let's see what happens. It's good to finally get round to using my Christmas presents (raised beds and cloches).

The Good Life

This picture was taken on 12 April 2011. The chickens are all penned in, the concrete has been dug up and now the raised beds are being put together. Things of note: a) Boo gardens in her pyjamas even though it was gone 4 pm when pic was taken and b) the large pile of rubble against the fence.