A 'Scilly' sort of hello

[Snadger]

Welcome to the vine Armorel, hope you enjoy it here!

[Chiana]

Thanks for that Armorel, will keep it in mind if I ever think he's about to hand in his resignation! I prefer it when he's been watching The Deadliest Catch, and starts talking about having to go away for a few months sabbatical

[Armorel]

Hi Snadger and thanks for the welcome - I'm sure I will enjoy it here

I'm a lousy sailor, Chiana, so I'd make a rotten fisherwoman ... I like eating fish though! *brightens up at the thought*

If he does seem keen on sampling Scilly life, I'd advise taking a winter let on a self catering flat and seeing how that goes Weathering a Scillonian winter is a completely different ballgame to enjoying the balmy days of summer ... as, sadly, some people find out, after they've sold up and moved here.

Armorel

[JanieB]

We've got five Bramley apple trees that produce a heavy crop each year and hubby made 14 gallons of cider from the fruit last autumn. Even with help from friends, he's still drinking it ...

Our soil is almost pure sand and the beach is only fifty yards away from our back gate.

Green with jealosy. Welcome, Armorel. I'm surrounded by unused orchards. The people that own them would rather the fruit rots than someone picks and uses it.

My lottie is heavy clay, I could do with some of your sand.

Welcome, the Vine is a lovely place to be and having met some of us, we are an even better place to be.

[Flummery]

Hi and welcome. Gardening therapy sounds just the job - and with your large garden you'll soon be making your own beds not just helping uncle. It's a bug that bites - and holds on!

[shirlthegirl43]

Hi and welcome to the vine. Good luck with the gardening

[lumpyjumper]

Welcome Armorel

I've been enjoying "An Island Parish" and the summer's look lovely but as you say I imagine the winter storms etc are a different story....

Friendly bunch here and this forum gets very very addictive!

[NOG]

I love that program and applied to be come a Priest after watching it....but you have to work Sundays....so i would have to give up my plot.

And I don't surpose you can plant Potatoes in the freshly dug graves.

[Nicos]

Hello - and welcome!!

Re seaweed....Hardly used it myself, but when I was on hols a few years back in Jamaica, they used a big digger and buried under the sand each day.
I thought it was mostly for the tourists not to be wiffing rotting seaweed, and to rid the flies, but as it was an 'eco' hotel, we were informed that they were actually trying to improve the sandy soil texture further inland.

Maybe you could befriend someone with a JCB?????

PS -Your place sounds lovely!!

[Armorel]

Hi JanieB, it's a great shame that all that fruit goes to waste. A friend of ours has a smallholding in Cornwall and started to make apple juice, then he circulated the word that he'd be happy to accept apples that other folk didn't want - he got inundated and had to treble his operation!

Hi Flummery, there's an obstacle in my way when it comes to developing the garden - it's called 'Hubby' and he wants to keep it as clear as possible to allow the mower to get round easily. So he keeps discouraging me from portioning the garden up as I would like to He also tells me that we have two businesses to run AND I'm studying with the OU AND I have a 12ft x 18ft greenhouse to look after already so he doesn't think I have enough time to look after all these planned beds (he's probably right ...)

Hi Shirl and lumpyjumper

Hi Nicos, a JCB sounds like a good idea until you discover that using one in winter brings you into standing water with one scoopful - we are only a few feet above sea level and there is a pond on the other side of us (the pond used to 'migrate' across the field towards one of our boundary walls every winter) I know what you mean about rotting seaweed and flies though

Armorel

[Paulottie]

Hi Armorel, I've made a sort of liquid feed/tonic by waiting down the seaweed in a water butt and letting it stew...smell like an open grave tho. Really good on the compost heap too, I certainly wouldn't worry about washing it, its great stuff a really good resource and combined with the mild climate there. you should do well. Wind is usually the biggest enemy growing near the coast, it definitely requires a hedges as wind breaks.

My advice, take up growing asparagus! as it loves salty, sandy soil(originally a salt marsh plant). Brassicas originated near the sea I think, Irish and channel island spud growers used to put tons of seaweed on the fields, Toms love the potassium content, and carrots might do well if it is deep sand. For things that like wet feet(beans, pumpkins etc.) you might try filling a trench with newspaper straw and compost as a reservoir. cover over plant then mulch heavily. Id say work with nature look about and see what does well in neighbours gardens.

[fizzywitch]

Hi Flummery, there's an obstacle in my way when it comes to developing the garden - it's called 'Hubby' and he wants to keep it as clear as possible to allow the mower to get round easily.

Sounds like mine

I'm studying with the OU

Hey, me too! What are you studying?

Fizzywitch

[Flummery]

I've got round that one. This week I'm removing the very last bit of grass. It's taken me 8 years! The last bit is a mossy grass path in the front garden which will be a bark path before long. No more mowing!

[moggssue]

Hello and welcome ... hope you have a great time on here, and a great crop of goodies as well of course!

[gardenplot]

Welcome to the vine Armorel