Hi from the Isle of \man

[Gela]

Only joined yesterday (my first ever group) so am a bit bewildered navigating the site what with threads, new threads, posts, forums, views etc - so hope I am in the correct place!

Came here to live from the Pyrenee last August and have a large garden all grass with a clay soil - so I have only so far created 4 small veggie plots in a cruciform design as a start; one for leaves, one for roots, one for seeds and one spare for a nursery or an overflow or to leave fallow so that I can rotate the crops. As this is my first year the four plots are not very exciting - the leaves one has lettuce and spinach - the roots potatoes and carrots - the seeds beans and tomatoes (is that correct?) and the spare has marrows and courgettes.

Is there anyone out there also on the Island? The climate does not seem to be the same as on the mainland - is that right?

This is just to introduce myself - I am 80 years old, and am interested in geology, watercolour painting, reading and of course growing vegetables. So Hi to everyone!

Gela

[Flummery]

Hi and welcome - my degree is in geology! I think the climate there is different from here on the mainland - I think it's milder. Did you grow veg in the Pyrenees?

[Gela]

Hi Flummery,

Yes - I had a small allotment in the Pyrenees and it was run by the local bank - they manured it for you the first year you took it over and rotovated it and, if you wished, they would rotovate it each year. There was water to each plot and a shed with tools available for everyone's use and somewhere under cover to sit if it was too hot or it rained. All this cost nothing - the bank had a charitable thread (!?) and it operated under that umbrella. I was very lucky. My garden is proving a lot harder work - I don't have a rotovator.

I am still very bewildered by threads, new threads, previous threads, next threads, forums and posts. Is there a help site please to give an idea of the geography?

How interesting about your degree - I wish you were here in the IOM - I am self-taught so so stumble about a bit.

I agree, I think it is milder here, but not like the Pyrnees where there was a very short growing season, a very hot dry summer and frozen ground in the winter. I feel my first year here will be a learning process year.