Tweet
Greetings to all,
having been browsing this forum for the summer months gleaning advice on all sorts, I figured it was about time to register and introduce myself.
I am a single mum from the Brighton Area, with an interest in anything that grows.
I am the sadly disappointed owner, of a pocket handkerchief sized garden that 13 years ago was a horse field, ie; 10 inches of rotten topsoil hiding a solid layer of clay and a multitude of weed seeds, which after more than an inch of rain turns into standing swamp rife with mosquitoes, and apparently a haven for all things slug'n'snail.
C'est la guerre.
5 cats and a border collie who wants to dig down to australia daily have made gardening a challenge to say the least, combine that with a budget that is small enough to be called 'non-existant' will give you a small idea of the current state of gardening affairs at Chez Moi.
I am a gardener of the 3 S variety , Stick it in Soil and See, and apart from a few 'delicate' plants it seems to work for me, too much care and plants die on me, so those that can suffer a modicum of neglect do well.
I prefer perenials flower wise , less work, frees me up for what is fast becoming an obsession, growing veg in containers.
I have a very small north facing patch of mud and weed masquerading as a lawn, with newly installed 2ft high 3 ft deep raised beds ( my pride and joy)
a 4 x 6 foot south facing , salt and wind harrased front patch ( we are right on the coast line) which manages hardy shrubs well, but gets too hot for anything else, so is limited to rosemary hedges, bay trees, and lavender etc, plus whatever herbs I grow in pots until it gets too hot for them.
Due to lack of funds, I am a great one for short cuts and homemade solutions, i only buy seeds If i have to, preffering to take cuttings ( if I ever get stopped by the police, the contents of my handbag could get me ten years) and collecting seeds from any source available. I get abundant crops of chillies and peppers yearly, from supermarket buys, grow chestnut trees from conkers, and had a lovely crop of Mayan Golds this year from a bag I bought in waitrose, couldn't be bothered to cook, and went to shoot in my veg rack .
despite the raised borders, there is still not enough room to grow all the veg I have plans for, and after some success this year with salads, radishes, and carrots in tubs, I intend to extend the experiment next season with some other veg in containers.
my favorite tubs are clearish plastic bins of the type you buy to put the kids toys in, with matching lids, which are perfect as little greenhouses, keeping the slugs out until the seedlings are large enough to cope with the onslaught.
Plenty of holes drilled for drainage and lined with fleece, being clearish its easier to see whether they need watering. Also this season I am going to try potatoes in 'tubs' or in my case, those collapsable laundry baskets that sell for £2 at the drug store, lined with a garbage bag with the bottom cut out, and handy handles for moving them around the garden
I'll let you know how it all goes, and maybe spill the beans on my 'transplanted carrots' which were a standing joke amongst my family this year...........right up until i served them for dinner
Looking forward to being here.
BrideXIII
having been browsing this forum for the summer months gleaning advice on all sorts, I figured it was about time to register and introduce myself.
I am a single mum from the Brighton Area, with an interest in anything that grows.
I am the sadly disappointed owner, of a pocket handkerchief sized garden that 13 years ago was a horse field, ie; 10 inches of rotten topsoil hiding a solid layer of clay and a multitude of weed seeds, which after more than an inch of rain turns into standing swamp rife with mosquitoes, and apparently a haven for all things slug'n'snail.
C'est la guerre.
5 cats and a border collie who wants to dig down to australia daily have made gardening a challenge to say the least, combine that with a budget that is small enough to be called 'non-existant' will give you a small idea of the current state of gardening affairs at Chez Moi.
I am a gardener of the 3 S variety , Stick it in Soil and See, and apart from a few 'delicate' plants it seems to work for me, too much care and plants die on me, so those that can suffer a modicum of neglect do well.
I prefer perenials flower wise , less work, frees me up for what is fast becoming an obsession, growing veg in containers.
I have a very small north facing patch of mud and weed masquerading as a lawn, with newly installed 2ft high 3 ft deep raised beds ( my pride and joy)
a 4 x 6 foot south facing , salt and wind harrased front patch ( we are right on the coast line) which manages hardy shrubs well, but gets too hot for anything else, so is limited to rosemary hedges, bay trees, and lavender etc, plus whatever herbs I grow in pots until it gets too hot for them.
Due to lack of funds, I am a great one for short cuts and homemade solutions, i only buy seeds If i have to, preffering to take cuttings ( if I ever get stopped by the police, the contents of my handbag could get me ten years) and collecting seeds from any source available. I get abundant crops of chillies and peppers yearly, from supermarket buys, grow chestnut trees from conkers, and had a lovely crop of Mayan Golds this year from a bag I bought in waitrose, couldn't be bothered to cook, and went to shoot in my veg rack .
despite the raised borders, there is still not enough room to grow all the veg I have plans for, and after some success this year with salads, radishes, and carrots in tubs, I intend to extend the experiment next season with some other veg in containers.
my favorite tubs are clearish plastic bins of the type you buy to put the kids toys in, with matching lids, which are perfect as little greenhouses, keeping the slugs out until the seedlings are large enough to cope with the onslaught.
Plenty of holes drilled for drainage and lined with fleece, being clearish its easier to see whether they need watering. Also this season I am going to try potatoes in 'tubs' or in my case, those collapsable laundry baskets that sell for £2 at the drug store, lined with a garbage bag with the bottom cut out, and handy handles for moving them around the garden
I'll let you know how it all goes, and maybe spill the beans on my 'transplanted carrots' which were a standing joke amongst my family this year...........right up until i served them for dinner
Looking forward to being here.
BrideXIII
i go on other sites as well as this one and by far, THIS IS THE BEST ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! enjoy and welcome again. great to have you
Comment