Hi everybody

[ammi]

Hi Im Sharon and Im new to the site (I just joined a couple of days ago. )
I live in Sheffield with my husband and my poor old blind dog Ammi (as seen in my photos) I am a disabled gardener with a medium plot that I use for fruit and veg.
I have been gardening most of my life but still think of myself as fairly amature. I love to grow thing and have in the past over crowded my plot lots of times. My favorite things to grow are peas and new potatoes, and the worst thing I have ever grown was mooli raddish ( they grew about 3 foot long and were very hot and even the horses in the nearby field didnt like them!).
I collect second hand gardening books and have about 100 of them but I keep having to give them away as I seem to get about 3 more every week and only have 2 book cases.
I cannt wait for the snow to be gone so that I can get to sorting out my greenhouse for my early sowing. Also I cannt wait for the harvesting season to start so that I can use my new trug that my mother-in-law got me for christmas (its a lovely weaved kent one).

Roll on spring!

[Nicos]

hello there-and welcome to the Vine!
Sounds like you're going to enjoy this place!

( I too am snowed in in northern France- tis the second time in 3 weeks as we live on a steep country lane)

[Two_Sheds]

I am a disabled gardener with a medium plot that I use for fruit and veg.

Hi Sharon, how do you manage? have you adapted how you dig etc? My neighbour John has bad legs and does his whole allotment on his hands & knees, with hand tools, it's awesome to watch him go.

I have a weak left arm/shoulder, so I can't lift anything heavier than a glass of wine. I am constantly frustrated at how little I can do at one time, but hey ho, we get on with it.

[HeyWayne]

Welcome aboard Sharon.

100 books!?! I didn't realise there were that many books in the world - gardening ones that is, obviously. Crikey.

[sweetiepea]

Hi Sharon. Welcome to the vine. They're a great bunch here and there's always lots to learn and share. Good luck with the growing.

[Comfreyfan]

Welcome to the Vine Sharon.
I know what you mean about the books, but I can't bear to part with any of them, so I'm having to be really strict and not getting anymore!

[rustylady]

Welcome to the Vine Sharon. I know what you mean about the books, they're addictive aren't they. Some of the best ones I have are the old ones. Constantly dip into them for advice.

[ginger ninger]

Ey Up Sharon, Welcome to the vine, So your in Sheffield I'm from up the M1 in Barnsley, I too have a weakness for old gardening books, I haven't got as many as you but there very addictive aren't they? Look forward to chatting with you.

[RedThorn]

Hi and welcome to the madhouse Think we're all chomping at the bit to get going too, something do do with new year means everyone's patience with winter goes out the window lol

[Scottishnewbie]

hi ammi, welcome from snowy scotland too. loved your idea about the compost bags - many thanks already!

[ammi]

Hi Sharon, how do you manage? have you adapted how you dig etc? My neighbour John has bad legs and does his whole allotment on his hands & knees, with hand tools, it's awesome to watch him go.

I have a weak left arm/shoulder, so I can't lift anything heavier than a glass of wine. I am constantly frustrated at how little I can do at one time, but hey ho, we get on with it.

I had an unsuccessful microdiscectomy (part of some discs in my back removed) a few years back and have been left in a worse state than I was before the op. I just sat and felt sorry for myself for ages but that never helped anybody so I decided to pull up my socks and try to get on with life. I have used a few little cheating techniques like a rotervator and a very strong and exteremly helpful husband (he often digs for me even though gardening isnt his thing). I have the most trouble with the simple things like weeding but I dont give up easily. My best cheating tool is my garden mole cultivator, it takes next to no work to use and there is no need to lift soil with it and the only bending I have to do is to pick up the dead weeds. I often get stuck on the floor during harvest time when taking up my potatoes or cutting my greens but being a stubborn so-and-so I wont let hubby help me up I just crawl to my raised platform (where my greenhouse lives) and drag myself up. I often think that I have to learn to do it all for myself cause you never know when you may not have anybody to rely on.
This weather can be a bind but there are always others worse off than me so I always must be thankful of what I have.

[ammi]

I think I need help. I only nipped into town for a few bits and bobs and saw an open charity shop and my gardening book addiction strikes again. I came home with 3 more!

[Janek]

Hi and welcome Ammi. I'm a little bit further away from you than Ginger Ninger is. If you follow the M1 south as far as you can go, then travel another 13,000 miles you will land in Oz, where I say we are millions of miles from anywhere!

[binley100]

Hi Ammi welcome from freezing and snowy Coventry . like you can't wait to get growing etc. alos seem to have a growing collection of gardening books mostly courtesy of the FIL.

[Florence Fennel]

Hi Ammi, I'm in Sheffield too. Welcome to the Vine and happy gardening as well as chatting on here.