One
Big excitement – a neighbour has been offered an allotment and asked if I would share it. I’ve never had one so said Yes! Will be seeing it tomorrow so will report back. What a great new project for 2019 as I’ve never grown anything edible at all. I think it was Fate offering me a new challenge.
Two
It’s not too late to plant bulbs, especially tulips for flowering in May. They’re very cheap from online sellers so don’t think you’ve missed it. Try gee-tee bulbs for great bargains.
Ballerina tulips, scented and vibrant
Three
I spent a day emptying the two wooden compost bins, using the composted stuff and putting the rest back in for another few months. Jolly hard work dismantling, emptying, re-stacking and re-filling but extremely satisfying.
Wooden compost bins
lovely crumbly stuff the bins make
You don’t need a bin though. Just chuck garden waste and cardboard in a corner and it will rot down in its own time as well as being a home for useful bugs which are food for wildlife. You win all round.
My corner to throw garden waste and cardboard
Four
My idea to make two bins into one very tall one was clearly a mistake as it’s leaning perilously, so I had to empty it and take it all down again. Looked pretty daft too.
Mistake
Below, what the wonderful crumbly stuff looks like when thrown onto the borders and beds.
Dark and crumbly food for the plants
Five
Paving looking as good as it can be
How it looks today – not too bad for December
News – for the first time the brick paving has stayed quite colourful and not slippery for 8 weeks now.
Could it be my new method? A 50p bottle of bleach in one hand and the hose in the other, I trickled the bleach all over the paved area and soaked it with the hose then left it for half an hour before hosing it all off. The amount of water used would have made the bleach very diluted.
Now if anyone thinks that’s a terrible idea, please tell me. I know bleach is not ideal but black slimy slippery paving is a pest and all other hard work methods don’t last long as it’s so shady. Happy to hear comments.
Six
Oh by the way did I mention I’m going to look at an allotment tomorrow which would be the first one I’ve ever had? And do you think it might be a horrid shock when I see how much work it’s going to be? And will I rue the day I ever said “ooooh what a wonderful idea”? Will I be fighting bindweed to the end of my days?
And yet, and yet, I can see in my mind’s eye a vibrant colourful array of fruits and flowers, a positive cornucopia of abundance with bees buzzing and birds singing and me sitting in an easy chair smiling and drinking G & T. I’m going to hold that thought.
Thank you to the propagator who hosts this theme of Six on Saturday. Over on his blog you can read other people’s garden Sixes. Best wishes to all for 2019. Let’s hope gardening can keep us sane.
