2014 Garden started

Today has been the day when I feel that we have made a start in the veg garden, or garden full-stop really, for 2014.

Michael has dug over and added manure to the two beds in the polytunnel, ready for one side to be filled with new potatoes.

I have weeded the microgreens, also in the polytunnel, which are coming on a treat -

Apart from a few rows in the middle, which were Beetroot, Chives and Basil, plus one row of Rocket which hasn't grown, all the rest are doing just fine.  I'm well pleased.  Some of these I may leave to grow on, especially the salad leaves as Michael is beginning to moan about not having any salad's recently - partly due to the fact that I won't let him buy tasteless tomatoes and cucumbers from the supermarket!

I also did a few tidying up jobs - collecting up some smashed glass from under the fruit trees in the veg patch, where a cold frame had been; moved some left over Laurel plants - left over from a job of Michael's, which will come in handy for my Laurel hedge that I've been wanting for years, am also going to do some Topiary with it too, if the plan comes off; plus I've made a start on the hoeing, which already makes the place look better.  I even cleaned out the three chicken sheds.  So I feel good tonight that things are moving in the right direction, I can go to bed happy and tired tonight - the weather helped too, it's been gorgeous and sunny all day.  Already looking forward to see what I can accomplish tomorrow.

Stats today -
Eggs produced = 7
Sales - 1 dozen eggs
Expenses - Nil

Poo tea food

Food for tomatoes that is!

How to use your Poo tea.  What?  You mean to say you haven't made any?  Shame on you, when it's free (or pretty cheap, compared to chemically prepared stuff), and organic, what could be better for your plants?

Ok, so you made your witches brew a week or so ago, it should be pretty well stewed by now, stewed enough to use anyway.  Collect your utensils together -

I use an old baked bean tin to collect the tea in, a large plastic watering can, I think it's about 10 litres, then a stick to stir it with.

Give your brew a good stirring.

Then collect a tin full of it, straining off as much as the liquid as you can, leaving the raw material behind.

Empty the strained liquid into your watering can and then top up with water.  Direct the watering can flow at the bottom of your tomato plants; I use one watering can's worth to six plants.

I'm tending to use this concoction every day to water my plants, rather than just plain water, especially as the fruits are beginning to ripen.  Don't forget to top up your dustbin, as the water level recedes.

Stats today -

Eggs produced = 13

Sales -
9 x Geranium plants £13.50
1 x 500g New potatoes £0.75
1 x Cucumber £0.60

Expenses -
Nil

A huge pile of ...

After an enormously fun weekend, catching up with old friends and driving nearly 450 miles I come home to find that Michael has been hard at work.  A huge pile of ....

horse manure has finally arrived in the garden.  I collect all my horse's manure in plastic feed sacks so that it can be transported home easily for use in the garden.  Alas this lot, got rather forgotten about, until I could no longer get any more bags in the barn.  He unloaded 255 of them in total!  I think that's about five months worth.  But being in light sandy soil none of it will be wasted, shame it rots down to next to nothing though.

Stats today -

Eggs produced = 8

Sales -
Nil

Expenses -
Nil