Time for some organic gardening

Hi all,

The luxury of time & the growing shortage of certain foods has reminded me that I need to plant some salad greens earlier than I usually would.  I have 3 covered Elho planters at my kitchen door where I plant organic leaves, greens etc in. I am very pleased with the planters because they are waist height & the covers raise the temperature & protect the greens from birds & insects. They only have organic compost in them & I use no chemical which makes it healthier. Being close to the door, they are used all the time.  I fortunately had a selection of seeds & nasturtium leaves & flowers are edible & always used in Spring salads so it is time to get planting.

I eat salad most days & so an assortment of leaves is always needed. I picked salad leaves in January from these Elho covered planters by our kitchen door.

Fortunately, I still had some seeds so even though it was a brisk 5c this morning, I cleaned up the planters which still have celery, spring onions & some nasturtiums in them, then topped up with additional organic soil.

The celery is enjoying the heat cover - I grow celery from crowns when I cut it for salads & cooking (we use a lot of celery at home). It is easy to grow - cut the stalks off leaving the base which is put in a shallow glass dish for a few days to root, then it is transferred to the herb containers or these ones by the door.

I use the newly growing stalks & leaves in food or as salad greens (the leaves are quite peppery but very healthy). The base / crown really keeps giving & it is an excellent way to use the part you would otherwise throw away.

I have these celery crowns / bases in several pots at home, especially the raised ones with herbs & soft fruits.

The spring onions have done well in the covered containers - they are all watered with rain water from the water butts ...

The containers are protected against the house wall, flanking the kitchen door so they are ready to be used. The green fleece covered pot contains my sweat peas; they are not frost hardy so they are always covered up to give them a head start before our warmer weather ... 

I find that the seeds take longer than the 25-30 days the packets said but at least I will have some leaves for spring salads & I feel that I am doing something to help too ... 

Who else loves the peppery leaves of nasturtiums? Mine are grown alongside the salad leaves so they are protected & have no chemicals. They always brighten up a bowl of salads with their bright colour.

I feel that I am at least doing something useful, hopefully the cooler weather will not effect the early leaves.  It is too early for outdoor tomatoes but I feel happy to have started my planting. Do you grow anything at home? Tell all ...

Thank you for stopping by, I look forward to your company & comments, 

Dee ~💕~

Winter salad greens for my planters

Hi everyone

I have neglected my blog over the summer due to an extended holiday. However, now it is time to get some of the jobs done ahead of Autumn.

My 4 tomato plants survived being left outside while we were away - fortunately, we had regular rain which kept them going, Hopefully they will still ripen because there are a lot of small tomatoes on the plants.

I shared my new salad planters with you earlier in the year - they have provided us with a plenty of salad greens over the summer - it has been brilliant to just open the back door & pick enough for a salad - the simple things in life are often the best!

My Elho planters have been absolutely brilliant & I am determined to make the most of them.

On my return from holiday, I knew it was time to redo them with the hope that I would have enough greens & salad leaves for winter. Do you also eat salad all year round?

 The straggly, last lettuce leaves were pulled out, then it was time for a trip to the local garden centre.

However, they only had kale plants or some swiss chard with its bright, colourful stems.

Fortunately, I found some salad seeds in their sale section so perhaps all is not lost.

The planter with the kale plugs has the first of the salad seeds sown - these are meant to be ready in 25 days so I will see how that goes ...

I love the bright stems of the chard - the ones at the back are from an early planting but they have not done too well so they will stay for the time being. 

These two planters have swiss chard in them ...

Planted & covered up again with their lovely covers that keep the soil warm & the plants protected. They benefit from radiated warmth from the house walls too in this sunny, protected spot.

The green planter on the left by the water butt, has the kale & first salad greens in it ...

A quick rain shower waters the planters before I had a chance to put the lids back on ... 

The Elho planters were a great idea for growing some bits at home.  I will give you an update on their use in winter ... 

Do you grow any bits of your own at home? I find it hugely satisfying to see things progress. Thank you for stopping by & visiting my blog ...
Dee ~♥~

Growing some organic salads for summer

Hi All

We had had a very wet start to our June - Shropshire had a staggering 168mm / 6 inches of rain this past week. It has curtailed our gardening but I always plant a little something because I just love the challenge of growing things.

My herb garden is established along the raised side of the house - away from any animals & they are quite protected there by a fence & the house which means that I have fresh herbs almost all year round.

I shared my new salad planters two years ago - the Elho planters with their covers are perfect for salads because they are protected from bugs too & being on legs they are a good height too. They are positioned on both sides of our back door, close to the kitchen & the herbs so it is easy to use them.

I happened across this interesting mix from Miracle grow - the seeds in a rough pellet mix which is sprinkled over the top of the soil, watered then that is it.

I bought just one bag, sceptical of it, however, I followed the instructions & sprinkled the contents then watered it.

It was quite amazing as the little pellets suddenly started expanding until they looked like soil rather than pellets - all this in a few minutes - an interesting development.

This is the planter after just 2 weeks - the new leaves are looking so well.

I was so impressed that I bought another 2 bags so I can grow a succession of leaves over the summer (I have 3 planters so it is a practical solution to a salad lover like me)

The seeds have been protected from the cool, wet weather by their covers.

These elho planters are perfect for a small garden, for those of us who enjoy growing a few things. 

I have 3 tomato pods in a trough too - they are also miracle gro ones in pods that I have not used before as I usually buy small plants but they are a little slower at coming on. 

I was impressed by having the seeds & growing medium in a pod that can be planted, very little effort but hopefully they will grow as well as the information says - I will keep everyone updated.  

Thank you for stopping by, your comments are always appreciated, 

Dee ~💕~

Gardening during lockdown

As we passed the milestone 100 day mark,  we have much to be thankful for, especially that all my friends & family have made it through with us too.

I have been blessed by having a private garden with tall hedges that has screened us safely from all our neighbours. As a self employed, now unemployed Elective Home Tutor,  I have used my garden as my calm, green, Zen space where I can loose myself in tasks. I appreciated how fortunate I am to have this space & time. I have used the time to do a little & often in the garden - tidying, moving, repotting, planting, growing seeds & most importantly, growing more edibles.

Let me give you a peek at the garden, how we use it & the various areas ....

My herb troughs are on a raised side wall next to the kitchen - this was from the time we had our two free range house rabbits & they loved herbs. Being raised means that the herbs are away from any visiting dogs too so I know they are ready for use.

The little space next to the conservatory / patio has the large water butt & I use that space for mainly edibles that need sun but also protection from wind.  It has a little greenhouse that protects some of the more tender plants over winter. At the moment it has several troughs of tomato & chilli plants.

I also have my pea shoots growing there for salads - who else loves peashoots? I had them on the patio & found that the birds love them as much as I do so they absolutely decimated them, none left for me, so this is take two, covered with unsightly bubble wrap that is working at keeping the birds at bay.

Tomato & chillies plants which have a canopy of bubble wrap to protect them from wind & rain & hopefully bring them on to fruit this summer. I always grow things, I am from a family that gardened so this is how I relax .... 

My Elho covered planters with organic greens & foods - three of them, flanking the door. 

Our edible planters are protected against the house wall, flanking the kitchen / utility door so they can be harvested all the time for meals. The wall enjoys afternoon sun which encourages good plant growth. I always grow some salad leaves, as well as celery because we use loads of it. This year daughter grew tomato seedlings but with a new baby, she did not have the time to pot them on so she sent me a whole trough of them which I planted on in 2 troughs on the conservatory side garden, along with the chillies she had grown. After planting on what we could use, I still had too many tomatoes, so I put them out on the drive with a FREE sign & 12 pots full of young plants all found grateful new homes with the neighbours. 

I have grown on pots of herbs from cuttings which I rooted in the kitchen windowsill - some of the plants are added to my own herb troughs, others potted up as gifts.

Potting up rosemary & sage herbs that have rooted from cuttings in the kitchen window, these will be kept close for winter use. It is deeply satisfying to root & grow on cuttings that will be used in cooking. 

At the bottom of the garden is a summerhouse that we repainted with the ‘country cream’ paint that we fortunately had during lockdown. It is a lovely space to sit in & read or chat in summer.  I love the calm cream colour, especially in winter when it looks right against the green hedges.

Framed by lush green hedges, it is a favourite view of the summerhouse. When it arrived as a bright orange, pine building, I took the paintbrush to it almost immediately & the colour choice is ‘Country Cream’ - a calm backdrop colour that allows the flowers to shine against it.

I dug out the beds to the side of it so it belongs & is incorporated in the garden. I love the depth it gives to the space - my planting palette is mainly in blue, purple, pink, white / cream with some red touches. I like the restricted palette of the colours.

I updated the summerhouse planters today because it is the view from the house & bright plants make it look inviting & summery. Fortunately we have a good local nursery that needs supporting as they have been shut for weeks.

 The garden to the left of the patio is a generous lush, mostly ever green border that I love. It consists of various greens shrubs & small trees, in varying heights & shapes.  I just love the privacy it affords (even though we are not overlooked) it is nice to have that filtered view ...

I shared this recent project - it is tucked against the patio wall next to the table so we can enjoy it as it is next to the conservatory.

Our large David Austin house rose has loved the warm weather & it towered right up to the upstairs windows. It has flowered profusely & the gentle scent has wafted down to the patio. It has been deadheaded regularly (the tall ladders have to be used for that so a labour of love) and we will have to add additional wall supports for it as it gets top heavy when flowering ....

Our patio runs the length of the back of the house, with the large area at the conservatory side. This is where we spend a lot of time,  ideal for for quick meals, for coffee or suppers with friends & it is just a gesellige / social space we use all the time. I grow scented plants like lavender in pots near it so they release their scent as you brush past.  I love to light the chimnea & watch the flames while we sit outdoors.

I have pots of peonies along the house wall - they are protected there from winds & rain.  The patio has some very large box balls alongside the lawn to the garden. These were grown from cuttings at the old family home in Dorset & gifted to us as tiny plants 20 years ago. I love their structural quality & shape.  I love clipping them with hand shears - a slow repetitive action that is calming & deeply satisfying.

In my quest to have some flowers for picking for the house, I ordered seeds online & have planted up 6 pots (in predictable colours of pink, purple, blue, white) which are being protected by the Elho covered planters so the birds & squirrel doesn’t get to them before they have a chance to grow. I  would like to have a steady supply of flowers over summer - what are your favourites that you grow?

I decided these late seeds needed the plastic cloches to help the seeds to germinate & grow - so they are now covered, building up some heat & hopefully will soon be looking good. 

                                                    

I know how blessed I am to have had my own garden to self isolate in; green spaces are known to be calming & improve mental health & this is certainly true during these 100+ days of lockdown.  The time has enabled me to focus on what is important & in improving my space by using my time & energy well.

When we moved in more than a decade & some more, this was the garden, so I am always pleased to know that we have managed to put our own stamp on it & that it has transformed in to a space we enjoy using. The built in fountain is long gone because it made the patio too narrow & it was not working as it properly. It was a great decision which opened up the space for us ....

This was the sale pictures of the garden when we bought our house - you can see how much it has changed, it is now our space, our efforts ...

These photos taken from the same points as the one above to remind me of the progress we have made.

I hope you have drawn some inspiration to enjoy your garden & green space, even if it is just a little balcony.

Thank you for stopping by & gifting me some of your time, stay safe & may we all weather this storm with fortitude, gratitude & love,
Dee ~💕~

Taming the house plant jungle

An abundance of greenery makes a house feel comfortable & homely. Many of our larger plants used to live in our inglenook fireplace but had to move when we installed a wood burner some years back. The smaller plants live happily on either side of the fireplace in raised stands. However, our conservatory has been home to the very large ones; they are usually on the console table but because of their size & height, they regularly tip over & the mess is unwelcome. 

My myriad of large houseplants have spent the summer outdoors, partially shaded by a large laurel bush & a fatsia japonica. It is an annual thing, easier to maintain but also easier to wash down their leaves properly & give them air. 

With a busy fortnight ahead, I thought it time to bring them in. However, because some have grown rather large, they are prone to tipping over on the conservatory console table so a solution was needed.

While out at the local garden centre, I had a thought - perhaps they need to be grouped en masse in a trough. At first the idea was for a trough on the console table but there were none that was suitable and the reality was if one tipped, they would all fall over in a domino effect. 

A black Elho trough caught my eye - quite substantial with built in wheels. The trough could sit on the floor where it can be wheeled away for cleaning yet the plants would be more stable at ground level. It was nice enough to be an indoor planter too. 

I measured it, checked back home & then returned to buy it. My 3 outdoor raised planters with the clear lids are ehlo & I love their quality.

I filled the bottom of the new trough with some of our lovely leaf mould (made with our leaves that are raked under the corner hedge to break down) and then added a generous layer of fresh compost. 

With the new trough in the conservatory door, it was good working height & I could gather the plants that have spent the summer on the outdoor patio. I started with the biggest ones & gently potted them in to the trough, moving them around to fit in, then put the smaller ones in between & gently filled all the spaces with additional compost. A variegated spider plant and an arrow head plant had grown rather prolifically over the summer so it was added for interest too. 

A messy job as compost flicked about on the leaves but once I was happy that all the plants were in one place, it was time to test out the inbuilt wheels. They really surprised me by gliding smoothly & the trough could be wheeled in to place quite easily. That is a massive bonus for cleaning.

I tidied up the plants by adding supports & some twine to keep the branches where I wanted, then under planted with coloured tradescantia's. A pleasing change that will be easier to manage. 

How do you deal with all your houseplants? Are you temped to mass them together or do you prefer them dotted about? Tell all. Thank you for stopping by, it is appreciated, 

Dee 🪴🪏🏡👩‍🌾