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New potatoes from the garden

New potatoes from the garden, originally uploaded by richiesoft.

These potatoes from the grow bag in the garden were gorgeous with some mint and butter!!

What can you compost?

• Vegetable and fruit peelings - mixed together these are excellent - high in essential nitrogen and carbon
• Tea leaves, coffee grounds and crushed egg shells
• Weeds - the heat generated inside the bin by the decomposition process will ensure most wees seeds and diseases are destroyed. However pernicious weeds such as couch grass, bindweed or creeping buttercup should be avoided as they love compost heaps and will keep on growing.
• Grass cuttings - high in nitrogen and a good activator. Avoid thick layers as they can compact and turn to lime. If you have a lot of grass, mix it with more woody material and kitchen scraps.
• Hair - off your pet or family - no problem.
• Paper - paper and soft cardboard such as egg trays can be added in small amounts but ideally should be shredded or scrunched up.
• Evergreen clippings - only add in small amounts as take a long time to decompose
• Leaves - contain lignin and take a long time to decompose, the same as wood. Best dealt with separately in leaf mould piles.
• Prunings - only add small amounts and chop up well.
• Straw and hay - old and chopped is best. Soak well before adding if dry.
• Animal manure - vegetarian pets only, such as guinea pig or rabbits. Best mixed with straw. Very good activators.
• Vacuum dust - the contents of a vacuum cleaner sack compost well particularly of you have wool carpets.

Composting Tips

• Site your compost bin in a sunny spot if possible. This will heat up the compost.
• Good aeration is required to produce the best compost. To help aerate your bin you can add scrunched up newspaper which creates air pockets.
• Occasional turning of the material will ensure that more air gets to the centre of the bin and will speed up decomposition.
• It is essential to have a good mix of waste material in your composter to aid decomposition, ie. grass, paper, leaves, fruit & vegetable peelings.
• Do not let the compost dry out. Add water when necessary in very dry hot weather and remember to keep the lid on.
• You can insulate your composter using old carpet on top or by bubble wrapping in the winter.

Rat

Still got droppings of some animal in the shed but found a dead rat in the middle of the lawn the other evening. I wonder if that is the pest that has been eating and pooing in my shed!!

Polystichum setiferum

Soft Shield Fern
Origin: Germany
Height and spread: 45-60cm * 60cm
Soil: Prefers moist, humus rich soils. Adaptable to poor, dry soils
Location: Finely cut, evergreen, soft, deep green fronds making a dense clump. Ideal for cool borders in shade or under trees with shrubs and perennials for contrasting foliage effect.
Planting: Add well rotted leaf mould with 25% sharp sand to top 30-45cm of soil. On heavy soil dig out 30*45cm hole and fill with leaf mould, sand and soil mixture
Care: Remove old fronds in Spring after last frosts to allow new growth to uncurl. A light organic fertiliser feed, three weekly from late Spring to mid-Summer will produce large lush fronds. Allow plant to mature and harden before Winter. Protect plants during severe weather by mulching crown or covering. In hot dry conditions a fine spray of water will refresh and humidify plants.

Compost Bin

Compost Bin, originally uploaded by richiesoft.

New compost bin from Conwy County Borough Council. Get yours here: http://www.conwy.gov.uk/doc.asp?cat=4448&doc=17200

Asplenium scolpendrium

Hart's Tongue Fern
Origin: Great Britain
Height and spread: 45cm *45cm
Soil: Tolerates most soils
Location: Evergreen. Bright green leathery fronds are a good contrast with other ferns. Ideal for crevices, walls and under trees
Planting: Add well rotted leaf mould with 25% sharp sand to top 30-45cm of soil. On heavy soil dig out 30*45cm hole and fill with leaf mould, sand and soil mixture
Care: Remove old fronds in Spring after last frosts to allow new growth to uncurl. A light organic fertiliser feed, three weekly from late Spring to mid-Summer will produce large lush fronds. Allow plant to mature and harden before Winter. Protect plants during severe weather by mulching crown or covering. In hot dry conditions a fine spray of water will refresh and humidify plants.

Fire and Ice

30052009736, originally uploaded by richiesoft.

I think this is the Fire and Ice Hosta coming through. This picture is quite a close up and makes it look bigger than it is!!

The original plant can be seen here

Potatoes

Potatoes, originally uploaded by richiesoft.

They are doing well - wont be long before they are flowering

Clematis flower

Clematis flower, originally uploaded by richiesoft.

Sunny Day

Well, I have spent the last two days in the garden and what a lot I've done. The weather has been amazing and it has been nice to simply plod on with bits and bobs.

I've planted up the vegetable patch with carrots, gem and red lettuce, beetroot, garlic, red onions, and 3 Brussel's sprout plants. I've made sure to give it a good sprinkling of the cat repellent after watering as the cats tend to dig up bits of it and mess up all the lines! No doubt there will be evidence of cats tomorrow.

I've planted out three tomato plants into one grow bag and two courgette plants into another. I've set them up with the watering systems so they are ready for when we are away.

Digging over the bottom of the garden took a while as it always gets overgrown with the bindweed. I have planted some mint along the border there in the hope that it will grow vigorously and out compete the bindweed. I have tried a number of different plants along there and none of them survive. I planted a horseradish a few weeks back which look a little worse for wear but may survive now I've cleared around it.

The potatoes are doing well in their bag. Not sure how long I have to leave them before picking them. I think it was about august last year.

Mouse Trap

For a few months now there has been evidence of mice in the shed and they have gnawed through and tried to eat a number of things. The shed currently smells like a rabbit hutch there are so many droppings in it! I've tried all sorts of other metods but as a last resort the mouse trap has been used...

Soft Sheild Fern

The second new fern. Divisilobium Group: Polystichum setiferum 'Herrenhausen'

Hart's Tongue Fern

A new fern for the garden. Hope it likes the shade. Asplenium scolopendrium

Hosta

Hosta, originally uploaded by richiesoft.

Only one hosta has appeared to grow so far this year. I think it is one that I got from Mum and Dad's garden in Suffolk since it looks nothing like the 'touch of class' nor the 'fire and ice' that I bought from the market in Bury St Edmunds last year. Nevermind there is still time for them to come through I suppose. Anyone any ideas on the type of hosta this is?

Potatoes

Potatoes, originally uploaded by richiesoft.

The potatoes are coming through in the bag - must get some more soil to layer over the top of the shoots coming up.

Tulip

Tulip, originally uploaded by richiesoft.

I have been disappointed with the tulips this year. Mainly because the wind earlier last month blew them all over and they have never recovered. They are all leaning to one side.

Daffodils

24032009661, originally uploaded by richiesoft.

The daffodils did well this year in the garden. They have all finished now really. I never know whether to dead head them or not...?

Garden

Garden, originally uploaded by richiesoft.

Spent all day last Sunday in the garden tidying up and sorting things:
planted tomato plants
planted potatoes
sewed butternut squash
sewed courgettes
cut grass
dug over vegetable patch
mowed lawn
trimmed edges

Rose Time Lapse

Rose Time Lapse
Originally uploaded by BY-YOUR-⌘

Just came across this on flickr....

First Snow Drop

29012009590, originally uploaded by richiesoft.

Happy New Year!

Haven't been around for ages - the garden is a mess and have spent very little time in it since Christmas - it's been too cold!!

Saw this the other morning putting some rubbish out. There is always one individual snow drop that seems to beat all the others!!