Friday 15 June 2012

My attempt at the good life

Well it has definitely been a while since my last blog. It has been an eventful time for me, but life should start to get back to normal now. So I thought since I've been out enjoying the sunshine whenever I get a moment. I would share my attempt at the good life.
Thankfully my fruit garden is fairly self sufficient and due to the amount of rain and then the occasional bit of sunshine everything is growing beautifully.

The blueberries are looking good. It is their third year and it should be the best crop so far. Hopefully if I get enough I will make some jam.


 a little beasty heading towards the raspberries! I try and garden organically and enable all things to live in harmony. Ladybirds for greenfly, copper tape for slugs and snails as well as egg shells and special grit. So I have learnt to love all of the creatures that cross my path although when they eat my lupins I really could scream.

Rasperries are one of my new fruit crops for this year. I received them as what can only be described as 3 sticks last autumn as part of a Gardeners World deal, I am hoping they will be yummy. I can't decide if I should net them or just let any little creatures share in my fruity goodness, if they are prepared to risk the cats. 



In my opinion there really isn't anything better than home grown strawberries. They are safe from the crawling beasties in an old wheelbarrow found behind the shed when we moved in.  I like to make use of items that although don't fulfil their original purpose are brilliant in another. Thus with some paint you can use directly onto rust the old wheel barrow has turned into a brilliant planter. It looks rather pretty full of my lush and soon to be red and juicy strawberries.
Well if we ever get anymore sunshine!

My potatoes are growing well, some self grown from last years crop, then there are some new ones added this year, again from a deal in the Gardener's World magazine. They came with the giant green growing sack and a pair of brown rough gloves to clean all the mud off when harvesting and preparing to cook. If they work as well as last year then there will be a few yummy meals of little new potatoes cooked with homegrown mint and smothered in butter.




My next new plant this year is blackberries. After a few years of trying to contain brambles from over taking behind the shed but never getting to enjoy the fruit.  I decided to dig it up and plant it where I wanted it and see if in a pot I could make the brambles work for me.  Especially seeing the cost of buying a bush (stick) from the local garden centre!


This year we haven't been blessed with tree bees using our compost bin to live in.  However thanks to trying to be a bee friendly gardener we do get a large number of these clever little things.




However the plant that has so far given me the most joy is a rose bush that has been flowering come what may for well over a month and looks like it will keep going for another few months yet. It is so delicate and so beautiful as it smiles out across the garden through the rain. 




I love my garden it inspires me to see the wonder in life and remember that whatever is happening in your life there is always beauty, calm and encouragement to be found if you just look at the window. Or better yet dig in the soil and then you can say I made it and it is beautiful.