New Bed For Toms

Saved myself loads of money - Woooooo !!!!

I built my version of a 'box to grow things' in, made for free from things around the garden and garage saving me £34.20 and for the support frame £24.45.

Mine has a 4" deep reservoir and 6" compost and it has the slow release fertiliser running on a ridge along the top in the center. I have planted it up with six tomato plants today.

Tomato's were 30p each grow by the lady around the corner, brought on in my greenhouse, they are doing well - so watch this space.

Work has begun on the plot. Andy went down last Thursday 2nd April. He weeded and tidy the top bed nearest the shed and he also trimmed the grass around the sides of it. He weeded the raspberry bed and loosened the soil around the canes.

Soil was working well, at the top of the plot it drains very well.

I can't wait to get down there, I hope to get there this Thursday as I have a day off then, hope it doesn't rain !

Another Year 2009

March already, Exciting year coming up!! Growing the flowers for my daughters wedding - follow the progress - you will find the link to 'Wedding Flowers' under 'blogs of note'.

Quick up date

Thought it was time to add an up date will do this properly with pics ASAP.

Listed as the beds on plan

Bed A - planted with broad beans and some direct sown just showing through taken about a month!

Bed B - Brassicas have been weeded and a sprinkling of chicken pellets has been added to bed and watered well. Sprouting broccoli about ready to pick - at long last. Bed recovered as a guard against Cabbage Whits - The good ship brassica came to grief in a gale a few months back.


Bed C - 30 Aaron Pilot seed potatoes where planted two weeks back. They have been planted under black weed membrane, which has been covered in spent compost. 15 potatoes on the left of bed have had all the chits left on and the 15 on the right of the bed have had only 1 left on. So Left side left on / Right side removed, good way to remember. This has been done to see if there is any difference in the yield / size of potato as harvest.

Bed D - Planted up with peas and B. beans all started in doors and planted out.

Beds E to J - all awaiting some TLC.

A half size bed has been added between E and F, I have planted this up with 5 compfry plants.

Beds with peas/ beans / potatoes are all surrounded with copper wire, which I stripped out from old electric cable. This is to try to keep the slugs and snails away. i have had great results using copper tape on pots in the garden at home, so I thought this may be a good cheap way to protect the veg, beds.

Need to take some pics of results of all the hard work.

march 24th

I have done lots of research into to crop rotation and I trust this will work.
My plans were to post a chart I am keeping of what seeds I sow/where/when/how etc, but Blogger doesn't 'talk' to windows and so after an hour of trying to get it moved into Serif Page Plus 11(SPP11), without success I am giving up. This 4 Year plan is on SPP11, I will have to remember to do the seeds chart, from the start, next year.

March 6th 07

Been to the Lotty and at last I have planted the 5 raspberry canes 'Glen Ample', I sent for them ages ago. They are planted on the ridge that runs down the left side of the plot, it is about 50 / 60 cm higher than the rest of the plot. Just right for fruit. I also planted a gooseberry bush next to them. This cost £2 from Wikco, if it does OK will get more next year. My fist year with fruit bushes. I have a Tayberry in the garden at home - that will be on the move as soon I get round to it, will need to buid a framework for that to climb up.


The ridge is free draining, it was perfect for digging, which after the last few days of down pour and again over night last night was surprising. It has had cardboard over it since June last year and this has killed the grass and weeds back. I laid weed membrane down and also covered all the plants with fleece.


As the rest of the garden is squelchy to walk on I had to abandon the idea of sowing a row of Broad beans and to weed around the winter greens, which are doing well just beginning to have the growth spurt. See Photo, first time I have grown winter greens, onions are planted in this bed too.

Will try and get the green house sorted and sow the beans in there, moving to the Lotty when dry enough.

Came down stairs this morning to a frog orgy! 5 frogs busy spawning, didn't know I had that many in the garden - that's good news. Will post a picture when they have calmed down, don't want the blog closed because of porn photos!

14th Febuary Happy Valentines

Well today I have been down to lotty to do some long over due work! Only one down there was bliss - just me, the birds and the trains.

Since my last post I have been good and following Dr's orders to rest - well nothing totally resolved health wise and I thought I needed some exercise, so off I went.

Ive re measured the beds and marked out 7 new beds, all 5ft by 11ft. With 9 beds total I can work out my rotation better now. All cardboard moved onto the beds and either cover with weed membrain or held down with palets etc. Hope my friends the birds are having a good feast on the grubs and things I uncovered.

I feel like I may have done to much, but very pleased with the results.

Guess what no pics , forgot camera. hope to do more tomorrow, so will try hard to rember to take it.