Sunday 29 March 2009

The allotment takes shape


After so much navel gazing on Saturday, Sunday was a day of spring sunshine and work outdoors! I have been hard at work in the greenhouse ( watched over by Miu, sitting in his second favourite place - his most favourite place is on top of my parsley plants , but I have threatened to water him if he sleeps there)
I love watching seedlings emerge. When I worked at a nursery my favourite part of the day was checking the propagator in the morning to see what had come up overnight. Even pricking out trays and trays of seedlings is satisfying. I'm not so good at watering them though!
I have lots of vegetables started - tomatoes and chilli peppers, french beans and cucumbers, swiss chard and a couple of early summer squashes, and of course, my favourites - sweet peas. I am determined to stuff my garden full of them this year.


In the afternoon we all worked on the allotment. Steve has been digging every spare moment he has ( which sadly is not often!) but he has done a great job preparing the vegetable beds. The scruffy bed at the front of the picture shows the remains of the Kale (self seeded) and the leaf beet which has kept us going through the winter. I managed to get the first lot of potatoes in the ground, and while digging over the old potato bed, Steve and the girls managed to find enough small stray pink fir apples for supper.

There was even time to clear 'the jumping lane', which had been rendered impassable by drooping and fallen branches. We used the logs to make new small jumps. As the bracken grows up, this path becomes a tunnel, and it is brilliant for trotting small ponies down and gaining confidence in jumping. It is impossible to run out, and almost impossible to turn round, so there is no choice for them but to keep going. Having said that, I thought I had better just pop down it on Red and check it out, and he was convinced the track was covered in monsters. He shied and spooked and thought about trying to climb the bank instead of jumping a 9 inch log. Needless to say, he DID go down the lane and over the logs, but I was glad the children weren't watching me!
I have also been awarded the Passion For Painting Blog award, by Gail Ragsdale and Carol Buck, both extremely skilled painters themselves. Do check out their blogs!
I am supposed to list 7 things I love, but I think you are probably sick of reading about 7 things I love - I have posted several different lists!
I am going to nominate one painter to pass it on to - Ellen Morrow,, whose work is truly exceptional, and whose love of watercolour shows in every piece she paints. You must go and look at her work! ( but don't buy her crow pieces - I am saving up to buy one, one day!)

10 comments:

Debra Keirce said...

What a great property you live on! You make me want to move to the country!

Jennifer MacNeill said...

Love the garden pictures. I'm out every day (twice) looking to see if any of my seeds have sprouted:)
Time to go out now!

Sarah Sullivan said...

Oh what a wonderful yard!!!! Love Miu - cute name. I'm so behind this year!! Still sooo cold here - I need to catch uppppppp. Sarah

Carol Buck & Dottie Martz said...

I am so enjoying you working in your yard, makes up for me not doing anything in mine!!

Leola - Southshoreartist said...

We still have snow......
If I let my cats in a greenhouse they would eat everything. They love my house plants :) Your miu could be my Lucy's brother. They look like twins.

Angie @ thejunkranch said...

Your place looks and sounds so wonderful. I love seeing your garden spots and hearing about how you train your ponies.

Totally Timmy said...

Wow have you been busy!

Unknown said...

I simply adore your art work! I'd fill my studio if space and dollars were not an issue. Instead I'll torture myself with trying to choose one and put it on my wish list! Very interesting post on gardening. We have been contemplating a greenhouse. At 7000 feet it is a short growing season! Thanks for stopping by my blog too!

Jess said...

Lovely pictures of your garden! I've got some seeds on the go, it's exciting to see how big they've grown each day isn't it? Ellen's work is lovely, I can see just why you like it!x

A.Smith said...

Oh Danielle, we must be all sick of winter and planting seeds here and yonder, lol! I found some incredible heirloom tomatoes, I will save some seeds and if you are interested I would be happy to share them. The most incredible "black" tomatoes I have been looking for for years, and I finally found the seeds. They are under the lights now, coming up like gang busters and like you, I run there every morning to see what is happening.

We are going to make raised beds of recycled wood this year, and I too have several pots of sweet peas, the old fashion fragrant ones that I love to bring inside the house when the muguet and the violets are done. Good luck with your garden, I am sure it will be beautiful and bountiful.

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