Following on from my intermittent "Toy Boy" blogs, where I gleefully took the lid off the stacks of gadget boxes in my dh's study, I thought I'd open the door of the gardening shed and expose some collections there.
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| Broad Bean seedlings |
I am a "gardener wannabee" - who sadly inherited a slightly defective green-thumb gene!
But that doesn't stop me from lurking in the gardening aisles at the hardware/supermarket/market and having fantasies about gorgeous productive gardens and self-sufficiency and home-grown vegetables!
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| Spinach sprouts |
Occasionally... all right, more than occasionally, I weaken to purchase seeds - this year I restricted myself to 4 packets and promised myself that I would actually plant them! And, naturally if you're going to garden, you need other products that will ensure productive and plentiful cropping! I was firm with myself about not buying any of these until I'd checked the garden shed! Sure enough there were stockpiles. Is there a use-by date for these... Note to self: fertilisers won't help to produce edible goodies unless I remember to use them!
I'm proud to say that I have actually used the Seasol - twice! So far the broad bean seedlings and spinach sprouts are going well - they've been up for a whole two weeks! Only three casualties so far - I didn't get the slug pellets out fast enough.
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| Fertiliser Stash! |
So back to the gardening shed - I'm embarrassed to say that some of the items can't be photographed. They've been there so long that the plastic bags have broken down. But I was able to identify three small bags garden lime and two of blood and bone. Since the contents are now mixed up in the box and it seems like a shame to waste them, I'm going to dig them into the soil and leave them to "rest"... and perhaps I can plant some spring vegetables...
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| One of the still-recognisable Garden Lime bags! |
P.S. So after I wrote this, I couldn't help Googling companion plants for broad beans. And guess what - one of the companion plants are carrots - apparently they like the nitrogen that the beans fix in the soil!
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| Ancient Packets of Carrot Seed! |
And... guess what else... I have two old packets of carrot seeds! Fancy that! One is best before 1994 and the other, before 2007. Did I mention how I enjoy lurking in the gardening aisles and picking up packets of stuff... Anyway, what the heck, I thought! So now I have three little carrot patches in amongst the bean seedlings. If they grow, fantastic! If they don't... well, that's okay too because it means that I now have two less packets of seeds in the wannabee-vegetable-seed stash!
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| Carrot Patch, Number 1 |
Hi Sharon
ReplyDeleteLoved that post I don't do anything in the garden at all these days I have had a vegie garden years ago when the kids were young and we did have fun although not a lot of success LOL. I have a few trees and plants that we planted years ago but these days I pay someone to mow the grass and keep things looking a bit tidy although I do dream of having a lovely garden. I hope the vegies grwo for you
Have Fun
Helen
Thanks, Helen! I'm tickled that you enjoyed the post. You're a woman after my own heart with that "dream of having a lovely garden"! I wonder if there's a Gorgeous Gardens for Dummies book - I sure do need one! LOL
DeleteYou know, Sharon, I do sometimes get seized by the urge to try and grow herbs and veggies, but…well I usually come to my senses before I buy anything. BUT, the peace lily I bought a month or two ago hasn't keeled over yet. So maybe just one tub of lovely things could be fun…if I could devise a way to keep the possums away.
ReplyDeleteHmm, is autumn the time for growing veggies?
P.S. Love your carrots -- that sounds like something I'd do. ;-)
Michelle, I'm putting on my, ahem, expert-gardener-wannabee hat on here to say that autumn is indeed the time for growing *some* veggies! Broad beans and spinach! It's a bit late for carrots but then mine are already handicapped with those best-before dates so I flung them around anyway!
DeleteI have a Yates gardening book which has a brilliant key thingamee with months for planting various veggies depending on what climate zone you live in. I spend quite a lot of time with that book in the hopes that I'll absorb wisdom from the pages and be transformed into a green thumb!
LOL Sharon, I'm sure if I go into my shed there will be things in there that date back a long time too..thing is, I don't want to go in there. I'm not a very keen gardener- sure, I love my garden, I just don't like doing much in it apart from sitting. My dh tries every weekend to get me involved and I try everything I can to avoid it- but once I'm out there I usually do have a great time and vow to do more (but then don't) in our veggie garden which is always very productive. However, we do have a new garden gadget- a shredder! So this week we've been destructing a tree that fell into our garden in a recent storm- I LOVE the power of reducing all that wood to shreds! What fun!
ReplyDeleteOoooo, Louisa, your shredder sounds like the most excellent fun! I wonder if I could justify having one here... ;) Sounds like you've got the gardening issue sorted with a successful dh green thumb! Sadly, I think my dh's gardening gene is as defective as mine!
DeleteSharon, I think you've been peeking in my DB's shed. It looks the same. I love vegetable gardening, but handed it over to him outdoors years back, and now get to enjoy the hundred kilos of tomatoes and one thousand carrots he grows every year. Guess why my freezer is always full to overflowing? The man just doesn't know when to stop putting those blasted seeds in the ground.
ReplyDeleteLOL on the massive numbers of the same veggies, Sue! It does seem to be a feast or famine thing with a veggie patch, doesn't it! I do remember growing zucchini plants a few years ago and ending up with heaps and heaps of the things - zucchini slice, zucchini soup, barbecued zucchini, stuffed zucchini! And then there were all the ones that we gave away to visitors and neighbours - anyone who paused at the front gate really!
DeleteI'm such a gardener-wannabee, Sharon. I imagine myself one day featured in Australian Country Style for my award-winning garden. The fact that I actually do absolutely nothing in the garden seems to be no barrier to this fantasy. I also dream of one day owning a lavender farm in France. Just call me Fantasy St George.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Michelle, Jen - Fantasy St George is a great name! And I can just imagine her with a wonderful award-winning garden - probably as part of that lavender farm in France!
Delete;)
Nice to know I'm in such good company as a gardener-wannabee!
I think Fantasy is a beautiful name, Jen. ;-)
ReplyDeleteFantasy St George does have a certain ring to it. :-)
ReplyDeleteSharon, your seedlings are coming along beautifully. Must be that Seasol you found. Do keep up the care, so you can come back in a few months requesting recipes for broad beans, spinach and carrots.
Thanks, Bron! I will keep up the Seasol - in fact, I might whizz over to Google calendar and set up reminders for myself! Every two weeks according to the directions. I have very high hopes that I might be able to title my next gardening blog as "Mrs Gadget: Gardening Not-so-Tragic"! LOL
DeleteLaughing at your post, Sharon. I think most of us have those bags in the shed that are so old the labels have vanished.
ReplyDeleteI have one of those small raised beds which I fully intended to use this autumn and in prep I emptied the compost bin into it. Before I had chance to plant anything I had a bed full of pumpkins, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and capsium - all of which have sprouted from the compost. Not sure if any of them will survive to maturity, but it will be fun watching.
*capsicum*
DeleteClaire, I'm so glad to hear that you have vanishing label syndrome at your house too! garden shed mysteries!
DeleteSpeaking of mysteries, I'm awfully impressed with the spontaneous generation in your raised garden beds - and such a great variety too! I hope you'll keep us posted about the crop. I figure if these things have taken upon themselves to grow then there's a real will to be there so they must have been hardy determined seeds!
Sharon, I love the look of your garden. Good on you growing from seed! This year we planted seedlings. We haven't had a vege garden for quite a few years so I'm very excited. I was down there this evening and noticed we have a stack of self sown parsley plants emerging. Wonder how they'll survive winter. Our new plantings are broad beans with carrots (by coincidence - I read your comment on that with interest) plus parsnips and beetroots. Still stacks of basil. I foresee pesto coming up!
ReplyDeleteOh, Annie, how cool that you planted broad beans and carrots - before you read about them being companion plants! And parsnips and beetroots! I just happen to have some beetroot seeds as well - I need to clear another patch of garden for those. Alas I was naughty and bought the seeds before I did the clearing - I think this might be a habit I need to break. Lurking in the aisle that has the packets of seed is my downfall!
ReplyDeleteI reckon your self seeded parsley is like Claire's determined seeds - I'm sure it will do really well! And all that lovely basil - yum!
Sharon, I had such a giggle at your post. Because I have been to the third circle of hell that is your gardening shed and I'm surprised I've lived to tell the tale! :-) Actually I always love the tour of your garden when I'm down there. It's not nearly as shambolic as you make it sound here. In fact, compared to my own (admittedly pathetic) efforts, it's the equivalent of Kew! I hope the carrots grow and that they have a wonderful romance with your broadbeans and that you get to dance at their wedding!
ReplyDeleteLOL about the broadies and carrots, Anna! A match made in our garden... with a bit of luck! You did visit the shed and luckily we didn't lose you under a mound of garden lime or tumbling glyphosate bottles!
DeleteNext time you visit all the out of date stuff *will* be dug into the garden beds, the shed *will* be a show piece and it *will* be flourishing... now, where's Mr Gadget? I just need to convince him that some shovel time on this bracing frosty morning is just what he needs... ;)
Actually, I think my new name should be Day-Dreamer Archer - not nearly as catchy as Fantasy St George - but I can work on something better!
DeleteHa ha, I'll have my camera to record this miracle! Hey, if you're St. George, does that make me the princess? Or the dragon???!!!
DeleteLOL, Anna! No, Fantasy St George is the name Jen coined for herself yesterday when she was talking about her garden! But it does lend itself to stories about princesses and dragons, doesn't it! Let's tell Jen we've got a new direction for her writing!
DeleteSharon, you're inspiring me to get out into my garden again! I don't have a lot of room, or much sun (the tall trees keep it out) but I do love getting the soil between my fingers, so I think I'll get back out!
ReplyDeleteRachel, it's so grounding to get your hands in the dirt and do some digging, isn't it! Just a bit to help the earthworms! ;) I'm pretty excited actually because another lot of seeds have sprouted! The tatsoi - the packet assured me it's an "easy to grow Asian green". So far so good!
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