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Monthly Roundup: September

Published on 1st Oct 202129th Sep 2021 by Eileen's Tiny Welsh Garden4 Comments

Compost Corner

Not strictly September but on the last day of August, I emptied Compost Bin 2 into old growbags and compost bags – eleven in total – ready to take to the allotment to help improve the soil in my bed. So while Bin #1 does its thing over winter, I can start a new batch in Bin #2.

I could, however, have done without the eight-and-a-half-hours in A&E with chest pains that followed; and the potential diagnosis of angina following two ECGs, four blood tests, and four hours on a cardiac monitor. I am now on one low dosage aspirin a day, have a GTN spray for when the pain starts. BUT, after a chat with a cardiac nurse on September 10th, it MIGHT NOT be angina after all. Further tests are being arranged.

Gardening, apparently, is the best exercise; though I doubt she meant lugging great pots of compost around and stretching across raised bed. She probably thought I meant a little gentle pruning and a bit of weeding!

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Monthly Round-Up: August

Published on 1st Sep 202130th Aug 2021 by Eileen's Tiny Welsh Garden

August has been a long month, concentrating as we were on house and garden maintenance; not so much gardening, more prettifying the area around the garden by painting exterior walls and paintwork, as detailed here and here. A month that, as it neared the end, found us running out of energy and time to do the things that had to be done.

Tuesday last week found me painting the other side of the gate and the frame around the garage door, which I wasn’t looking forward to as it is fiddly to get at. The old paint was flaking off and required a lot of preparation before I could start. But it’s done now (though with the garage door half open I did spot a couple of patches where the brown paint hadn’t covered the blue; but they’re underneath the dips in the door and can’t be seen when it’s down. I can live with that for a couple of years).

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Monthly Round-up: June

Published on 1st Jul 202130th Jul 2021 by Eileen's Tiny Welsh Garden

Peas and Sweet Peas

Are doing well. Not yet an overabundance, but soon, perhaps. And there are – finally – flower buds on the perennial sweet pea tower.

Peas
Peas
22 June – Peas
22 June – Peas
Cupani sweet peas
Cupani sweet peas
Cupani sweet peas
Cupani sweet peas
Cupani sweet peas
Perennial sweet pea
22 June – Perennial sweet pea
27 June – Perennial sweet pea
27 June – Perennial sweet peas
22 June – Perennial sweet pea
27 June – Perennial sweet pea

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Monthly Roundup: April 2021

Published on 3rd May 202130th Jul 2021 by Eileen's Tiny Welsh Garden4 Comments

Raised Bed preparation

Raised Bed A

I tackled this bed mid-month, hoping that we’d seen the last of frosty nights! The first thing was to clear away all the daffodil and narcissi pots to give access. Second – the temporary removal of the arch. Third, remove everything else and prune the fuchsia cuttings along the wall.

I rescued as many brassica leaves as I could (for our evening meal), then dug everything out, apart from the purple sprouting broccoli. I weeded, hoed to brake up the crust on the soil surface; added loads of chicken manure pellets; added the compost from five growing bags (my failed experiment to grow salad crops over winter), and raked and hoed everything again.

I’ve used a row of bricks to separate the fuchsias from the veg bed, added a ‘fleece’ layer (to start warming the soil) topped of with upturned hanging baskets to discourage cat activity, and replaced the arch in a new position – at the front of the bed where it will – hopefully – allow easier access to peas and beans (and provide some much needed shade while we have our morning coffee – once the beans have grown). All in all, a good morning’s work.

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Six on Saturday: 3 April 2021

Published on 3rd Apr 20213rd Apr 2021 by Eileen's Tiny Welsh Garden12 Comments

Yesterday (Good Friday) was ‘Clean the Conservatory’ Day – my annual top-to-bottom (or as high as I can reach without falling off the stepladder) dust-busting, cobweb-removing blitz. This year, it took a total of five hours (including one coffee break and a quick lunch). The furniture is back in place, so are the ornaments, just the plants to go back to finish it off. With temperatures set to hit zero degrees by Monday, I won’t be sitting in there just yet, Soon, though.