kitty's Journal

after

after

this the after picture of the tunnel, i blocked the door so hopefully they wont get in and mess it all up

a great day outside

before

hi everyone

spent the second half of the day preparing the veg bed in the tunnel, the dogs had been in it the last couple of nights because the last bad winds had broke the fastners on the flaps so they were able to get in. i took a few barrows of old soil out and dug it over then added some compost from the compost bags that been breaking down over the last couple of years, now i just need to add some fym and some top soil and i am ready to plant first earlies (homegaurds) peas and early nanties carrots.this is a question for johnplotsman do i need to chit the homegaurds if they are going in the tunnel? or if anyone else knows they can answer this too.

when i had finish that task, i sowed tomatos, cucumbers,peppers and eryngium in the heated nursery pots. i have more stuff to sow and prick out so its a busy time and i am running out of space fast, i can buy myself some more space by moving the dahlias out to covered 4 tier greenhouses in the tunnel  cover the pots with fleese at night and close the covers and night they should be safe enough and i will have more space for transplanting and sowing in the house.

i have also signed up to galway enterprise board for a business course, it will be held sometime in march two evenings a week and it is free of charge, i have to make an appointment on monday to meet with them, things are looking up. i am working towards my own nursery business so i am happy with things so far.

well hopefully i will get the dahlia in their new home by monday and then i can get the rest of the sowing done.

well thats it for now 

grants

hi everyone

 i rack my brain everyday trying to figure out who to turn to for help starting up my own business. i have been on the enterprse ireland they are not very user friendly unless you are a business or organisation. got on to another crowd based in dublin they are to get back to me. if anyone knows what would be a good place to start i would really appreciate it. a grant would help alot towards my goal

bags of bulbs

hi everyone

while shopping in lidl this morning i picked up more dahlia and lilly bulbs, crocosmia, and pink calla lillies. now i will have the fun of planting and seriously run out of space. but still delighted i got them. havent done any gardening today except to turn the the seed trays.

well thats it for now

both plots ready

2 veggie plots

both plots are ready for manure and compost

plot no 2

plot no2

hi everyone

got plot number 2 dug over today so hopefully tomorrow will be fine and it will dry up then i can rake it and add manure and compost(from compost bags well rotted down by now). i will have to but up mesh to stop the hens from taking the carrot and parsnip seeds and rooting it up. that is as far as i got today.

lidl have great bargins in bulbs tomorrow so that will be on my shopping list plus some herb seeds.

well thats it for now

one to go

potato patch

this bed will have second earlies (british queens and main crop (roosters). first earlies and some peas and early carrots i also have salad potatoes (charlotte) to sow.

one plot dug

one down

this is the first of the veg beds. spent a lovely afternoon digging this and i am very happy wirh the result,i will give it a week or so and then i will add fym except the carrrot patch.

diggin for worms

digging for worms

hi everyone

well i got out and dug the new veg patch, there is one more to be done, i was brimming from ear to ear(according to hubby). we have plans to build a glasshouse this year, we have looked at all the different ones and decided we will build one from scratch and get the glass of a company my uncle works for. we can make it as big or a small as we like, hubby said larch would be the best wood, this was his idea when he saw the price of the glasshouses, need something decent to sow all my seeds and be able to light and heat easily, plus i need a place to keep plants over winter because i am sick of loosing everything, then the tunnel can be coverted to a full growing house most of the year. hopefully he wont get cold feet and change his mind, either way i need a growing house badly so that i can start a little business for myself.

I also sowed some more lupins and some african marigolds, i am now offically out of space which is driving me crazy because i have more stuff to sow. and prick out.

well thats it for now and hopefully it will come true

too old to party

hi everyone

 had two nights out this weekend. i am no used of it so feeling the effects today, had a 21st on friday night and my brothers engagment party on saturday night. i think a day with a garden magazine or book is best considering the weather is crap, so i am going to make a hot choc and chill.

 on friday morning on sowed 2 trays of lupins and loads of dahlias and cannas and then went to garden centre and 4 more canna tropicana. i will get one more and i will have loads then, cause i know when mum sees them she will love to have one, she will get two.

well thats it for now. i have some more seeds to sow tomorrow and plant my other cannas so that will keep me going.

pennisetum

more dahlias

more dahlias

my favourite dahlias, these will be potted and then cuttings takin when they have grown, these will have pride of place in the patio where i can see them when i get up in the morning, i will also put my cannas there where i can enjoy then.

dahlias

dahlias

here are my dahlias that i got over the last couple of weeks

canas

cannas

hi everyone

was as happy as a child in a sweet shop today when i found some cana rhizones. they will be potted up tomorrow along with my dahlias and more seed sowing. i was very disappointed when i went to lidl and found that all the nursery pots were gone. he said they lasted no length and there are no more in any of the galway stores, i was just looking for two. well i got some more seeds sown yesturday, so very happy with that, will get some more done tomorrow, i have alot of flower seeds to save money and not have to buy any bedding plants or any other plants in the garden centre.

i was delighted to see lidl have a great selection of summer bulbs next thursday so i will be a busy girl.

well thats it for now

happy gardening everyone

chancer

chancer

here is chancer, not sure how old is chancer, he was fully grown when we got him last march

bugs bunny

bugs bunny

here is our gorgous bugs bunny one year old

seed trays in hall

front hall propagators

here are some of the seed trays in the hall that dont need as much heat. hope to get more done tomorrow.

seeds ahoy

heated propagators

hi everyone

after lunch, i got stuck into the seed sowing, starting with the heated propagators, i sowed red pelargoniums, impatiens, petunias,osteospermum, and lobelia. and then started sowing some seeds in the trays in the hall. 

sowing begins

my curious little visitors and rio the bodygaurd

hi everyone

spent the day yesturday filling seed trays, while i did this i had some visitors curious to see what was going on.

sow sow sow

hi everyone

seed sowing starting tomorrow, once the kids are at school i will be out in the tunnel to fill the trays and then after dinner i will be sowing till my arms fall off. when i have it all done i will put up pictures.

once that is done i can concentrate on the new veg plot, that is if it stops raining so that the soil can dry up and i can work on it. the hens will love that because there will be worms galore

losses

hi everyone

took a walk out the front garden a couple of minutes ago, my photinia "Red Robin" is definately dead, i scraped the bark and it is brown, i am so disappointed, really loved that shrub. god knows what else has gone. It would make you wonder what will survive if we keep getting these winters of -17 degrees. i am not going to do anyting with the front until i have the new veg beds done. i have enough to do up to april at least.

propagators on standby

propagators

here are my six propagators 4 of them came from lidl and the other two are larger, the smaller one hubby bought me for christmas 2yrs ago and the other i got in woodies while i was doing my course last year. excited to get started.

all set

seed trays and racks in front hall

hi everyone

 spent the weekend getting set up for another year of seed sowing. dug out all my seed trays and propagators. i will start filling them and get them ready for sowing.yipee. i also ordered some seeds from unwins, they are on the way. has anyone ever got plug plants from them, just wondering if they will deliver to ireland