How To: Make Lovely Presents for Lovely Friends

I don't know about you lot, but April/May time is always busy for me.... Everyone I know seems to be either having a birthday, having a baby, or moving house. I don't know what it is about this time of year, but everyone just seems to be loving it! Of course it also means gifts all round, & when it's all in one go it can get pretty expensive. But never fear! I have a lovely answer to this problem. Who doesn't like receiving plants that they can make use of?

I recently started a new pot of chili peppers, and the pot is getting a bit crowded now, so I decided to split these seedling up into smaller pots.

Now, I don't REALLY need more than one chili plant in the house, so I'm giving them away for presents this month!

I hate waste, & love a cheeky bit of recycling, so I have used tin cans for this project. I found that cans with ring pull tops were best for this, because it meant the edge wasn't so sharp, so no cuts (I used cat food tins in this case. Washed, obviously).

Next, use a nail & hammer to pierce at least 5 small holes in the base of the cans (please be careful children!), so that when watered the plants can drain & not drown.

Then fill the tins with compost & pop in the seedling.

Last, to make it look presentable as a gift, tie a bow around the middle. I used material scraps to give that rustic look, & you can't go wrong with recycling!

Lets hope my lovely friends like their lovely gifts, & I hope you enjoyed this project!

Getting My Broad Bean Action On

At about October time last year I planted some broad beans straight in to the ground, as I had read that if you do this at the optimum time they will grow over winter & you can get an early crop of beans. I thought I'd give it a go, nothing to loose, right? They're not supposed to start flowering for a month or so yet, but LOOK!

It's always very satisfying when you're testing something out & it actually works. It's even more satisfying when your neighbour also tries it out, & yours look better (I'm not a nasty person, but there's a bit of me that's very smug right now...).

I hope I haven't jinxed it, but hopefully in the next few weeks I'll have some broad beans to chow down on! Excitement!

Rain, Weeds & A Cheeky Teapot!

It has been raining ALL day, EVERY day, for the past week or so.

This morning there seemed to be a break in the grim weather, so out I went to the veg patch, & guess what? The weeds were LOVING this weather! I had more weeds in my veg patch than actual vegetables - & I'm not even exaggerating! They were thriving from all this moisture (if only the vegetables would take a leaf out of the weeds book...).

SO, out came the teapot!

No, not for a brew, but to deal with the task at hand in a different way than cheering me up with a lovely cuppa.

I learnt this trick when I watched my Granddads neighbour whip his teapot out the other week.
Fill your teapot with boiling water (minus the teabag), out you go to the garden, & pour it directly on to the weeds. It will wilt the leaves & kill the roots, without you having to use any nasty weed killing chemicals near your lovely veg!
You may need one or two trips to & fro, but it's worth it in the end.

Just be careful not to get any on your veg or flowers, or it will have the same effect on them too, but if you're cautious enough..... 

Job's a good 'un. 

Spring is Sprung!

March & April are the optimum months to get planting your veg. You have to keep a watch out for the last frost (which for us, happened to be 2 weeks ago), then you can get busy in the garden! I spent a good 3 hours in the Bebb veg patch this afternoon & planted the following:

- MORE onions.

- MORE leeks.

- Beetroot.

- Peas.

- Parsnips.

- Spinach.

- Sweetcorn.

It's my first year trying out sweetcorn, so fingers crossed, & we'll see how that bad boy turns out!
Already in the ground were:

- Onions.
- Leeks.
- Garlic.
- Broad Beans.

:)

Leeks

I just quickly want to share with you a quick tip I picked up off a friend of mine this week concerning leeks. 

I have never grown leeks before, & when I went to my friends house for a brew she showed me hers. They all had toilet rolls resting around the base. When I questioned her about it she told me that it was so that when the leeks grew there would be more of a white bit (the bit you eat the most of), therefore getting the most out of your leeks. 

Nifty, right?

How To: Make A Paper Seed Pot

As most people know, I am quite the environment nerd. So when it comes to gardening I do my best to recycle & give back to the earth. I have long since been in possession of one of these:

I bought it here & this is what it does:

1. Cut strips of newspaper about 3inches wide.

2. Take a single strip, and place the cylindrical block at one end, in line with the line on the block, with about an inch or so of the paper hanging off the bottom of the block. 

3. Start wrapping the strip round & round the block, until there is no paper left to roll with.

 4. Turn the block upside down, and fold over the excess paper hanging off the bottom, so that the base of the block is covered.

5. Turn the block back to the correct way up, then using the circular block of wood, twist down with the paper and block, adding a little pressure. This will twist together the base of the paper pot.

6. Slide the paper pod off the block, & continue to make more paper pots until you have the amount you need.

7. Add soil, seed & water (like you would a plastic seed tray), & watch your plants grow! 

Because of the fact that the paper will eventually rot away, these can be placed straight in to the ground, so there is no faffing about in getting them out of a plastic tray!

Best thing since sliced bread in my opinion!

New Books!

I am one of those lucky people who has a birthday right next to Christmas, so I have to get all my book requests submitted in one go. This year I received the following:

1. The Thrifty Forager by Alys Fowler

Alys Fowler is the gardening journalist for The Guardian, & she is just GREAT! She has a few books, but this one is the bees knees! It is great on where & when to do your best foraging, with pictures to guide you, as well as cute little illustrations.

2. The Faber Book of Gardens edited by Philip Robinson

My lovely boyfriend knows exactly what I love best - reading & gardening. This book combines the two in the best way possible. It is a compilation of poems, prose and articles on 'the garden' from The Garden of Eden to The Eden Project! I don't think I have ever loved a book more.

3. Grow your Own Month By Month by Jo Whittingham

This book is so great for novices like me. It gives the perfect step by step guide on what to plant, sow, harvest & generally DO in a picture perfect month by month guide. In fact, it allows you to do exactly what it says on the tin! Perfect for the beginner gardener.

4. The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit

I have been asking for this book for SO long! It throws all other recipe books out of the window. If you like to improvise a lot in the kitchen, this is the book for you. If you have a look at what you can forage from the fridge, then have a look in this book, it tells you which flavours work best with said ingredient, and why it tastes so good. My copy is signed, which is even more exciting. Another brownie point for the boyfriend!