Whoops!

Another way of growing starwberries
out of the reach of dogs ...

Preferring to stay indoors
out of the rain

Oh dear! This week's post has crept up on me and caught me napping ... it has been pretty much wall-to-wall rain since I last blogged, so during the few dry spells I have grabbed a shovel and zoomed up to the allotment to try and finish digging over what will be the pumpkin patch. Nearly there ... just a little bit more to go, and three pumpkins are out already. In the meantime I try not to look at the fruit bush area as the weeds are loving the warm, wet conditions and are threatening to smother them. The one good thing about them is that it seems to make it more difficult for the pigeons to scoff all the fruit - they normally don't even wait for it to ripen - as I haven't yet got my net curtains out and draped round them. (The bushes that is. The pigeons will just have to dress themselves.) The pigeons aren't the only fruit lovers round here - the  alpine strawberries growing by the back door are already producing luscious red berries. But no picture I'm afraid, as Archie and Angel already harvested them before I could reach for the camera!

Lots of blossom on the apple trees this year.

Which brings me once again to the subject of bargains - if you have fruit bushes, old net curtains will not only keep greedy pigeons off, but greedy dogs too, provided you net carefully and don't just throw them over the top. I usually stick three or four garden canes in the ground and then wind a length of net curtain around them to form a barrier. Where to get the net curtains if you have no old ones lying handily around? Try your local market. I found a stall there several years ago selling nothing but nets. When I explained that I wanted something really cheap and what it was for, the stall holder produced yards and yards of stained or slightly damaged 'seconds'. I bought a tenner's worth off him and came home with five bulging carrier bags. It lasts well and is less likely to tangle up the feet of wildlife than netting, so has been something of a bargain. It is also much less fiddly than faffing around with netting which I'm not fond of ever since I found a blackbird snarled hopelessly in its meshes on a neighbour's allotment. Luckily I was able to set it free, but if I hadn't gone up that day it might not have been so fortunate. Hedgehogs and other animals can also get ravelled up in its snares.
Of course, net curtains may not be enough to keep really determined dogs at bay, so you may need to fence fruit growing areas off completely, or supervise your dog when he is out in the garden. Teaching a good 'Leave it' command will mean you don't have to be breathing down his neck the whole time.

Finally, watch out for some exciting guest blogs coming up soon! If you would like to contribute one yourself, let me know - you can get in touch with me via the contact page of the Dog Friendly Gardening website HERE

Read more HERE

Bargains galore

"It's empty! That must be why you got it cheap!"

Nope, can't fit in there.
Obviously another bad buy!

Now that Spring seems finally to be on its way, the shelves in shops are once again filling up with gardening products. Not just at garden centres, but at supermarkets and pound shops too, and there are some great bargains to be had. The water butts on the allotment came from Wilkinsons several years ago as they were cheaper there than anywhere else - as was the 100-odd feet of hose I needed to reach the communal tap, while my mini greenhouse was a bargain bought from Morrisons, also a few years ago. I usually shop locally, but popped in there at the weekend to pick up a few odds and ends for my Mum, and spotted a plastic trug at £2.50 and a bird box for £3 and couldn't resist them. I've also had some excellent fruit trees from there in the past which compare very well against ones I've purchased from specialist suppliers - I'm still smarting about the pear tree I bought from one such merchant. Don't ask.
I also picked up a few bits and pieces from Poundland, and found a string of solar powered blue fairy lights for £3 in a charity shop. It pays to shop around, it really does! Although sometimes you get what you pay for - packs of seeds may sometimes be less full than the ones you buy at garden centres for example. But when you just want a few to fill in a bare corner, they are perfect for the job.

Nom nom

While on the subject of bargains, the pea shoots are thriving and nearly ready to start harvesting - although when I left them outside for a few minutes yesterday I returned to find that Angel was already sampling them. This was a great tip passed on via Facebook, which I shared on the Dog Friendly Gardening FB page - you may have spotted it. I used an old wooden tray, filled with spent compost and liberally sowed it with peas. The peas were a bargain too, at 50p for a box (just ordinary dried peas) from the supermarket, and which I've only used half of it. They have grown beautifully in the shed window, with no attention other than keeping them damp, and taste delicious (yes, I tried a few too as Angel reckoned they were nearly ready) as well as being organic and much cheaper than buying them in the shops!

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