Showing posts with label pea shoots. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pea shoots. Show all posts

Friday, 14 March 2014

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!

Click here for link!

Thursday, 6 March 2014

Spring is sprung!

Spring is sprung!







Or at least, if Spring hasn't completely sprung, is well on its way. Daffodils and primroses are in bloom and the bluebells on one of our favourite woodland walks are gearing up ready for the big display later this year.




Back indoors and under a fleece when the sun goes in ...

The frogs are engaged in frantic activity in the pond, and the sun is out and today it was even warm enough for Archie and Angel to shed their jackets and enjoy the feel of it on their backs. They've been having fun pottering around in the garden with me as I've been working on the borders - although they are quick enough to dive indoors and under a fleece when it goes behind a cloud for more than a few minutes!

The frogs are busy in the pond - six at the last count.
And no, those aren't real lilies but
artificial ones which give the fish a bit of cover!











The pea shoots are doing well in the shed at the moment - but more about them next week when I hope to start harvesting. In the meantime it's back to work on making a new cold frame for the allotment as it looks like I'm going to be needing it pretty soon!