Seeds - everywhere!

A dry day and I've been rushing round collecting seeds which are now reposing in bags and boxes around the house to finish drying before I store them away ready for sowing next year. Some will also be given as small Christmas presents to friends - pop them inside a small jar which you have decorated with glass paints, tie a label with a piece of pretty ribbon round its neck and voila! a gift which even Kirstie Allsop wouldn't sniff at.
As well as seeds on the allotment and garden, Archie and Angel have also been doing their own fair share of seed collecting while out on walks - and amazing just how many they pick up considering how short and close their single coats are. They still manage to get a few cleaver burrs stuck to them, and sometimes bigger ones between foot pads. Archie also seems to get beech mast wedged in there too, hopping along most uncomfortably until I spot the problem and remove it for him. When it is chilly enough for them to wear their fleece coats, even more seeds and burrs get stuck to them, and the other day I discovered that Angel had even managed to get a dozen or so burrs firmly stuck to the inside of her jacket, where they must have itched like anything. So do check your dog carefully after walks, especially if he has longer fur, as it doesn't take long for the hairs to mat up into a knot which can only be removed with scissors!

Here we go gathering .... er... burrs in October ....

Get sowing!

It's getting busy in the garden shed ... lots of seeds to sow ... and I love this freebie from Lily's Kitchen. Archie and Angel love their food (and their bedtime biscuits are now expected every night) and Angel adores nibbling on parsley - it's one of her favourite herbs - so it's lovely to see this: a pack of parsley seeds included with all orders in April. 

Getting set for summer

Yes, we're quite comfortable, thank you.

It's raining yet again - it seems as though it will never stop. Archie and Angel went out for a run earlier and got soaked. Having come back home and been towelled off and fed, they got themselves cosily snuggled under a couple of fleeces and have been there ever since, studiously ignoring all my suggestions that they might like to take a turn around the garden to have a wee.
I think they probably have the right idea, and if it's too wet to get on with anything outdoors, there is still plenty you can do inside in the warm and dry. I've worked out what veggies will be going in which beds in the allotment this year, have sorted out those seeds which are in packets so I don't end up buying duplicates, and made a start on sorting out the loose ones which I harvested last year.

Waiting to be filled!

Rather than putting them in paper envelopes I've been saving up old herb bottles and containers - the sort you buy in supermarkets. The ones with little holes in the tops are ideal for scattering the finer seeds, and you don't end up with the problem of them getting stuck in the corners of envelopes either. And they are just as easy to label - just stick an address label on.
Got any tips of your own to share?

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