Garden Project - The search for Vegetables, Privacy & 2010....
We have a small garden @ the rear of the house, it's split level and separated between Lawn & Patio.
So going to dig up the Patio as it is an area that is seldom used, to see with a little help from the kids, friends & experts on Web Pages (See Link) see if we can provide some Vegetables throughout the year:
The Vegetable Plot
January 2nd - Photo's of the Garden before we started the work:
After initial work to trim back some bushes, removing plants, soil and central brick work, we have the following:
Next plans are to remove the trimmed vegetation, rubble and then further brickwork to the back wall, clearing the space to allow us to start lifting the patio to open up for the Vegetable plot.
January 3rd - After clearing the rest of the Brickwork & Rubble, we can now start to see where the lawn is going to be extended too and where the vegetable patch is going (apologies for the lighting by the time I'd finished it had just started going dark):
As you can see the space is 220cm by 160cm, or just over 3.5 Square meters, I've ensured I have walk space all around the Vegetable patch, and we'll just have too see what we can use the space for?
So trawling through the Web pages too see what's the best approach for Vegetables, and after serious discussions with the kids, we have decided that we'll plant this year:
Carrots, Cucumber, Sweetcorn, Onions, Potatoes, Tomatoes & Peppers and see how we get on, will also have to look at how we deal with Birds, Slugs & other creepy crawlies and Cats! The kids also want to grow a sunflower to see how high it will go.
We also are going to make the garden organic & try as be as environmentally friendly as possible to the local surroundings. Looking to reduce our shopping on vegetables @ Supermarkets, and add any food waste from the house to the Compost to then reuse to feed the plants, and show the kids how we come full circle in recycling.
January 18th - The seeds are ready, I've bought some from Suttons (Homebase) & some like the Potatoes and Peppers I'll grow from food from the house. I have the Compost pots ready for sowing, and will probably need another 20 or 30 seed pots, just need to get the actual compost, I'm searching through the web to see what is the best, looking @ the seed packets sowing needs to start in early February.
February 1st - Have the specialist compost now (purchased from B&Q), so now as we've moved into February, the seeds for the Carrots, Tomatoes & Onions need to be sowed. So will look to do this in the following weeks, with the pots above, here's the compost I'll be using:
February 2nd - Just as a side thing to the Garden project (see below), the fence concrete panels and posts arrive tomorrow as I start the work on replacing the fence @ the side of the house, old fences need to be cleared, 2 foot holes need to be dug and some thorn bushes cleared.
February 19th - Have spent some more time in the garden, and with a little help from the kids we have now completed the vegetable patch. I've edged the patch with wooden beams to allow the patch to be raised.
You can see from then photo's, we need to add a little more soil, compost, feed and turn the soil & it will be ready to seed in spring.
20th February - The vegetable patch has now been filled with compost & feed. We've used a water saving compost that retains water for longer in the soil, which will reduce what we use to water the plants. The feed we've used, is an organic Chicken pellet Manure, which allow the plants & soil to maintain nourishment levels, and sill allows us to continue the organic theme.
Next plans are to dig out the old brick works and extend the lawn closer to the vegetable patch, moving at the same time the mulch bin so it covers where the brick work that has been pulled from the boundary wall.
7th March - A little work in the Garden and we've been able to move the Compost Bin to it's new location, and removing a little more of the old patio, also digging out the footings for the old Brick wall.
With my daughter we've potted the seeds for the Potato, Tomato, Onions, Carrots & Peppers, also the kids own seed kit, including Sweetcorn and Sunflower seeds. Let the watering commence.
Also had some feedback from my son's class on the
presentation he did for this Garden project as part of a 'Environment
Project' @ his school. The kids in his class are impressed.
16th March - The seeds are growing:
29th March - The lawn work is now finished, all the foundations have been dug out, and the edging with block paving has been completed. All I need to do now is to move some soil from around the garden to fill in the gap, this will be from a part of the garden that is being reclaimed from bushes now the fence is in place @ that part of the garden.
Oh additional to this, the potatoes have been planted into the vegetable patch, and the rest of the seedlings are now progressing well in the Kitchen & conservatory. Never knew the veg smell would start so soon!
13th April - Only a little work on the vegetable patch, more just adding a little top soil into the gap whilst working on the fence, you'll notice a bigger change in the background with the work I've done on the fence and already amazed at the additional light the garden will get with clearing all the bushes & Trees.
15th May - Can't believe it's been a month since my last update, well at least in the Garden I have something to show for it. The fence @ the back of the Garden is now done, so have been concentrating on extending the lawn, and filling in the new space with soil from the side of the garden that I am clearing to provide more space, will add picture to explain better.
Have planted the first seedlings of Sunflowers and Tomato's and unfortunately I don;t think they were strong enough as the birds soon had them, so have left the rest of the seedlings in the Conservatory to strengthen. Have also planted some Spring Onions. On a positive note, has dug down to see how the Potato is progressing and they have shoots now so should be pushing through in the next few weeks. Going to add some more pictures in the next week to show the changes to the Garden, and also looking to see if the settings I've been using for the pictures to see if I can improve the quality.
30th May - With the fence completed we've concentrated on the lawn, and with this also completed, the planted started. Some of the plants and bushes from the right hand side of the Garden have been replanted, and strawberry's from my Dad's garden have been put in the Triangle plot you can see @ the back of the garden behind the vegetable plot.
7th June - Okay I bit the bullet, and after the first lot of vegetables that were planted in late April lasted a few days, I've left the seedlings in the conservatory. But with the weather kind of picking up I planted them this morning, and looking at the photo's, I'm going to the DIY store later to see if there is anything I can cover them with, just to protect from birds etc. Oh and I've got to find some turf to finish off the lawn.
As you can see I've sorted the pictures on the phone with the Picture size settings, so easy when I had a look, but as you can see the pictures are great, and an added benefit no farting around with the 'Paint' application re-sizing the picture.
14th June - No pictures, I'll see if the weather holds for tomorrow morning. This week the Garden Pond has gone, and this has given us another few feet of the Garden back. Also have turfed the extended part of the garden, just waiting too see if the turf takes root in the dry weather. & Saturday I spent most of the afternoon Pressure Washing the path around the vegetable patch & the steps leading too it. Must admit the garden is looking better and better. Just a few more things to do, and the project could be @ an end.
Oh on a sad note, the carrots went missing over night on Friday, 6 sets of Carrots that evening, and Saturday morning, not a one left.................back to re-potting a few more in the conservatory me thinks.
2nd July
The garden is coming on well, the turf is really kicking in now, the vegetables are doing well, have since added more Spuds, some cabbage and runner beans, I'm pushing the boat out now with the confidence I've got. Have added some more pictures of the other side of the garden to show the work were we've cleared all the bushes, removed the pond, levelled out the border and retain about 8 foot back in Garden space.
The rest of the Garden, on the right hand photo all that is soil was previously bushes, trees and the pond, so you can see what has been reclaimed:
& I'm quiet proud of these, the sweetcorn & the Spring Onions are growing.......
11th August
Well here are few pictures to show just how well the vegetable patch has grown and some of the first picking from it. The Potato bake was beautiful last night, feel like a proper Caveman fending for my family.....
& here are a few of the first veg we've pulled out.....it's a learning curve as they say.....
Okay I know it's not the biggest Carrot, they are suppost to be like this!
20th September
As the weather draws in, I can start to look at how my first year went @ growing my first Veg. and in typical ATL style I'll make a list and hopefully next year we can get a little more out of the vegetable patch:
Worked Well Could have done Better
Cucumber, there are still about 20 growing still Tomatoes, have to have some kind of shelter, too cold up North
Cabbages, tough stuff Slugs better @ dealing with (will look up) Potatoes worked well in the patch & pots Strawberries, have to find some way to lift them from the ground Feeding the Soil, the Chicken Pellets good stuff
Just have a little work in the back garden to do, where I need to add in some turf to one corner of the Garden, and also pulling up the Vegetable Plot stuff as we prepare for Winter we should be done.
14th October - The garden is completed now for 2009, I've cleared the Veg patch and the last of the turf arrived so the right hand side of the garden got turfed to complete the lawn extension, so here's some final photo's for 2009:
Introduction - The fence was 19 years old, and we first planned to replace it in 2007, but the weather for the Summer was miserable as was 2008! So after 2 years of making excuses, with the mild weather in February this year (09), I got started with help from my neighbour Geoff.
21st February - Work started on the 7th February & each Sunday morning since, we've cleared thorn bushes & torn down the old fence (which in some places didn't take too much persuasion). Dug the footings for the concrete posts (again some easier than others), dropped in the posts (used Postcrete) and added the concrete slabs. The photo below is a little before and after, and I'll add pictures later to show the fence as we progress (5 sections with panels).
Next work is planned for the 1st March to add a 6th panel on the path and 2 more to the rear of the garden.
1st March - The 6th Panel is in and as you can see from the photo's there is a great deal of difference, still need to do the 2 panels @ the rear of the garden, but the difference in what is now against previous is making me wonder why it's took me so long to do?
8th March - Weather got the better of us this weekend, and the first in around 5 we've not been able to progress, also have worked out what is needed for the remainder of the fence and set aside enough money for this, hopefully the whole fence will be finished by the Summer.
15th March - More great weather and I finished off the last 2 panels we had left, there where put @ the back of the garden, and you can see the rest of the fence and work we still have to do, Have still to order the next batch of 8 panels to finish off the fence but going to leave a few more weeks to get the lawn sorted in the garden.
13th April - Have spent most of the time in the garden in the last month working on the fence, and as you can see all the bushes and trees have been cleared @ the back, and the final 2 1/2 Fence panels just need to be added.
15th May - The fence @ the back is done with the help of a Stihl saw, the last section came in @ a width of 21.75 inches, so my mate Dave had to cut the last Concrete slab for this to fit in, and I then I had fun with my Jigsaw making the last Fence panel. But it's in now, and privacy we wanted is there now, just have 3 and a bit panels to do down the side of the house, and the fence will be completed, just waiting for some decent weather as May has been well a little wet.
7th June - Looking like I'll get the final 3 panels this month and get them sorted so the entire garden is sorted, there is an added complication with the side of the House with a Lean-to, but a decent 4x4" piece of wood and some more concrete should sort that out.
3rd July - The final Fence post has been delivered (Panels, base & other posts came 2nd), weather & hangover permitting, I'll have a go at putting in the last 4 panels and fence posts in from the 6th.
12th July - I got 1 last panel & post add to the fence down the side of the house before we left for vacation. Only got 3 more panels to do down the side of the house and then whole of the back has been completed. Looking to get this done before September before the weather starts getting cold.
6th September - After a gap of almost 2 months, I've added another panel and we have just 2 to go. The weather and being away have meant this weekend was the first I was able to do any work.
13th September - Another weekend and the weather is good, and so the penultimate Fence Panel is done. With the weather being so good, I also started on the hole for the final Fence Post. The weather looks good for next week, so hopefully after starting in February, we could be done.
20th September - So after a little over 6 months, the fence is finally done, finished off the final post hole this morning, The post went in, the final Concrete panel was cut by the neighbour Geoff, and the panel got added with a little fanfare.....Well in my head it did.
So the pictures below show the completed fence, and okay it's just a fence but after 6 months and years of moaning it's finally done. Still looking at it, I can't believe it's done. So after 1 burst finger, couple of black finger nails, more cuts than you can shake a stick at & the entire inside right forearm scrapped to a bloody mess catching a Fence Post that had slipped, well better than smashing on the floor......here we go:
So with the fence done, if the weather lets me, on the 2nd photo above you may be able to see the Lean too on the side of the House and I need to do a little support work, as with removing the old fence took away a support post. So other than a new 4 by 4 and some more Post Crete, this should be sorted, and the mind starts to wonder after the Winter for.........
Projects 2010
Okay I know we are not done with 2009, but with the work I've got done this year, I'm already thinking of what to do for 2010:
Paint the fence, if I want it to last after all that hard work, it looks like I'll need a good few pots to get it all covered, unfortunately I've counted the panels and there are 42, I'll need a good brush & MP3 player.
Remove the large bush near the Conservatory, using this space for another vegetable patch, after seeing how the Cucumbers spread this year, I may just give them their own space for next year.
Change the Guttering on the Conservatory, we've got a White Conservatory & Black Guttering (don't ask), so after all the work in the Garden, it now sticks out like a sore thumb. So going to change that to white, and also change the outlet from the guttering to the other side of the Conservatory & add floor drainage, so the water goes to the Main Drain for the house.
Lawn Drainage, for the last few years with the Lawn being elevated, when we have a lot of rain (& in Wigan we kinda get that a few times). we have run off rain water seeping through the retaining wall and onto the patio. So will look to dig a 8 to 10 inch drainage channel in the lawn and add a drainage pipe into the Water sewer that just happens to run under the lawn....
No doubt I'll think of some more.
These of Course are now being worked on.