Category: Garden & All Things Wild

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Garden Vegetables

I thought you might like a look at some of our vegetables from the plot this year.   We’ve had a bumper crop, including broccoli, cabbage, potatoes, leek, onion, carrot, cucumber, green beans, swede and strawberries.

Mr Scottish seems to have taken growing veges in his stride, helped along by middler of course, who needs something to keep him occupied, especially at weekends and school holidays.  I think this is a major success.

Here’s a small selection of what we’ve prepared for tonights supper, along with the cucumber and courgette, which is very likely to be turned into some sort of jam.  We’ve had a massive courgette crop which has been difficult to use up, so friends and neighbours have all had plenty.

It’s been a lot of work, but we’ve got a few sacks of potatoes, and the strawberries were turned into jam long ago.  Our raspberries weren’t so successful, and our tomatoes were a non starter this year, but there’s always next year.  Rhubarb is always a chore for us, as apart from crumble and jam, nobody else will eat it.  Most of that has been given away.

This was well worth starting.  It pretty much halves our fruit and veg bill during May to October.

Cabbage
Vegetables
Courgette Cabbage and Potatoes
Courgette
Potatoes
Swede

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The Allotment / Plot Is Under Way for 2014

We have an allotment, but we call it the plot.  It’s great for the kids and it means they get to know the origins of our fruit and vegetables in life.  It’s good for middler as he gets to potter in dirt and keeps the garden for being a garden.  It also means the hub can take a child or three now and then to give me a bit of peace.

I wrote about the plot first here, where the old shed that stood on it was falling down and in a terrible state.   You can also see the completely overgrown plot area where the people are all trampling over.  It seemed to be mostly carpet sewn into grass and earth.

Last year, I wrote about it as it moved along here.   This year I am hoping to get many more and better pictures as our goodies grow.

Plot 20143

The man built a new shed rather than buy one as he wanted a sturdy wee box to live in while he is there.

Plot 20141

Here’s how we’re shaping up so far this year.  Peas are in, as are strawberries, rhubarb, some potatoes, cabbage, lettuce, onions and leeks.

I can’t persuade him to put in blackberries or raspberries and since I don’t plan tending the plot myself this year, I think I’ll have to do without.

Potatoes, neeps and carrots still have to be finished, and we have lots of different herbs this year.

I think there are even some melons on the go, as well as cucumbers and marrows, but we’ll just have to see if he manages to grow those.

I just hope we don’t get too much nicked this year.  That really winds me up when people just come to take the harvest when they don’t bother to do any work for themselves.  It’s also seems to be one of the biggest reasons that people give up their allotments.

They trash things they can’t take in the process of stealing the crops, so we tend to harvest early and have smaller fruit and veg than they would be if they were fully grown.

Plot 20148 Plot 20147 Plot 20146 Plot 20145 PLot 20144  Plot 20142

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Grow Your Own Garden Goodies

Getting goodies from the garden is always a fab thing to get.  We’ve got a plot and it’s great to get fresh stuff.  Our plot has grown and grown and grown and although it’s the first year, there should hopefully be many years after this to enjoy the goodies.

Plot Strawberry Plants

The strawberries looked and tasted great.  Pity they’re all done already as we only got a few dozen and they don’t last long in this house.

Plot Plants

The potatoes are a different story.  We’ve been eating them for a week and loads more to come.  Fresh and absolutely lovely when they’re cooked.

Plot Potatoes 1

Plot Potatoes 2

Sadly the cauliflowers are taking longer to ripen than we thought so they might not be goers this year, fingers crossed.

Cauliflower

The peas have done well, but it’s just a pity there isn’t really that much when they pea pods are shelled.  I forgot to tell them to keep the shells for stir fry, but they’ll remember next year I hope.

Plot Lettuce

Loads of lovely lettuce.

Herbs

Some mint, two types of basil and some parsley made up the total amount of herbs we pulled up.  Somehow I’ve not managed to get a photo of the parsley.

Plot Dill

Last but not least this week was the dill.

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Introducing cats to cats. You Tube Video Find (Cute)

I found this on Youtube, and I really couldn’t resist sharing it.  I once had to introduce a teensy kitten to two adult cats and the process was pretty similar.  We had our cats eye each other up through glass doors for a few days, but the steps seem to be pretty common and I still get asked how to introduce cats.

The cats protection league has a section titled : How can I introduce my new cat to my existing cat? which gives us good pointers on how to make the introductions slowly and with care to make sure that they accept each other.

The general steps for introducing cats to each other seems to be.

1.  Allow the animals to smell and see each other through a door for a few days, each cat with plenty food, water and comfort.

2. Slowly introduce them to each other by scent on your clothes, and on hands until they get used to the scent of each other.

3. Allow them to be in the same room in your presence where you can supervise and ensure that a vulnerable cat is safe.

4. Take your time as some cats will take longer to get used to new cats than others.

I challenge you not to say awwwww at the end of this video introducing a kitten to a cat …

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