Sunday 15 December 2013

Greenish Fingers.

When I labelled my last post title as a date it is a stark reminder that 2 weeks has passed since my last entry! Sorry. All is well. After my nasty bug I returned with from London (laid me out for about a week actually) I'm now fighting fit. I have been preparing for winter which doesn't seem to have hit with full (or indeed any) force yet. I spent a few days putting the garden to bed as it were. I have cut things back, laid some mulch and manured some beds. I have spent many an unhappy hour picking cat poo out of the new flower bed (I really love cats but truly this does try my patience) but my favourite job of the last week was to do out the greenhouse. I emptied it, washed a lot of the pots and put them back in good order. I have enough pots to last my a lifetime quite honestly - it is funny how quickly a stock builds up. It got me very excited for next year and the gardening I will do. As I will be away from home less (if at all) I will be able to make better use of the greenhouse this year and with any luck some of my veg from seed will do better. So far my green fingers have only displayed their hue when dealing with flowers, my veg has been a disaster over the last couple of years. Even my leeks which were doing so well, succumbed. Here's me thinking that they could be left out for as long as you want (I'm sure I read that somewhere) and what do I find when I come to use them? slimy leeks. If the weather is okay this week my final garden job of the year will be to clear the raised bed ready for next year. Over Christmas I will have the pleasure of reading through garden seed brochures and decide what I want to try next year. Most of my old seed packets have dregs in that are so old that I doubt they would germinate now so it is time for some new ones. The anticipation is great.
Looks like it will be a sunny day.


4 comments:

  1. I have been a life long 'moggy' owner and my lovely little furbabies have definitely been lacking in bathroom etiquette as my long suffering neighbours would attest. I am now moggyless and devine retribution has come down upon me. One of the neighbourhood felines thinks my car-port is the best lav he has ever found. Local gardener said that a dish of Jeyes fluid placed in the vicinity deters them. Worked beautifully in my friends garden so I tried and the blessed moggy only went and pooped right next to the dish. Ho hum, back to the drawing board!

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  2. We do use Jeyes fluid, watered down, on the spot where they poo'ed once it has been picked up. Has to be re-applied if it rains. Mostly works. The best deterrent though was to buy lots of pea-sticks, cut them into 6" lengths and push them at regular intervals halfway into the ground (no more than 3-4" apart) As they have to squat to poo they can't do so. Sounds like a lot of work but you can leave them in as in Spring, they get covered by foliage.

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  3. Find an old plastic tub and save your used tea bags (in the tub) infuse them with peppermint oil (pour some on and shake the box)... scatter tea bags around the garden bed to deter cats .. they (the tea bags!) will just rot down into the soil.
    Worth a try for the price of a bottle of essential oil.

    Vicky x

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  4. Pleas will you come and do out my greenhouse - it's a job I've been putting off for a few weeks. You may have some of my leeks in return.
    Love from Mum
    xx

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