Monthly Archives: January 2019

Frozen ground

Posted on January 31, 2019 by Helen

In my school geography class I learned that frost was good for killing germs in the soil. Now, I don’t know if that is an issue in my garden but whether or not I will be able to do my … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, soil management | Tagged , | 2 Comments

A wood without paths

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Helen

One thing that needs sorting out in my garden is the paths. The root cause of my knee problem could be the amount of twisting as I navigate across bricks and ill-places paving stones to hang the washing out and … Continue reading →

Posted in Days out, forest garden, Wildlife | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

The last of the JA whoppers?

Posted on January 26, 2019 by Helen

Since the yew and hazel trees I ordered from The Woodland Trust have now arrived at my parents’, it was time to get the Jerusalem artichokes out of the ground. The tree isn’t going in exactly this spot but I … Continue reading →

Posted in forest garden, Gardening, Wildlife | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

Another use for the plastic liner

Posted on January 25, 2019 by Helen

Having decided that the plastic liner I acquired for the pond is no good for this purpose, all is not lost. When I made the raised bed at the back of the garden, I was concerned about the soil rotting … Continue reading →

Posted in forest garden, Gardening, Make do and mend | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

One month and a half till March

Posted on January 20, 2019 by Helen

With so much work to be done over the autumn and winter, I haven’t felt the urge for the new gardening year to begin until just now. But then I got a seed catalogue from The Seed Co-operative, a company … Continue reading →

Posted in forest garden, soil management | Tagged , , | 33 Comments

Grand challenges: Food for Thought

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Helen

Over the last week, I’ve been beavering away at another online course through FutureLearn. In contrast to the recent ones on growing, this one is about eating. Or rather sustainable food. There are many questions I would like answered regarding … Continue reading →

Posted in Good for the environment, In the kitchen | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Convalescence activities

Posted on January 13, 2019 by Helen

It’s not often I spend a day reading but yesterday I threw in the towel and learned a lot from the Internet (novels I can only read in paper form). On my metaphorical travels, I came across legal information pertaining … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Permaculture | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

Nasturtiums in January

Posted on January 11, 2019 by Helen

Sometimes procrastination can be good. I had intended to take a photo of the nasturtiums in the front garden in December, as I was pleased they were still on the go then. Anyway, this never happened but as I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | Tagged , | 10 Comments

A ladybird on the mint

Posted on January 7, 2019 by Helen

On my list of jobs for today was to move the finishing off compost bin to the back of the garden. Before I moved it, though, I had a go at removing some couch grass and brambles from the space … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Wildlife | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Seedballs in small spaces

Posted on January 6, 2019 by Helen

Before setting off for the annual Wassail at Old Sleningford Farm, I managed a few minutes in my own garden. Not a particularly onerous task but one that gave me immense satisfaction. At the Permaculture Ambassadors’ Conference in Birmingham last … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Permaculture | Tagged , , | 4 Comments