Diary of a permaculture (ish) garden, June 2018.

Gardening has been hard work this month, ants in the trees, not enough rain, a compost bin smelling like poo and a million caterpillar eggs to pick off.  It's not all roses, but I do have had some lovely roses,

My poor apple tree has had an ants-setting-up-an-aphid-farm going on in it, and as I garden organically I can't just spray killing stuff on it to get rid of the problem.  I did try spraying soapy water, and diluted vinegar and scattering cinnamon powder about (ants hate the smell) but the most effective way to get rid of the ants/aphids was to spray the leaves with the hose two or three times a day, then pick off the aphids by hand.

The tree has had a severe haircut (my 'Grow a Little Fruit Tree' book says it's ok and midsummer is a good time for a haircut anyway) and I've had lots of practice of getting over my ant phobia (still not over it).

Once my apple tree was better the Hotbin compost bin started smelling like poo.  Like actual poo, or like something had died in it and was rotting, and hundreds of bluebottles were crawling all over it.  Joe helped me empty the compost out and spread it on the garden, after lots of looking on Hotbin's website I discovered the base plate was removeable.  Under the base plate was loads of smelly, runny compost.  I think the house's guttering had been dripping on the Hotbin all winter and made it too wet - I was very glad to find the source of the smell before the neighbours started complaining! 

Now if I could make it rain, and stop the caterpillars laying their eggs on my brassicas I'd be the happiest little garden in all of the West Midlands!

I think I have some ginger sprouting up in this pot, which I'm REALLY excited about. 

I made a new planter a month of so ago, it's a big wire display basket from a shop, upcycled into a vertical planter.   It's doing quite well, the tomatoes are happy and there are peas and spring onions on the top layer, then kale, peppers and beans on the second.  I'll make more holes and plant the lower layers later. 

I have loads of strawberry plants along the edge of the bed that runs the length of the garden.  I've planted some extra plants that were in the front garden (rescued before Joe started digging up the driveway) and I'm removing any old plants that don't produce well any more - you can tell old strawberry plants because they have a big, dark, woody base.

I've added some new plants to the garden this month.  A heuchera with tiny red flowers, a purple clematis, and an eryngium called 'big blue'.

That's about all for the garden this month - it's too hot to garden!  Here are some photos of the garden in full for posterity.

* Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Bloglovin' *

I made a thing, custom crochet guinea pigs.

A nice lady I know asked me to crochet a pair of guinea pigs for her daughter based on their real guineas, and I was of course happy to oblige. 

These are the piggies in question, aren't they sweet. 

I used Kati Galutz's 'Chubby Guinea Pig' pattern, which was mostly easy to follow but I think made harder by trying to match the OP (original piggies) markings. 

I used DK yarn and a 4mm crochet hook.  Each one took about 3 evenings in front of the TV to make.

I've actually started up a Facebook page for my crochet-ty makes, just to take orders from friends and family on a kind of casual basis to make a few extra pennies, check it out if you'd like to.

 * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Bloglovin' * 

Make one small change - put your compost in the fridge.

Making one small change at a time can make becoming eco friendly loads easier.  Lots of small changes add up to a big difference.

Are you really lazy?  And do terrible things, like leave the kitchen compost caddy full for so long it gets fruit flies in it, which then fill the whole house for weeks?  Or is that just me?  

Last year, in the height of summer, Joe and I kept forgetting to take the composting out to the bin and ended up with a fly situation several times.  There's nothing more off-putting than a compost caddy full of maggots, by the way.   

So we came up with the (genius?) idea of keeping food scraps for the compost bin in a big plastic tub the fridge.  That way we can empty it a couple of times a week without it going mouldy or slimy or maggoty.  

How do you make composting easier? 

Don't forget to check out my other small changes to help you live a greener life!

* Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Bloglovin' *

Garden visit, the gardens at Severn Hospice, Apley.

Garden visits is a (newish) blog series where I visit gardens then blog about them! 

Last Sunday we went to an open garden event at a local hospice, the Severn Hospice in Apley, Telford.  I knew they had a big garden, but I wasn't expecting it to be so beautiful.

On the way in I spotted an owl, and on the way out I spotted a squirrel (or possibly a fox?!)!

Somewhere in the middle I spotted a chameleon too.

As well as pretty bug hotels, there were pretty flowers, 

Along the back of the gardens is a shady wildlife area called 'William's Walk', and I'm definitely borrowing some of their ideas for my own garden.  (would you rather live in 'Bugingham Palace' or 'The Bee's Knee's Hotel'?)

I definitely want to make a bumblebee nest pot in my garden - there are some instructions here. 

There were painted spoons all over the gardens, mostly saying nice, pretty things like 'pollinating plants' or 'butterflies welcome' but I liked this one most.

It's so magical, even fairies live there!

There were craft stalls too, I managed to resist the gorgeous crochet blankets, but I came home with a driftwood tree and a garland too.  Oh and a plant.  And then we took my shopping and ourselves for a walk round Apley Woods.  It was a truly lovely day. 

Check out the other garden's I've visited too. 

* Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Bloglovin' *

Charity shopping, what I bought on my holiday.

We spent a happy week in Wales and I picked up a few treasures, 

I finally own one of these classic retro deers, she's tiny and plastic and perfect.

Retro deer, 50p, slightly dirty charity shop near the clock tower in Machynlleth. 

These two came from an Ah-May-Ziing second hand shop in Aberystwyth, opposite the platform at the train station.  It's a good job I don't live in Aber any more or I'd have a houseful, and the furniture in there is to die for!  I couldn't resist a couple of little brown retro items that I knew would be light enough to carry round (carefully!) in my bag all day. 

Kilncraft Hermes mug, 50p and Brown drippy pot, £1, Craft, Aberystwyth. 

I picked up this cute retro tin in one of my local chazzas, you can never have too many tins.

Retro tin £2 (including contents, which was some quite grotty sewing thread I didn't really want!), Oxfam.

Last but not least, I have some fabric.  The brown stuff is a tablecloth with a hole in the middle and some stains, but I can cut round them and make use of it, I just love the pattern.  The pink is a pair of flannelette pillow cases that look like they've never been used!

Tablecloth, £1, local Sue Ryder shop.  Pillowcases, £1, slightly dirty charity shop near the clock tower in Machynlleth.   

Have you had any luck in the charity shops lately?

PS. Check out my other charity shopping posts for more like this! x

* Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Bloglovin' *