Self sufficient 2014

[sleepyowl]

Flo half the time it is quicker for me to walk to & from work & I live 5 miles away from my workplace, so I know how you feel, good on you

[Flo]

I’d like the weather to be drier than last year from March through to May, but without having a drought. It was so wet last year that most of our plantings rotted, whether put in as seeds or seedlings. The plants that did survive largely succumbed to mould and mildew. It meant we had to buy a considerable amount of vegetables from the shops, which was a severe shock for our budget after eight years of reasonable to excellent vegetable production.

We aren't doing too well for dry weather are we at the moment? Certainly the further north we are the better but even here in Northumberland we are going to be behind with the vegetable production as the ground is sodden. It's going to take quite some time for things to dry out. Could be a lte start to the season which means a shorter season. Not good for those vegetables which want a longer growing time.

[doofaloofa]

Black plastic sheet mulch FTW

[Flo]

Black plastic for a 10 rod allotment might be far too expensive doofaloofa and Stonehead runs a croft!

[doofaloofa]

I get ex sialge plastic

it's free

[old tree man]

I pretty much do the same thing each year being an old fashion bloke set in my ways but I do intend to expand my fruit growing I have just bought two new apple trees and my sister has given me 12 strawberry plants, I also want to plant raspberry canes Jane and I just love them , we forage a lot of fruit every year so we may have to invest in a small chest freezer for the extra fruit.

[Flo]

I am working through the seed packet boxes and feel that I really have enough to fill up the plot plus a few left over.

I did buy a packet of early peas to get things going on the plot and a packet of red cabbage. I am filling up the garden that I gained with the bungalow last summer, couple of cheap creeping herbs, a packet of mombretia corms, some cheap trailing nasturtiums to grow up the ugly fence and Russell lupin seeds (who is going to pay upwards of £1 for a lupin when you can grow 35 for 89p and a tray of compost so that you have some to swap?) oh and some tomato seeds for a laugh. No idea where the tomato seeds are going to go if they grow mind!

I might actually not have very many left overs this year! That will mark a novelty for me. Well there will be red cabbage left over as no-one needs 100 red cabbages in one season for 2 households.

[sleepyowl]

I'm also expanding the amount of land cultivated too, I have got 3 beds dug already, 4th one won't be too far off

[thecitygardener]

This is my first year doing anything like this, so I will be happy with the herbs not dying. But I have plenty of potatoes and carrots going, as well as peppers and strawberries. I'll build from there.

I have a small garden where I can't dig up the lawn due to it being a rental property. Buckets and troughs for me........

[Flo]

We all have to start small - like acorns into oaks.

My freezer seems to have plenty of beans of various sorts and peas in it from last season so the hungry gap isn't too bad on the vegetable side and self sufficient will help along the way. The allotment is coming along with new season's stuff. Might be a pea glut on the plot this year as I bought a packet of early peas to get them out in the ground and have now had a look in the two other old ones and decided to put these in as well. One packet is well out of date but some shoots are appearing, the other one only went in today.

The food cupboards still have plenty of staples in them. The wardrobe is full of decent enough clothes and the furniture will do - I did break the no shopping in Lent pledge for just one thing as a good new computer desk appeared in one of the charity type shops - delivered assembled and the old one removed for refurbishment along with an unused and unloved set of shelves. Both will be reused elsewhere.

I've also had the sewing box out to do running repairs on rips and buttons.

Instead of going out for a cuppa in some cafe today I even made my own scones to go with the home made ones. New recipe and very nice too. Just to prove that I can cook sufficiently enough not to need to go out for tea and scones. Must expand the fancy side cooking beyond scones, a couple of cake recipes and fruit crumbles. I can but I don't often bother.