Hi Folks

[garye]

Been reading these boards for w hile now but haven't got round to registering/posting.

Anyway, we moved to our current house in Ayrshire about 2 years ago. We had a reasonably big hen enclosure at our old place but it was rubbish for veg growing - too shady. Our new place has got a big back garden but has needed a lot of work because it was overgrown with shrubs and conifer trees. We got a nice surprise when we moved in though when we found 2 mature fruiting apple trees 1 plum & 3 damsons, redcurrants and blackcurrants. Unfortunetely after removing some of the surrounding shrubbery two of the damsons blew down and the other one clearly won't support itself once the area around it has been cleared as well. Same for the Plum, it's growing through a big Cyprus Fir which we are getting taken down later in the year - I had hoped to keep the Plum but realistically it won't support itself once the Fir goes so we'll have to start again with planting Plums Gages and Damson's.

The only thing that I've got on the go at the moment is the Strawberry patch, which we are currently getting berries from. I've just finished a big hen enclosure at the foot of the garden - we had two years where our two hens were stuck in a fairly small run which we weren't too happy about but they've got a much bigger space now and we'll probably get 3 pullets this year to keep them company.

My plan at the moment is to be preparing for next spring. My Polytunnels is half built and I've got piles of old wood for raised beds. Lots & lots of work still to do before the fun stuff like sowing & harvesting happens!

[spider8]

Hello and welcome garye, good luck with it all

[Milims]

Hi there and welcome

[Millymollymandy]

Hello and welcome!

[growingthings]

Hi

[MuddyWitch]

Welcome to ISH

MW

[garye]

Thanks for the welcomes folks. I should have said that as well as the nice surprises that we got there were also some rotten ones.....nettles, doc and lots of dandelions were one thing but lots of ground elder and mare's tail too....doh!

[MuddyWitch]

dandelion leaves, when young, are great in a salad & ground elder tissain eases gout & arthritis.

MW