Project Weed Patch

This time we are round the back of the Folly, adjacent to the log store and vegetable patch, in a section of ground, which for whatever reason, did not get the concrete treatment.

We'd never really decided what to do with it, periodically putting down weed control fabric, which would in time just see the weeds growing back through it, making it more difficult to weed if anything!

With the field next door breeding a variety of 'wild' plants (including the dreaded ground elder), this was a battle we just weren't going to win without taking proper action.

So, we've cleared it all out (kudos to Martin for all the hard work) and started to fill it with stones, broken tiles, etc. from round the garden (forgot to take a 'before' picture 😞).

Will keep knocking back any weeds that appear over the next few weeks, then once it is sufficiently full of rubble, we'll put down some fresh weed control fabric, and add a nice deep layer of shingle.  

Hopefully that will do the job!

Return to Project Greenhouse

Back home from a few days visiting family, and it was time to pot on this year's crop of beef tomatoes into our newly 'paved' greenhouse.

And here they are - all planted up in their £1 buckets, sitting in trays to capture any water drainage.

So far so good - they seem to be taking to their new home well, and no rat holes to be seen!

Project GOLD!

Not really a 'project', but something to do in the time when we're not busy round the house and garden - and who knows what we may find?

We both enjoyed the Detectorists tv series, and it turns out we'd both quite fancied giving metal detecting a go.  

So we decided to invest in an entry level detector and see what we thought - and what turns up!

To date we've just been trying it out on the local beaches - where it does feel more like we're performing a beach cleaning service than anything else 😞

So far the monetary return has been a solitary 2 pence piece (see below for the haul from the first three outings) . . . and I at least need to get in training and build up my arm strength!

On the plus side we've had some lovely peaceful evening walks - Ynyslas Beach may not have given up much in the way of 'treasure' but the views alone are worth it.

Hopefully we'll also get permissions to detect on some local fields, and see what they yield in the way of local history (Martin would really like to find a hammered coin from the old Aberystwyth Royal Mint).

And who knows, we may yet get to do the detectorist's 'gold dance' . . .

Project Greenhouse

🐀"There's a rat in me greenhouse what am I gonna do?" 🐀

After repeated incursions, burrowing into one corner of the greenhouse, the filming of the ratty culprit, and its wily avoidance of any traps, we decided to deal with the issue by paving over the greenhouse - which would also make weeding a lot easier in future!
 

Martin started the work by levelling and compacting the ground. 

Paving slabs were duly ordered, and craned onto the drive - and Martin hauled them over to the greenhouse and started laying them in place.

A few hours later, and it's job done - leaving us with a lovely echoey space to fill with pots, etc.

Will post more when it is planted out with this year's tomato plants.

Hopefully that's fixed Mr 🐀 and we'll get a good crop of 🍅🍅🍅 in due course! 

Project Fruit Cage - Stage One

Back in 2009 we laid out the fruit cage, and planted it up with raspberry canes (among other things) - we had a few years of good crops, but the canes have got much weaker with time, and have become increasingly unproductive.

It doesn't help either that over the years the ground has become ever more weed-ridden (despite an annual weeding exercise) - to the point where we now had more violets than strawberries!

So it was time to dig it all out properly (starting the side where the old canes were situated) - and today we planted it up with 15 new Glen Ample canes, which should hopefully take good hold for harvesting next year.

Stage Two will involve a full weeding out of the other side of the cage (still in progress), feeding the blackcurrant and gooseberry bushes, and probably replanting throughout with strawberries.  Watch this space . . .

Project Meadow

The next 'project' we've been working on is revitalising the 'meadow' in  the front lawn.

Back in 2021, we scarified one side of the lawn, seeded it, and sat back in hope . . .  but I can't say it was much of a success.  We did get a few flowers, but mostly it turned to tufty thick grass.

So here is our second attempt - a lighter scarify (so as not to pull up the stuff that had 'taken'), more seeds, more earth to hold the seeds, and some more transplanting here and there. 

If it works, expect to see more pictures of a sea of flowers . . .

Project Bench

April has seen us looking at various jobs around the garden, and this is the first (hopefully of many) 'retirement projects' to get finished 😀

Back in 2010 we invested in a hardwood garden bench, which has done sterling service ever since, providing seating every summer in the suntrap out the back of the house.

Of late it has however been looking a little the worse for wear - while the 'greying' of the wood is attractive enough, it has gotten very patchy (especially where the wasps help themselves every year), with lots of splits and splinters.

In order to get another 10+ years out of it, we decided we'd better do some refurbishment - starting with a thorough sanding - which took it back to something close to how it looked when it first arrived with us.

It wasn't the easiest of jobs, but between the belt sander, Dremmel, and multi-tool sanding attachments, we got there in the end.

It was tempting to leave it as it was, but we decided that an oil treatment might help its long term survival.  So here we are, after a couple of good coats of teak oil.

Fingers crossed for many more happy years sitting on the bench in the sunshine!