This week the weather hasn’t been good, but the plants in my garden have been loving the rain.
Other than tying my peas and tomatoes up and removing the odd sideshoots from my tomato plants, I haven’t really been able to do a lot in the garden. I have also been trying hard not to do too much in the house this week, so I don’t disturb my two daughters as they are revising hard for GCSE / A-level exams.
So I thought it would be nice to give you a slide show of my kitchen garden, so you can see how it is doing at the moment.
For those who are reading my blog for the first time, I started my new kitchen garden in January 2015 after giving my four allotment plots up (due to family circumstances). Previously my little garden was a mix of large shrubs and so I dug the whole lot up to start my new vegetable plot:
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You can see from the slideshow below that I have tried hard to fill every space possible in my kitchen garden and I am still growing plants from seed to replace any spaces that become available. Also (as always) I have squeezed in as many flowers as possible to attract beneficial insects to my plot and I now have four bug boxes to encourage them to stay in the winter.
I have tried to remember that our garden is a not an allotment, so I have also used flowers to make it as pretty as possible so my family enjoy being outside in the summer…..As well I made sure we have a small lawn for our dog to use, by removing a slabbed area in the garden last year.
In 2015 (my first year) I managed to grow far more than I expected in my small garden, however this year my garden is a lot more organised so I am hoping to grow even more…..though I can still see I have plenty of room for improvement…..but Rome wasn’t built in a day.
I hope you enjoy the photo’s.
I will be back next Friday as usual. Have a great week.
XXX
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not just greenfingers 
What an amazing variety of fruit and veg. Your garden looks about the same size as mine, but you have managed to fit in a lot more than me and it looks so tidy. Thanks for sharing the pictures it has inspired me to look at my space and see where it can be improved.
Maxine
I am glad tpo have helped Maxine….thank you for reading my blog
This garden is amazing. No weed to be seen and what do you do about slugs etc., because everything looks so healthy. My strawberries are being eaten by wood lice!!! as are the lettuce. I think my garden is too big…..I will downsize and maybe have more success. Thanks for your blog….I really enjoy reading it. Ann
I try to put my plants out when they are a big enough size to withstand a few slugs and if anything is small I cover it with half a ‘pop’ bottle…I also feed with a seaweed feed at first to build the strength up in the plants…..however if all else fails and slugs are really attacking a plant I do give just one ‘small’ dose of ORGANIC slug pellets that are designed to not hurt wildlife-but this is used as a last resort. Thank you for reading my blog Ann
You have certainly made excellent use of the space that you have and managed to fit such a lot in. I see that weevils have been nibbling your broad beans too. I wonder if there is anyone in the country that doesn’t have this problem.
I think all broadbeans suffer from this lol…..In actual fact it has surprised me that all the pests that to come to my allotment also come to my backgarden even though it surrounded by houses-I thought I wouldn’t suffer so much but it does.
Its all looking so lush ,green & healthy.I am green with envy! So much in such a small space,I have such a problem with slugs they just seem to pounce ( if that what slugs could possibly do!)on anything tender & green.Something I’ve been growing for weeks in a seed tray disappears over night! I’ll look at getting some organic pelletsI think. Loving your slide ,slow very clever! I never knew what the foliage of Jerusalem artichokes even looked like! Take care till next week! Carrie x
Thanks Carriet, hope you are well? Slugs are such a problem, especially when we have a wet week like we have just had lol
Thanks for this great post, I really enjoyed it and you have given me loads of ideas for my relatively new allotment and my own back garden.
Just as a point of interest, I don’t like to grow kale at my allotment as it gets heavily infested with white fly but I have some in tubs in my back garden that never see white fly, I still can’t work out why this happens As my neighbour says -If it’s working keep doing it . Lol
Definately Lee!…if it works don’t change it…I can only think it’s in a sheltered place? I have never thought of growing kale in pots-what a great idea.
You’ve fit so much, I’m very impressed. Everything looks so lively! Thanks for sharing…I hope my garden one day looks like yours 🙂 happy growing.
Oh thank you, that is very kind of you to say. I have had lots of lovely comments on my blog and on twitter, so I am very pleased. I really hope it helps to inspire others to grow veg in their back gardens too
It is a lovely garden? Suggs are a problem here too.
I sometimes put out pieces of copper wire on the ground or pre 1981 pennies.
They don’t like copper. You can buy garden grade of this, but the wire and pennies are free, and can be moved easily with no impact on any thing else. I do need to remove lots of stones, and wood scrappy type things, they love the dampness and hide under it and also any old pots that are close to the ground.
Thanks Annie, great tips….that’s what this blog is all about so keep them coming!
Its amazing how the garden has changed in a year and a half, and all the things that you grow in that space, thank you for the slide show. Have a good week.
Sue
You too Sue XX