And so it grows

Ok so, this is the first time I've ever blogged in my life so please go easy.
Why start righting this blog, I hear you ask.  Well, I just thought I'd begin to share with people how my garden grows (or not as the case may be.  There has been increasing interest in all things gardening in recent years and it seems to be continuing in earnest.

I've been grow veg for about 4 years now in my suburban back garden.  It's a grand space to be growing in, but over the last few years I bace a bit disheartened with it due to the disorganised nature and lay-out of the garden.  So this year, with the help of my Brother we put in two raised beds to try and contain the growing area.
  So this is how the back garden looked on 14th of April 2011.  A big thanks to my brother who was the brains behind the operation and a huge help.  Ok so, we now had the Raised Beds....needed stuff to grow in them.  The ole reliables of Carrots, Peas, and Broad Beans were brought on in this Coldframe I built two years ago:



Again, the brother came in hand when he showed me how to make lazy-beds for spuds in the front garden.  He had been on at me for a few years now to dig up the garden and put in some spuds, but I held off for some unknown reason.  I think I was a bit apprehensive of the reactions from the neighbours, but I have to say anyone I've chatted to has been very interested in what I'm doing.  Some of the older neighbours have told me stories of how they remember their parents growing veg in their gardens as children.  The younger people are not sure what to make of it at all!!  I might have to bring them around to the 'Way of the VEG'.

Along with thw coldframe above, we picked up a little plastice mini-greenhouse from Woodies to help bring on some of the plants:









After a few weeks this is what the garden looks like:

 

The veg we have on the go at the moment is: Carrots, Peas, Broadbeans, French Beans, Cabbage (two different types), Garlic, Onions (two different types), Lettuces, Lemon Balm, Oregano, Rosemary, Bronze Fennel, Sage, Thyme, Lavender, Wild Flowers, Camomile, Mangtout, Turnips, Swede, Strawberries.  That's probably all of the veg on the go at the minute.  I'm not made on the Flowers end of things....that's more my other-half's department.  But they are all good.....they'll hopefully bring in all those lovely insects needed to bring the garden alive!!
Have invested in some Organic Slug Pellets today.  We have the first drop of rain last night in a long time, and when I went to the garden this morning there were so many little horrible slugs that intervention was dearly needed.  I'll keep you posted on how the battle with the slugs is going over the next few weeks.

For now, I must away!!  Chat soon!!