The No-Dig Veg Beds in June.

It is ages since I establish you the raised veg beds which the Pianist made last twelvemonth . As I sound out at the time , I fill up them using the lasagne method of layering organic cloth . This year I found the dirt had settled and the level had decrease drastically , so clearly more organic matter had to be found . Luckily , I had the turf which my lovely two helpers withdraw off to make the new winter- efflorescence beds . You may remember I got help with this projection , as I thought I might choke after digging up the front lawn when we proceed in here . I could n’t confront doing it again .

Julie filling the veggie boxes with upside down greensward .

I put in a layer of newspaper and leaves . Then for a Valentine ’s Day gift the Pianist gave me several loads of endearing , well rotted manure . He tried to take all the credit for it , but actually it was produced by my champion Francescas ’ lovely two boy ; Shannon and Pickle .

Julie filling the veg boxes with upside down turf.

But still , the pianist shovel and deliver it to me which I suppose is a really romantic gesture , not many girls get a couple of gobs of poo for a Valentine ’s Day gift . Here he is , my Cuban sandwich in a red boiler suit and a silly hat . I manage to grind around and find some compost to fill the boxes up . When you are filling them up , you’re able to use anything organic as long as you stratum with dead leaves or paper .

My scarecrow who has been named Chloris , has a new solidifying of clothes this class , but nevertheless she is begin to bet the uncollectible for habiliment .

Chloris last year .

Julie filling the veg boxes with upside down turf.

Julie filling the veg boxes with upside down turf.

I understand why the garden author Eleanor Perenyi bump off her scarecrow . In her marvellous book , ‘ Green Thoughts’she said : ‘ Dressed in my cast off -clothes , this figure had become an increasingly derelictversion of myself , and though it did n’t really keep off the birds , it had begin to scare me to death’ . I experience the same ; the scarecrow is ageing quicker than I am , and expect ever more dissolute and weirdly androgynous . Despite her fresh , pink flowery undershirt , people at a late garden hatchway keep squall her ‘ he ’ which is worrying . I have give her some cottonwool breasts . But still … perhaps a flowery hat might help .

Chloris this year .

I am growing just Charlotte tater this twelvemonth , as when I try unexampled form they often get reject by the chef as being too floury . I take up harvesting them last week and we had a endearing repast of new potatoes and the first broad edible bean .

Standard Gooseberry bush

Running down the side of the boxes are raspberries , currants and gooseberries . The first ripe raspberrries are appearing .

Something else delicious to exhaust has ripened in the greenhouse . It is the first apricot on the tree I planted a couple of eld ago .

Apricot in the greenhouse

And whilst we are on the subject of thing to eat or tope I made my Elderflower cordial today from flowers growing onSambucus nigra . It has a gracious pinkish tinge to it .

40 blossom heads.3 litres water.4 kilo sugar.4 lemon , succus and zest.100 g. citric acid . Rinse flower . Boil water , append sugar and dissolve . Dissolve citric acid in a bit of the stewing H2O , add to the syrup and pour out over the peak . Add the succus and skin of lemons and leave 5 - 7 days . Strain and bottle . I do it in 2 batches as it makes 4 - 5 litres . It does n’t keep a long time so I freeze it in dry pint mickle .

Chloris last year.

Chloris last year.

If you want to have a go , hurry up , the sr. flowers are beginning to go over .

53 Responses toThe No-Dig Veg Beds in June.

Maybe you should rename the scarecrow Lady Bountiful . Your veg garden is doing remarkably well – if mine had performed half as well , I ’d still have yield and veg arise there rather than helianthus . perchance I ’ll ask for knight manure for Christmas .

Giggling here , too . 🙂 About the Chloris straw man , and the Valentine ’s Day gift , and the potager . I so enjoy your approach with these thing . My “ potager ” is a stretch , as well ! 😉

You have corking looking veg there with quite a little of produce to keep you going for the rest of the summertime . I ’m quite covetous as my tIny plot of land is a wasteland this yr , due to the early freezing insensate conditions , nowhere to arouse seeds , & having to be away regularly . Hopefully next year!I too got a natal day present once of a trailer load of sawbuck manure . beneficial present I ever got ! I had a political party on the weekend of my natal day , keeping that fact under my chapeau , but someone let the cat out of the travelling bag ! A few days later a trailer terminated with impregnable man to offload arrive . A woman at the party , who owns a riding stables , was the tolerant conferrer !

Chloris this year.

Chloris this year.

Hi Chloris , I am fairly unexampled to following your website , but from what I ’ve seen it ’s as wonderful as your garden . What a lot of work you have done ! I love fresh apricots , so hard to encounter good 1 in the workshop where we live – once a year , if we ’re lucky , a local grocer has spell Gallic ace that are delicious . You ’re so lucky to have the blank space / proper smear to get them in . Enjoy the fruits of your lying-in !

Oh those beds are looking most productive Chloris . attend at the sizing of the courgettes leaves that manure has certainly been effective . I think that I would break away if I met the other Chloris – she front most unnerving 🙂

What a mythologic post ! It ’s so full to see a lovely productive vegetable garden complete with glamourous scarer and a formula for elderflower cordial . give thanks you for an entertaining and instructive post- I ’m on the correct lines with ours after reading this .