BB, you are just like me! However, having suffered, and still do, from SAD very badly, I always thought of my garden as a 'treat' to be done after the household chores, and so then suffered from 'garden withdrawal syndrome' too. So I was then too disinterested to sort the house, so I never got into the garden enough, blah blah and round in circles! But my landlady (a very good friend first) pointed out to me that as I mostly grow fruit and veg,organically, I am feeding my boys, helping the environment, saving food miles and helping my carbon footprint, and so my garden is actually work. So if my house (hers, really) is untidy 'cos I have young kids, but clean under the mess, do the housework when the weather is bad, and the garden work when there is any chance to get out. I loved the thinking, felt less guilty, but the weather was awful. Then another friend's Dad was getting rid of his GH a nd she said, 'Dad, don't just knock it down, Ruth will have that!'. So, bless him, I hardly know him, he took it doen so carefully. Only brokr 3 panes, and it was at least 30 yrs old. I had twin wall poly that I had been given and was going to make a CF with, so that was sorted, I didn't even need to cut the sides, so that went on the coldest end, away from the door. Many of the bolts sheared as they were aluminium and had seized. So he wnt and bought new bolts for every eventuality, and all new glazing clips. And delivered it right to it's site! and would not even let me give him yhe money for what he had spent. he was so pleased to not have to wreck it. And best of all, it is 8x6, and I happened to have 2 full sleepers and two halves. so, when I laid the sleepers ( with a little digging), the lengths with the small ones butting up to the longer ones, made a perfect base. (so I Haven't got the steps I wanted, but hey, a perfect base!) It amazing the weight a woman alone can move if she has a purpose. I dragged them 50 yds or more, up the big teraace that they were meant to step, which is 2' or more, all by myself. The only help I had was my eldest son holding the frame up while I fixed it together, them helping to lift it onto the base, and holding it while I screwed it down.
My neighbour gave advice over the fence, that I should seal every gap with putty, as he lost lots of glass his first yr (30 yrs ago!), due not to the wind hitting it, but from it getting inside and looking to escape so causing vibration. So I had the benefit of someone else's hindsight, and better technology in the way of clear, anti-mould silicone. Which not only sealed the gaps, but glued the glass to the frame and the glass to the glass! And reduced the effects of vibration by acting as a cushion.
Now I know how bad the floods were down south, and I always knew how windy it is here. But it is amazing how attuned you can get attuned to every nuance of wind, once you have slaved over a structure that can fit in the 3 20 yrs of wanting, and broken promises Afterlittle piggy story. Once the frame went up a was secure and level (How lucky was I, for once in my life, it sat perfectly level on an uneven surface, and went right!), then it got windy when I wanted to put in the glass. That was the hard bit, and as the glass was old and brittle, I cracked a couple of corners until I got the hang of the clips. Then the silicone goes 'off' so quick. But it was up and sparkly clean. It looked so nice, that at first was loathe to spoil it by actually growing any plants in it! I just sat in it for days, listening to the wind and rain that could not get in After 20 yrs of wanting, and broken promises, I did it myyyyyy, wayyyyy! for the first 3 wks, we had awful weather. such wind. I was waking in the night and running across the lawn in my wellies and nighty with a torc
Gardenjeannie I need you to be my neighbour! I have a tiny lawn but I have no neighbours that have grass so don't have lawnmowers. They've all turned their gardens into driveways. I've seen next door pay for someone to come over but I always manage to miss him to ask if he can do mine. I once enquired about how much it would cost to mow my postage stamp, maybe 6x4 at the most, and was told ??30! I could buy a push mower for that and do it myself! Though I'd much rather save that. That's half a days wages for me!
Your greenhouse looks absolutely fantastic. I currently have one of those tiny 4 shelved plastic numbers that cost ??10. Two of the shelves are dedicated to plants the other two to storing the watering can, some towels and some shears. So the mind boggles at the space of yours and how you say you're the beginner! You sound like you know your onions to me!
I really look forward to seeing how it all grows!
PS I don't understand peoples dislike of marigolds! I love them. Maybe in time that will change though!
Gardenjeannie, your landlady is right. The garden is important work, and like you, I tend to see rain as a housework opportunity (or shopping!) And I so agree about what a determined woman can shift on her own!! My husband has M.E. (chronic fatigue syndrome) and so I don't like to ask him to do anything unless I can't do it by myself, because he has limited energy and over-exerting himself can make him poorly for the next 2 or 3 days! He helped me by supporting the ends of the GH when I put it up, which was not too taxing. Other than that, it was all my work, and I am proud! I wish you were my neighbour too - we could have some laughs, but you are a long way from here.
Sweetpea, I think the marigolds people don't tend to care for are the french ones - I have bought the English ones, or maybe originally African, which I prefer. I can tell you exactly what I think the problem is, and it is the 1970s habit of suburban gardeners to grow french marigolds, and red salvia, and small begonias in rows, with at least a foot of soil between each plant, in rectangular beds around rectangular front lawns. By the 90s, people had moved towards having much fuller beds, with bigger plants, less clashing colours and no soil in sight, and so the 1970s front garden became a bit of a joke, and the plants associated with it were no longer favoured. That's my guess anyway!
ahh Busy Bee, that might make sense, having been born in the 90s I have no memory of such thing, only my dad's borders being full of all different plants and colours, he's like me and just planted things he liked with less focus on planning. I'm growing some marigolds, which variety I've no idea, and some Zinnia's which I figure look very similar only more striking, which will be going in a pot, so hopefully if anyone green fingered comes to my house they wont recoil in horror too much at the sight of some orange flowers!
Cheeky! I am indeed 21, and only 21 for a while, 21 since Feb. As for you Edd, I have two lovely typewriters, and around 40 ancient film cameras, I seem to collect relics. There's nothing more I like than using something unusual to hold a pretty bunch of freshly cut blooms, once I used a box brownie camera to hold some small carnations in my office space in the previous house. Sadly this one is much smaller, and I'm minus an office, and all the cameras live downstairs in the cellar.
I assume because my old hobby lives in boxes at the moment, my attention turned to gardening, I tried knitting and crocheting to little gain, mainly because of the fluffy black beast in the photo, so started on the garden. I showed no interest in our old garden which was much bigger, sunnier, and a million times more private. Ah well!
My husband collected me....! Since Feb, isn't 'a while' when you're my age - it's the blink of an eye. Life speeds up terribly. OH swears that the Eurovision comes round every two months! (Haven't had the heart to tell him it's on its way again next month). Wish I were 21 again. All the fun went out of knitting when shop bought jumpers cost about 1/10 of what it would cost to knit one.
that's the problem with being a sales assistant for the past 5 years, I've never had to pay full price for clothes, especially when I've a penchant for rooting about in charity shops! I wanted to learn how to knit cat toys and other such useful things, I think I always knew an entire jumper would be beyond my remit! I managed a scarf for the OH's teddy bear!
Try Calendula petals in scones - Taste great. Part of my organic baking range. Makes good alternative to saffron in rice as well, and so pretty in salads.
Posts
BB, you are just like me! However, having suffered, and still do, from SAD very badly, I always thought of my garden as a 'treat' to be done after the household chores, and so then suffered from 'garden withdrawal syndrome' too. So I was then too disinterested to sort the house, so I never got into the garden enough, blah blah and round in circles! But my landlady (a very good friend first) pointed out to me that as I mostly grow fruit and veg,organically, I am feeding my boys, helping the environment, saving food miles and helping my carbon footprint, and so my garden is actually work. So if my house (hers, really) is untidy 'cos I have young kids, but clean under the mess, do the housework when the weather is bad, and the garden work when there is any chance to get out. I loved the thinking, felt less guilty, but the weather was awful. Then another friend's Dad was getting rid of his GH a nd she said, 'Dad, don't just knock it down, Ruth will have that!'. So, bless him, I hardly know him, he took it doen so carefully. Only brokr 3 panes, and it was at least 30 yrs old. I had twin wall poly that I had been given and was going to make a CF with, so that was sorted, I didn't even need to cut the sides, so that went on the coldest end, away from the door. Many of the bolts sheared as they were aluminium and had seized. So he wnt and bought new bolts for every eventuality, and all new glazing clips. And delivered it right to it's site! and would not even let me give him yhe money for what he had spent. he was so pleased to not have to wreck it. And best of all, it is 8x6, and I happened to have 2 full sleepers and two halves. so, when I laid the sleepers ( with a little digging), the lengths with the small ones butting up to the longer ones, made a perfect base. (so I Haven't got the steps I wanted, but hey, a perfect base!) It amazing the weight a woman alone can move if she has a purpose. I dragged them 50 yds or more, up the big teraace that they were meant to step, which is 2' or more, all by myself. The only help I had was my eldest son holding the frame up while I fixed it together, them helping to lift it onto the base, and holding it while I screwed it down.
My neighbour gave advice over the fence, that I should seal every gap with putty, as he lost lots of glass his first yr (30 yrs ago!), due not to the wind hitting it, but from it getting inside and looking to escape so causing vibration. So I had the benefit of someone else's hindsight, and better technology in the way of clear, anti-mould silicone. Which not only sealed the gaps, but glued the glass to the frame and the glass to the glass! And reduced the effects of vibration by acting as a cushion.
Now I know how bad the floods were down south, and I always knew how windy it is here. But it is amazing how attuned you can get attuned to every nuance of wind, once you have slaved over a structure that can fit in the 3 20 yrs of wanting, and broken promises Afterlittle piggy story. Once the frame went up a was secure and level (How lucky was I, for once in my life, it sat perfectly level on an uneven surface, and went right!), then it got windy when I wanted to put in the glass. That was the hard bit, and as the glass was old and brittle, I cracked a couple of corners until I got the hang of the clips. Then the silicone goes 'off' so quick. But it was up and sparkly clean. It looked so nice, that at first was loathe to spoil it by actually growing any plants in it! I just sat in it for days, listening to the wind and rain that could not get in
After 20 yrs of wanting, and broken promises, I did it myyyyyy, wayyyyy! for the first 3 wks, we had awful weather. such wind. I was waking in the night and running across the lawn in my wellies and nighty with a torc
Your greenhouse looks absolutely fantastic. I currently have one of those tiny 4 shelved plastic numbers that cost ??10. Two of the shelves are dedicated to plants the other two to storing the watering can, some towels and some shears. So the mind boggles at the space of yours and how you say you're the beginner! You sound like you know your onions to me!
I really look forward to seeing how it all grows!
PS I don't understand peoples dislike of marigolds! I love them. Maybe in time that will change though!
Gardenjeannie, your landlady is right. The garden is important work, and like you, I tend to see rain as a housework opportunity (or shopping!) And I so agree about what a determined woman can shift on her own!! My husband has M.E. (chronic fatigue syndrome) and so I don't like to ask him to do anything unless I can't do it by myself, because he has limited energy and over-exerting himself can make him poorly for the next 2 or 3 days! He helped me by supporting the ends of the GH when I put it up, which was not too taxing. Other than that, it was all my work, and I am proud! I wish you were my neighbour too - we could have some laughs, but you are a long way from here.
Sweetpea, I think the marigolds people don't tend to care for are the french ones - I have bought the English ones, or maybe originally African, which I prefer. I can tell you exactly what I think the problem is, and it is the 1970s habit of suburban gardeners to grow french marigolds, and red salvia, and small begonias in rows, with at least a foot of soil between each plant, in rectangular beds around rectangular front lawns. By the 90s, people had moved towards having much fuller beds, with bigger plants, less clashing colours and no soil in sight, and so the 1970s front garden became a bit of a joke, and the plants associated with it were no longer favoured. That's my guess anyway!
ahh Busy Bee, that might make sense, having been born in the 90s I have no memory of such thing, only my dad's borders being full of all different plants and colours, he's like me and just planted things he liked with less focus on planning. I'm growing some marigolds, which variety I've no idea, and some Zinnia's which I figure look very similar only more striking, which will be going in a pot, so hopefully if anyone green fingered comes to my house they wont recoil in horror too much at the sight of some orange flowers!
You are just a youngster SweetPea! In fact, if 93 means you were born in 1993, then you are only five years older than my son! Wow!
Cheeky! I am indeed 21, and only 21 for a while, 21 since Feb. As for you Edd, I have two lovely typewriters, and around 40 ancient film cameras, I seem to collect relics. There's nothing more I like than using something unusual to hold a pretty bunch of freshly cut blooms, once I used a box brownie camera to hold some small carnations in my office space in the previous house. Sadly this one is much smaller, and I'm minus an office, and all the cameras live downstairs in the cellar.
I assume because my old hobby lives in boxes at the moment, my attention turned to gardening, I tried knitting and crocheting to little gain, mainly because of the fluffy black beast in the photo, so started on the garden. I showed no interest in our old garden which was much bigger, sunnier, and a million times more private. Ah well!
Anyway, back to BBs post!!
My husband collected me....! Since Feb, isn't 'a while' when you're my age - it's the blink of an eye. Life speeds up terribly. OH swears that the Eurovision comes round every two months! (Haven't had the heart to tell him it's on its way again next month). Wish I were 21 again. All the fun went out of knitting when shop bought jumpers cost about 1/10 of what it would cost to knit one.
that's the problem with being a sales assistant for the past 5 years, I've never had to pay full price for clothes, especially when I've a penchant for rooting about in charity shops! I wanted to learn how to knit cat toys and other such useful things, I think I always knew an entire jumper would be beyond my remit! I managed a scarf for the OH's teddy bear!
Sweetpea, you need to change your name......it makes me feel really old!!! My number is close though, just replace the 9 with a 7
GardenJeannie, I'm intrigued how you make hand cream with marigolds, I would love it give that a go
Try Calendula petals in scones - Taste great. Part of my organic baking range. Makes good alternative to saffron in rice as well, and so pretty in salads.