Hello and welcome to The Compost Bin. I'm Compostwoman and I live with my family in rural Herefordshire. We have nearly four acres of garden and woodland, all managed organically and to Permaculture principles, which we share with Chickens, Cats and assorted wildlife. We also grow a lot of our own food, run courses in all sorts of things and make a lot of compost!

I am a Master Composter and have spent more than a decade as a volunteer Community Compost adviser with Garden Organic and my local Council.
I'm a self employed Environmental Educator so I run workshops and events where I talk about compost, veg growing, chicken keeping, cooking, preserving and sustainable living. I also run crafts workshops and Forest School/outdoor play sessions in our wood.

We try to live a more self sufficient lifestyle here, as best we can, while still having a comfortable life and lots of fun.


To learn more about us click on the About Compostwoman tab and remember to click on the photos to make them full size!


Saturday 15 June 2013

Saturday - in the house, in the garden, in the wet, in the dry, in the polytunnel, out shopping and getting lucky.


First of all, welcome to my new followers, Joshua Heaton, Jille and Rose :-) Hope you are enjoying yourselves.

Today we had very very changeable weather but I managed to dry some washing and do some planting out in the veg patch while it was sunny.

I am planting up one of the raised beds with my Rocket Gardens Constant Gardens selection of veg plants - they have grown well in their pots and it is now time to put them outside in their final places. But because of the naughty hens and cats, as well as the ever present wild life, I need to protect the bed. 

I am rather proud of what we (mainly Compostman)  came up with.

Some blue water pipe ( free, from the Scrapstore) and some bits of metal pipe ( free - have been hanging around in the Barn waiting for a use by Compostman)  But I then found that my horticultural fleece and mesh fabric lengths were all too long but not wide enough - so to cover the bed I had to use two sheets and have a lot of spare fabric at one end AND work out a way to fix the sheets together. Hmm will have to think about this!


After working outside on the raised bed, the heavens opened, the rain fell and I got soaked, so retreated to the shelter of the polytunnel. Still at least the raised bed plants got a good watering!


Compostman very kindly tied the tomato plant canes to the roof for me, so they stay upright :-)


 Growing well :-)


I did a lot of potting on of my veg plants, and re arranged the peppers into their final position.



I do wonder why, when I plant out plants, I still seem to have more on the bench?


This is my version of a Salad bar :-) I can go out with my basket and cut some salad and it grows some more :-)

Later on this afternoon we are going into Hereford. I am a member of the B and Q club and this weekend I have a 15% off voucher and as we need to think about paints for the bedroom decoration ( yes it is now at the "what colour paint shall we have" stage!) we are going to have a look at what they have to offer.


Update later this evening. 
We went into Hereford to B and Q and bought all sorts of stuff we needed, including solid wooden flooring for the bedroom (gulp). The 15% off voucher saved us a lot of money on the floor and paint for the bedroom. Hopefully we will be moving back in soon and I can't wait!

We also popped into Sainsbury and got items on the shopping list and then I spotted some garden netting  which was the perfect size to cover the supports we had put up this morning for the raised bed.  On offer and reduced to £3.50! I bought four packs, one for each raised bed, for a total cost at full price of one pack :-) 
And so when we got home, before it got dark and in the pouring rain, I did this




Exactly what I needed to cover the raised bed we had been working on and I used tri pegs ( bought many years ago and used for all sorts of jobs since) to fix it all down. This had been worrying me and now it is sorted


and has made the bed secure from cats, hens, etc . getting in there and digging up or eating the plants. Should stop the Cabbage White butterflies laying eggs on the brassicas as well.

Later, later still, well actually at silly o'clock when we should have gone up to bed, Compostman and I watched the first two episodes of The Black Adder from the Blackadder Complete DVD set, which I found in a charity shop ridiculously reduced in price :-)

 It is 30 years since we first watched it, and time has not dimmed the laughs for us and we can still sing the theme tune! And we raised a glass in honour of Sir Baldrick and Blackadder, CBE

So all in all, a good day, if a long one but my bed is calling me, now.


6 comments:

  1. If the plants get too tall do you take off the netting or is there a way to increase the height?

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    Replies
    1. I can raise the blue pipe up by taking the ends out of the ground, putting in canes and then putting the blue pipe back with the canes inside - gives me about an extra 8 inches or so which should be enough for the plants inside this bed.

      but I may just make a bigger version of this to go on the over winter Kales and PSB bed.

      Delete
  2. Wow you have had a busy day! I love black adder :-)

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    Replies
    1. Us as well - I was so chuffed to find the Ultimate Collection in the charity shop! it is a fairly recent release ( I think) so I guess someone had it as an unwanted present?

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  3. That netting was a great find. Nice to have your goodies protected.

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    Replies
    1. it has proved its worth today as the Ginger gang of hens made a concerted effort to break into the veg patch - only to be foiled by the netting!

      Delete

Hello! Thank you for reading my blog and for commenting. I try to reply as quickly as I can and I really appreciate your interest in my life and doings here in The Compost Bin.

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