[Rocket]

Hello .

I inherited a love of gardening from my Dad. As the offspring of a brilliant gardener and a fantastic cook, I have a love of gardening and of great food, though am neither a good cook nor a knowledgeable gardener.

I now have a good-sized area to garden in that has been untouched for a number of years. In March I had the grass removed and the ground rotivated. I started trying to dig it and learned what couch grass was, how little I know and how unfit I am.

I put some black gardening material down to kill off the weeds and that is when I realised how large the area was.

I dig with a fork and definitely do not do double-digging.

I planted broad beans and peas - and then had an eye operation and was told to take it easy: no stooping, bending etc. So I sat down to pull up the weeds. I planted a few more items and had a second eye operation.

I pulled up the peas and broad beans as they looked like they were dying and/or infested. I think I did it too soon. The peas were lovely when young and like bullets when older (though made pretty good soup).

I have white turnips that are being bored into with gusto (and don't taste that great really) and beetroot suffering the same (though it tastes good).

I've spent the last couple of weeks digging where the peas and beans were and around the edges of the area - to make it look more like a 'proper' garden and to staunch the couch grass and nettles that are trying to get back.

I planted purple sprouting broccoli that has lots of (eaten) leaves but not a hint of a head, nothing. I also have parsnips and rocket (hence my user name). The rocket went to seed and I cut it back. Surprisingly (to me) I now have a second crop.

A local farmer left me some fresh manure early in the year (he covered it, God love him). The idea is to use it (this autumn?).

I figure I ought to do crop rotation and am trying to work that out.

So next year: I want to plant different strains of peas and brood bean (this years were brown-skinned - I didn't look close enough at the packet).

I also want to plant lettuce again and rocket and ... broccoli, runner beans, spinach, beetroot, spuds, tomatoes, onions, parsnips, asparagus, garlic, - the list is almost endless.

I suspect I might be just a little over eager. If I can find 'print' I am now going to hit it. cos I am feleling brave.

Rocket!

[Sive]

Welcome Rocket, you sound as if you have taken on a lot of hard work ! You don't mention potatoes at all and I have always heard they are a great first crop to " break up the ground". I hope your eye operations are behind you now and that all is well.

[aine]

welcome rocket!
if you have any spare time on your hands you can come and have a go at my garden!

[Rocket]

]Thank you to both of you for the lovely welcomes.

The eye operations are behind me now Sive, and I find the world extraordinarilly bright. I don't have the best of eyesight but this morning I saw the black and white caterpillars that are eating the broccoli - there were so many of them. I also discovered that there are frogs in the garden.

I was nervous of planting spuds because of blight, something I know nothing about. However, I will plant them next season in a new patch of ground - well, if (big if) I manage to clear some more ground. I threw some old spuds on top of a pile of weeds, graass cuttings etc and found them growing a couple of days ago!

It is quite hard work though pleasurable.

Aine, I love gardens but would probably weed out the wrong plant or something equally daft - today I managed to slice a pumnpkin with the hoe.

Rocket

[artalis]

Hi Rocket,

Your enthusiasm is great. Welcome here. Just take on what you can manage at once. The garden once planted has a life of its' own and will fill the allocated space before you know it.

I think manual working with the, hands is therapeutic, but not too much at once,lol.

Great to hear from you and keep us posted with your gardening progress and ideas.

artalis

[Rocket]

Thanks Artalis

I am discovering how right you are about a garden having a life of its own. Having happily planted seeds this year, I now have to work out whre I can plant them next year (crop rotation and all that).

Instead of being 'gainfully employed''in the veg garden today I spent time tidying bushes etc and cutting grass - until the lawnmower decided to only move with sheer manual force. At that point I quit and a guy is cojming tomorrow to sort it out. I hafve a ride-on Yardman but it's 70 miles away at the moment being tried out as I am selling it because I cannot quite reach the pedals and have learned that ride-ons are not great (in my opinon) when the grass is thigh high and wet. -Aad why that has happend to me more than once is another story.