A bucketful of blooms

I can't believe how the flowers keep on giving! Its amazing and I'm also  giving away to neighbours as well.
I shall miss them when the season is gone and the garden no longer has these beauties around.

Sarah Raven's Cutting garden Journal - a book review

I was recently sent this beautiful book to review. I'm ashamed to say I haven't had the time to review and post so here it is.

First I'd like to say that its a lovely size, covers many different flowers and there is plenty of space to add your own growing successes (hopefully) it's always good to make notes of good and bad experiences with anything we grow.  Personally I LOVE growing my own flowers and my garden at home is full to the brim of cutting flowers and for the last couple of years I've actually devoted a huge area of the allotment for cutting beds as well. So this book is truly a bonus.

Here are some photos from the book. I love it that each months start pages have a different colour and dainty pattern, it's such a pretty book. There are lots of planning ideas and help with putting flowers together to make a beautiful posy of a bouquet plus which vase to choose to display your proudly grown blooms. Who needs the florist shop when you can grow your own for the price of a packet of seeds.

It's lovely to make your own from home grown

Mmmm I just made three batches of Italian, tomato and Basil sauce, all made with homegrown tomatoes, onions, and Basil plus Italian herbs and a good red wine. All ready for the freezer for when I need a quick base to an Italian dish.  Just the jam to make now as I've frozen bags of blueberries, raspberries and strawberries.

Why growing your own flowers is amazing

 I have always tried to grow flowers in the garden that I can cut for the house ! But this year I also made a cutting bed especially for that purpose. Its been amazing having virtually free cut flowers all through the house.  I say virtually because of course there is the seeds, compost, feed then manure for the beds, so there is a cost involved, but nothing like the cost it would be to buy flowers in abundance from the florist or market.  I have been sent a lovely book to review written by Sarah Raven  called 'Cutting garden journal'  I will share it in a post soon as I have to read, digest, take photos for you and then give my personal review.  In the meantime  here is a couple of photos of bouquets I've picked for the house today.

Could this be carrot love ?

My carrots this year have been the oddest shapes ! Still delicious but so weird. I put it down to the fact that I had to move them from one overcrowded bed to another larger bed. I've never done that before and I don't think they liked being moved.  However when I dug these up I had such a laugh as they were hugging each other ! Could this be carrot love ?

As I said they came in all sorts of weird shapes and these two looked even funnier when parted. My grandchildren thought they were hilarious.

What is wrong with blogger ?? It's driving me crazy!!

I don't know if its because I'm working on my iPad but its driving me nuts trying to edit my last post.
I noticed I had two photos the same but I couldn't scroll down past the first two photos to get to the duplicate photo to delete it.  I also wanted to add more text but it just wouldn't let me.  Very frustrating so I'm off to bed in a sulk :(

M xx

This year has been a good year for Zinnias

Beautiful Zinnias grown from seed and cut for the house

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My sad news

I'm sorry I haven't been posting recently, but sadly my brother passed away recently and his funeral is tomorrow, so we have to travel to London to attend.  I have so much to post but obviously don't feel up to it at the moment, but will do so next week.

The cutting bed I planted on the allotment looks so amazing and all grown from seed so I'm looking forward to some lovely flowers this year.  I'm going to cut some for my brothers funeral and take a posy for him tomorrow.

I hope you readers are all well and enjoying your plots and gardens.

M xxxxx

Everything's growing well

So far this year most of my seeds that I sowed have come on really well, I say most as my Asters didn't come up at all.  They were old and out of date so that could have been the reason although I have grown out of date seeds before with good results.

Here's a few of the things doing well so far

Broad beans growing fast and need to be put in the ground very soon as they are getting leggy

My cut and come again mixed salad leaves, can't wait to start cutting these !

 Herbs mostly from last year and probably needing to be re-potted with fresh compost I only hope I don't find any vine weevils ! The bane of my gardening life !!

T

 My first successful growing of Ranunculus , I only hope they grow into healthy plants as I love them and they are expensive to buy.

 Courgette plants the variety is 'Zuccini' love courgettes so can't wait to harvest these

These are the many Zinnias I'm growing for my cutting patch at the allotment and some for the garden. 

That's about it and still plenty of things sown which haven't appeared yet, such as runner beans, early French beans and squashes .  The butternut squashes have grown are are coming on well as are the chillies, and tomatoes 

Has anyone frozen cabbage ?

Morning all ! I have a question ! Has anyone frozen cabbage ? I have rather a lot of lovely cabbages on the plot and the slugs are having a grand feast.  I want to save as many as possible and would like to freeze some.  Has anyone had success doing this ? If so please let me know.

Many thanks ! I'm off to do more digging now :(.  Three and a half hours yesterday left me with aching muscles that I didn't know I had.  It was worth it though as my fruit bed is looking better. It was so full of weeds.  I also thinned out the dastardly raspberries which are so invasive.

WARNING to anyone new to GYO  don't put raspberry canes anywhere where you don't want them to spread into other beds as they will !  and with a vengeance . I know they are easy to pull up if spotted but they are a pain .

Have a great day

M xxx

I think I need a new layout for this blog !

Its late ! I should be thinking about going to bed, but instead here I am thinking about changing my blog layout.  I'm tired of the way it looks and would like to simplify it , change the text, and I'm a bit frustrated with using my iPad to write the posts. As much as I love the iPad I have to admit that my laptop is better for the job.  So on Monday I'm going to use the laptop and try some different layouts.

I've missed blogging and reading all your blogs as well.  I love doing my Upcycling of furniture and all my crafts and its extra money, but I had forgotten how much I looked forward to writing my posts and reading yours . I have been very busy though and if you take a look here you will see why.

https://www.facebook.com/MosFurnitureUpcyclingThePast?ref=hl

Hopefully the link works but if not just enter it on Facebook if you use it that is ! As its a Facebook page.

I've been looking at some of my photo's from last year on the plot and I'm looking forward to getting my cutting patch up and running again.

I'm off to bed now as I have a busy weekend ahead with my two little grandchildren here for a sleepover always good fun but very tiring ! Why do children get up sooo early ?  Could be because unlike myself they go to bed early.

Night night  xxx

The Cut Flower Patch - A book review

I've been meaning  to do this review for a while now, but I'm having trouble uploading photo's from my iPad so I have finally found time to fiddle around with the photo's today.

If like myself you are planning or already have a cut flower patch on your allotment or in the garden this book is great ! It has a wealth of advice and marvellous photo's to inspire and encourage you.
Last year I grew dahlias, Zinnias, cosmos and sweet Williams.  I had cut flowers for the house all summer and into autumn with thenZinnias and Dahlias.  This year I want to plan it better and have a larger variety which includes foliage as a backdrop to my displays.  I'm really looking forward to following the advice in the book.

The book is written by Louise Curley, photography by Jason Ingram and published by
Frances Lincoln Limited.  The price is UK £20 but I have a discount code for my readers to purchase it for £16 including the postage.
Here's the details

To order The Cut Flower Patch at the discounted price of £16.00 including p&p  (RRP: £20 

telephone 01903 828503 or email mailorders@lbsltd.co.uk and quote the offer code APG101. 

Alternatively, send a cheque made payable to: 

LBS Mail Order Department, Littlehampton Book Services, PO Box 4264, Worthing, West Sussex, BN13 3RB. 

Please quote the offer code APG101 and include your name and address details. 

*UK ONLY - Please add £2.50 if ordering from overseas.