Zinnias and doodles

Hello, hope you had a good weekend. Aren't zinnias just lovely, especially with croissants and home made jam. What you can't see, just out of shot, is the most important element...a big pot of drinkable tea! I love to put Zinnias in a simple tin can (as below), but I've been a bit keen with the recycling.

 

So into the posh teapot they went: Zinnias, Calendula, Verbena Bonariensis, Cosmo, Californian Poppies, Verbena Bonariensis and the possibly the last of the Anemones. Plus, a new flush of self-seeded Cerinth Major 'Purpurascens' has magically appeared in the cutting patch.

Having battened down the hatches for some wild, stormy days, we awoke this morning to light wind and sunshine. Wearing our very best rabbit teeth, we ventured out into the garden as today's mission was carrots.

Previously, my best attempt at growing baby carrots was in an old toddler's sandpit. As our vegie beds are predominantly no-dig, I am reluctant to sow carrots in the ground as they are prone to splitting when encountering even the sniff of a stone or pebble.

[Trug ready for carrot harvesting]

These florist buckets with holes drilled into the bottom (five for a pound from a Falmouth Carboot sale) proved to be this year's ideal container. Having filled them with sieved fresh compost and sand, I thinly sowed the 'Rainbow Mix' carrot seeds about three months ago.

They were then placed on a make shift shelf (bricks and pallet) in front of the greenhouse and water butt, so I didn't forget to water them. As it turned out, I frequently did forget to water them, but they seem pretty drought tolerant. The extra height of the shelf seems to have been just enough to keep them out of reach of the dreaded carrot fly.

The verdict? A lovely bundle of Rainbow Carrots for Sunday dinner. They are nice & straight, with not a single forked one and they smell incredibly sweet. The kids just love the different colours.

The tomatoes, french beans and courgettes still keep on coming. My brother has passed on a recipe of Roasted Courgette soup which he swears to be delicious, so I'll let you know how that goes.

 

Here's a little preview of our wee greenhouse. I need to get a little more organised with it and ideally I could do with a little potting shed / extra storage at the back. The tomatoes (gardener's delight), cape gooseberries, chili peppers and amaryllis are very happy in there, as are the drying seeds in paper bags.

My entries may be a bit shorter for the next three weeks, as I am trying to revise for my next round of RHS Exams, in between working and keeping the kids entertained. I am doing these for fun, although it is usually around this point it starts not feeling like fun! If I just keep the coffee, biscuits and scribbles coming...

Thanks for visiting, hope you are well and see you soon,

Lulu xXx

p.s. Please let me know if you are keeping a blog and I will enjoy popping over to take a look.

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