Compost bins and general busyness!

I've had a very busy time last week. I finally hacked up the pallet supplied by James so that my compost heap has a lovely new front to it. 

I've cut a bucket's bottom off and nailed it to the shed to keep all my canes in. Strimmed round the entire plot. Weeded all over the place and constructed a, hopefully more sturdy than last years, bit of chicken wire for my peas to climb up.

All of my salad is coming up, except the Okahijiki (still) and my spinach is also coming up.

Still lots to do.

What is this?

Apparently it's called Red Orzac (sp?) it's a herb and it gets to be about 60cm or so high. I just can't find any reference to it anywhere and I don't want to poison myself, or anyone else for that matter.

Many thanks!

Status update!

Went over the road today, weeded round the 4 cornflowers (now I know what they look like) that are coming up in the middle of my weeds! 

The peas seem to be recovering from their bout of pea and bean weevil and the ones Caroline gave me are coming up, those that hadn't been dug up that is. I need to find them something to climb up.

The Salad bed is looking pretty good really. Everything except the Bucks Horn and the Okahijiki is coming up. The lettuces and pak choi from Caroline is still unmolested. 

My potatoes are coming up, rather bizarrely all on one side first. Maincrops still underground.

Spinach is coming up, no sign of broccoli but the stuff I started in the greenhouse if doing well.

I got some onion sets from Ron and have started this lot off inside in a tray first as the current lot is so pathetically weedy! I really must borrow the strimmer and tackle round the edge of my "cage" as its all getting a bit day of the triffids! (or however else one spells it).

All good so far, the usual sense of calm and restorative goodness prevails.

Been very slack with the blog

I'm just going to summarize really as it's been a stupidly long time since I wrote anything.

My plot now looks a wee bit different as I got fed up with the weeds in the paths and wood chipped the whole lot. I still have to trim round the edges but it does seem better.

I will not be bothering with Brussels  after they came out looking like some sort of novelty pea and I wont be bothering with vegetable spaghetti either.

This years exotic veg are a loofah, which currently looks like this:

and something called a giant pink banana... we'll wait and see.

My lovely husband has made me half of a fruit cage and hopefully it's other half will be along soon.

Chilli seeds are conspicuous in their absence. pah.

Generally though things are good. I put my tomato plants into their growbags this weekend. I've gone for a mix of Italian varieties so we'll have to see how they get on with the less than Italian climate.

So far everything is doing ok, it does all seem to be taking a long time to get going, especially my flowers, but hopefully it'll all soon take off! 

Or not as the case may be.