Tag Archives: herbs

Sunshine, guests and gardening

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The weather is too warm to be stuck inside – it’s only April, however, temperatures have reached 25 degrees during the day. Despite needing to sort out the essentials inside the house (i.e. plumbing in the washing machine and finding curtains long enough for the enormous windows), it’s the garden that has received the most attention this week.

The first thing I did was rearrange the open part of the barn so that the logs are stored at the back next to kindling collected from around the garden. The previous owners left an old table at the back of the house so I’ve repurposed that and placed it in the front of the barn as a potting table. It has been a very busy week yet I’ve somehow managed to sow some tomatoes, French beans, lettuce and a selection of herbs. The rest will have to wait!

An army of family arrived on Thursday too and have wasted no time tackling the big garden jobs; over the last three days the beds have been weeded, the trees pruned and hedges shaped and the grass has been given a very good haircut by the village farmer’s 18 year old son. What was starting to look like a meadow is now a nicely manicured lawn… however, I am going to have to invest in a sit-on mower – that first cut took the poor chap four and a half hours with a small petrol mower! SCH

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Exploring the house and garden

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We are finally here. In France. In the house!

It is all we could have imagined, and much much more… It is BIG and echoey at the moment as there isn’t much furniture in it until the container arrives next week. But that doesn’t matter – it really is one big adventure.

The previous owners are living near by and have been on hand to answer questions about the house as well as living in France. On Thursday we walked around the garden together taking notes of the various trees, shrubs and plants:

Climbers:
– Honeysuckle; Clematis (Montana); roses

Trees:
– Acer; yew; monkey puzzle; hazelnut; acacia; laurel; Christmas; Japenese maple

Shrubs:
– Holly; Magnolia; Lilac; privet hedge; box; copper beach; Rhododendron; roses; lavender; hydrangea; peony

Aromatic herbs:
– Sage; oregano; rosemary; curry plant; chives; mint; bay tree

Fruit trees and fruit:
– Apple tree; Mirabelle plum tree; cherry tree; fig tree; olive tree; grape vine; wild strawberries, kiwi, blackberry bush

Next steps are to draw a garden plan as well as work out where the allotment and compost heaps are going to go. My gardening-mad family arrive next week so no doubt they will want to help out! SCH

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Refreshing the strawberry bed

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I have had lots of fun overhauling the strawberry bed this week.

We have an old brick bed adjoining the greenhouse which is approximately nine feet long by three feet wide. Once the plants start developing their fruit in early summer we add wooden frames covered in netting to protect them from birds.

We had a disappointing crop over the summer (two to three large punnets only) mainly because many of the plants were a few years old and past their best; the tubers where gnarly and protruding from the earth and I think the plants struggled to keep themselves going!  They did however produce lots of runners (these run along the ground looking for a place to anchor their roots and eventually become baby plants that will flower and fruit the season after next).

When I started to tackle the plot it was one big jungle and difficult to see what to do first so I began by cutting away all of the stalks and leaves and leaving only the stumps with their brand new runners. Once I had a clear view of the bed I was able to remove any rotten plants, poorly placed plants, or old plants that had not produced runners. This resulted in more uniformed rows of strawberry plants (which makes watering, weeding and picking easier) and made for an easier view of the runners.

Next I looked for the healthiest of runners and cut them back to the first rooting shoot (sometimes runners will produce two or three baby plants along their length but have to work twice as hard to feed them all)! I weighted down each shoot with a big stone to allow the tiny roots (just visible) to cling to the soil below and take hold.

In removing the old plants and weighting down new runners I took care to make sure I didn’t limit next year’s fruiting potential. For example, even though they were on their last legs I retained the old plants that were producing strong baby plants, I kept all other healthy plants as they will be the ones that will flower and fruit next year and, finally, I filled any holes with plants already grown from last year’s runners. At the beginning of next season I will be able to replace the oldest and weakest plants with the new plants provided by this year’s runners.

Below is my 5-step recap (mainly to remind myself)!

1. Cut away all stalks/leaves taking care not to cut off the runners!

2. Remove old plants that are not producing runners or fruit (tidy up the rows)

3. Weight down runners with stones

4. Surround plants with fresh compost to replenish nutrients

5. Water well

Next year I will be using this experience to build a strawberry bed from scratch at The Little Grange in France. The goal is to create a well-stocked kitchen garden at the back of the house incorporating fruit, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers. SCH

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Practical garden design

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I have been thinking a lot about garden design recently. True: the RHS Chelsea Flower Show was on TV and was as ever full of great ideas, but it’s the practical side of design that prompts me to write.

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The all-important wheelbarrow

I’m the first to admit to loving symmetry and tidy borders, but the day-to-day need for a variety of garden tools, sacks, pans, compost and water has made me realise that I am going to need a garden that ‘works’. Add to this the busy running of a B&B and you soon realise efficiency is going to be key!

We have been extremely fortunate to have had seven days of uninterrupted sunshine which has been instrumental in helping clear many an important seasonal job. I’ve spent hours trimming lawn edges, staking and trimming overgrown hedges, heaving compost into bags, weeding flower beds, potting up summer plants, thinning out vegetables and herbs, scrubbing moss off the old patio, and brushing down garden furniture… the list goes on and there’s always that unexpected job each day. But the point here is I’ve probably spent half the time traipsing backwards and forwards collecting or depositing ‘things’!

So in considering the workability and aesthetics of the garden at The Little Grange, here’s my practical design priority list:

1. Water butts in a variety of locations (fed by guttering from house, greenhouse, etc.)

2. Greenhouse for growing on new plants and for winter pot storage; ideally with a built-in earth bed

3. Tool shed attached to greenhouse as well as a similar storage solution closer to the main house

4. Potting shed attached to the main house

5. Kitchen garden within easy reach of the main house

6. Duplicates of key tools for those jobs that take you to the far end of the garden

I will keep an eye out for bargain buys at my local auction since there seems to be a constant stream of old tools, garden pots, lawn mowers, ladders, etc. You never know, I might even find that all important garden shed! SCH

Tuesday’s tip no. 1

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Cut up an old (white) yoghurt pot to create cheap and quick labels for your herb garden

1. Cut strips vertically from the top (about an inch wide)

2. Cut a point at the end (for inserting into the soil)

3. Use a pencil to write the name of the herb (pencil is better on plastic)

4. Insert your new labels, and, ‘voila’!

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Yoghurt pot herb labels

Auction finds

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It hasn’t quite been a week yet since I left Dubai and already I’m feeling the excitement of having thrown away comfort and stability to start my dream project!  I feel impatient to find the right property and start putting together a schedule of courses.  My first £65 investment has bought me The Little Grange URL which means I can start to give the project an identity… take a look at the About section in this blog for what I have planned.

So over the past few days I have been back to tending my little seedlings which have done rather well over the May bank holiday weekend so we might have a good crop of fresh herbs this summer.  The tomatoes are coming on too as are the spring onions, summer bulbs and a little Chestnut sapling I’m determined to grow into a rather large tree!  I may even place it centre stage in the new garden as a symbol of these first few steps to a more fulfilling way of life.

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Fab find: two stone planters

On Thursday I went to a local auction which sells household items as well as fruit and veg and outdoor furniture/tools/equipment, etc.  Outside, I spotted two old oblong stone planters and just had to have them; I have since transferred my herbs to them.  Inside the auction house, I fell upon a huge wardrobe made of pine and covered in satinwood/walnut veneer that seemed so versatile in its function I thought it would make a great statement piece in the future barn/workshop: a chest of drawers on the bottom; slide-out linen shelves hidden by two doors on top; both flanked by thin wardrobes (one of which contained the lidded box of an old chamber pot!).  All four pieces sit on a plinth and are finished off by a decorative top panel.  Individually easy enough to transport: together a whacking piece of furniture!  Again, I just knew I had to have it!  It will need a very good clean and some work on the veneer which is peeling off, as well as a bit of woodworm treatment… just to be sure!

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The linen press on its way home

Bidding on each started at a reasonable £5 and before long I was walking away with three new prize possessions for very little money at all: x2 stone planters = £34 / x1 four-door pine satin walnut linen press = £130 (bargain).  I’ve since been online to learn more about the linen press and can’t seem to find many four-door varieties so I may have something of an original; complete with spiders and an inch of dust!

I loved the whole atmosphere and experience and will be heading to another auction soon. Next time I will be looking for old paintings with carved and gilded frames as well as board games, catering equipment, mix and match vintage china and garden tools/pots, etc.  SCH