I have a Greenhouse!

Sort of - there's just one thing missing...

Glass!

Do You Chit?

"Have you chitted your potatoes yet?" says Parsnip Paul as we wait for the kettle to boil. (I still can't get over how big they are!)

"Err? what?"

My head is buzzing - what on earth is chitting? Better look it up in my trusty book - wouldn't want to appear foolish.

Okay, so I need to get my seed potatoes and put them, rose end up, (that's the end with most eyes) in an old eggbox in a cool light place so that they can get started. Okay. I can cope with that. Better head down to the garden centre and buy some seed potatoes.

So there I am, staring at the labels. Earlies, second earlies, maincrop? What's all that about?

I grab a pack of maincrop (cos they're a nice colour) and head home to get chitting.

A bit later on one of my loyal slaves calls round.

"I'm chitting," I tell him.

"You need to chit your earlies and your second earlies," he says. "It's not worth chitting maincrop. In fact, it's really probably not worth you growing maincrop at all. Just grow earlies and second earlies."

Oh bother. I'm chitting the wrong potatoes!

Paul's Parsnips

"Would you like some parsnips?" says my mate Paul over a cup of tea at work.

Never one to turn down free food I nod. "Yes please."

"All right, I'll bring them up to your office."

When I finally get back to my desk my office mates look up.

"Paul was in looking for you," Nigel says.

"Oh good, did he leave me some parsnips?" I look around. There's nothing on my desk.

"Well he left you something," says Nigel.

He's pointing at a huge sack which has been propped up against my cupboard.

I go over and open it up. It's full to the brim with parsnips - but not any old parsnips. I pull one out.

"Good grief," I say. "Have you lot seen the size of Paul's parsnips? They're absolutely enormous."

I hold one up. It's massive.

"That's a parsnip?" exclaims Nigel. "How come mine are only half the size of that!"

The others snigger.

Definitely a case of parsnip envy!

Let's Talk About Poo

Must we?

Yes, I’m afraid so. You see, if I don’t put some decent poo on my vegetable plot I’m afraid I’m going to have a pretty rubbish crop. My soil is really rather poor. It’s sandy and well drained - maybe too well drained. And the sycamores we removed have taken rather too much out of it.

So what it needs is a decent input of manure.

But what kind of poo?

Well I already have a pretty good supply from the two small furry rodents my children keep, and I’ve been composting their bedding for some time now, so that has already gone on to my patch of dirt and been dug in.

But I need more. I need something stronger, more potent, more ripe. I need either cow or horse.

Now getting hold of poo couldn’t be easier. All around people who keep horses have bagged up their poo and are selling it at the ends of their drives.

But I’m a cheapskate. I was born in Scotland and true to form I don’t like paying for anything I can’t get for free.

And I particularly don’t want to pay for a pile of poo :-)

So that shall be my mission for the week.

Over the Top Blog award

Well this blog has been going for barely a month and the wonderful Old Kitty has gone and tagged me with this wonderful award - thankyou.

Your Cell Phone? mobile
Your Hair? curly
Your Mother? bossy
Your Father? deceased
Your Favorite Food? savory
Your Dream Last Night? exhausting
Your Favorite Drink? rioja
Your Dream/Goal? contentment
What Room Are You In? sunroom
Your Hobby? scribbling
Your Fear? betrayal
Where Do You See Yourself In Six Years? anywhere
Where Were You Last Night? snuggling
Something That You Aren't? pessimist
Muffins? blueberry
Wish List Item? blueberries
Where Did You Grow Up? wild
Last Thing You Did? type
What Are You Wearing? clothes
Your TV? freeview
Your Pets? hungry
Friends? loyal
Your Life? adventure
Your Mood? mischievous
Missing Someone? sometimes
Vehicle? feet
Something You Aren't Wearing? clothes
Your Favorite Store? local
Your Favorite Color? green
When Was The Last Time You Laughed? now
Last Time You Cried? forgotten
Your Best Friend? hubby
One Place You Go To Over And Over Again? moors
Facebook? sporadically
Favorite Place To Eat? outside

And in turn I nominate:

The house of burning bras - girl power!
Secret office confessions - girl power in the office
The flying tart - yup - we rock!
Daily improvements - more girl power
A natural history of Runswick Bay - the other jurassic coast