Grow Your Own (Hopefully)

Usually at some point during spring it gets warm enough for me to venture outside after ignoring the garden for months and months and I find myself getting gardening fever.  This year my trip to the Eden Project (1 and 2) added fervour and inspiration to my annual gardening bug.  So I looked for the various implements and pots scattered around the garden and got myself organised.  My garden gets used as a junkyard come dustbin by hubby and kids all winter, so getting organised meant taking out eight bin bags full of rubbish, broken toys, junk the neighbours kids like to pitch over (and recently through) the fence and paint and petrol cans and trying to find homes for various other bits of wood, cement, bags of sand too heavy to lift, doors, window frames and other unidentifiable bits.

I managed to get my hands on some wonderful vegetable plants from a nearby grocers (for £1 each) and rescue some plants from previous years.  Below are tomato and chilli plants:

This is a jasmine plant.  I grew one last year that got quite big and then didn't survive the winter.  I have tried a different spot this year and hope to train it up the wall eventually.

These are peacock lilies which me and Little Lady grew from bulbs bought in thee £-shop.  We are very excited to see them get this big and I am looking forward to see the beautiful blooms (and maybe take a bunch for my mum insh'Allah).

Cucumbers, marrrows and gourds:

I planted this grape vine bought from the £-shop last year and it has gone crazy.  It is trying to take over both of my beds and the whole of the broken fence we share with our neighbours.  I want to train it along the fence, but am waiting until hubby replaces the fence.  I can't believe how many tiny bunches of grapes cover the vine, although from last years experince, these will be very, very sour.

My cherry tomato plant which I am waging a war with slugs and snails to keep safe:

The kids little strawberry patch is in full flow with no work required from me at all.  The only problem is the grape vine threatening to swallow it up.

The mint also grows back every year, although it is getting a bit woody in parts now.  We use this for mint sauce, pakora's and biryani amongst other things.

This camelia has been trudging along very slowly for the last three or four years.  This year it has suddenly had a growth spurt, but I suspect it is still too young to flower.

The chilli's are doing well too, unfortunately I have forgotten what kind they are (or were they peppers?)

I lined up every pot I could find and planted everything I could lay my hands on.  These are a nice alternative for me as my garden has two small-ish beds which I have to plan every carefully what goes where.  Some things are blooming and others being taken over by weeds already.

 

The kids helped out with the garden and Gorgeous waters the plants for me every evening whilst the older two are at madrassah. 

There is still lots to do though.  I am hoping hubby can get rid of some of this lot.  If he does I want to throw a summer party for sisters and kids insh'Allah.