Greetings and Salutations

[The Good Life]

Good morning from Sunny Scotland.

I've been going through the YT vids for a few weeks now, we've been subscribed for several years, trying to pick up hints, tips, ideas and overall knowledge when Mark said about this forum, so here I am.

As a kid I used to watch a TV show called the good life and wanted to follow the ethos of self-sufficiency but knew I'd need an earned income to cover the usual bills / expenses. Little did I realise how many false starts would be faced over the years.

Well, 5 years ago I purchased a home and the neglected garden (11x8m) was turned into growing spaces with a pretty herb garden surrounding the patio, a few strawberry patches, fruit trees and bushes, even a small walled rosé garden. A neighbour has lent us their garden. My husband did all the ground clearing, created the beds etc, I just have to plant, weed, water and tend.

3 years ago I began leasing an allotment and set about clearing the space and it's been hard work, challenging physically and mentally. No matter how much I complained and moaned about it I refused to swap to a different plot due to mine having an established apple tree.

This year my plot is totally unrecognisable from when I first took it on and I've finally broken the bulk of it. By the time I've finished I'll have a large fruit area (apple, plum, rhubarb, strawberries, various berry bushes), a range of herbs, dedicated raised beds for veg rotation, greenhouse for cucamelon, cucumber, toms etc. Together with a decent composting area, water butts with nettle tea and another with comfrey tea as I'm trying to be a natural as I can.

I've done most of the plot on my own as I'm setting it up for ease of tending to it due to physical health issues.

My husband is now on about us getting a large pro poly tunnel at home for mass growing of toms, chillies etc; I've said we'll look into it next year.

So yeah, here I am!

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

That sounds amazing! I love your story, and I foresee greatness in your future. It sounds like the work will be worth it.

I'd say more, but I am away from home. I'm keen on re-reading when I have some more time

 

[The Good Life]

Thank you Mandy, I wanted to say a lot more but was conscious how much I'd already written!

My allotment is approx 202 sq m (2174 sq ft for those of us old school thinkers).

Bottom to top, right side is:-
Compost bins, nettle tea, apple tree;
Japanese winter berry, Logan Berry, honey berries, blue berries all to be planted;
Herb garden taking advantage of the rock bed soil pockets, to be finished;
Garlic and elephant garlic;
Onions, shallots, beetroot, radish;
Cold frames;
Greenhouse;
Pot of comfrey and pot of small carnations.

Bottom to top, left side is:-
Plum trees;
Rhubarb strip;
Raspberries;
Nature / pollinators area to be done, comfrey plant and comfrey tea;
Strawberry patch and comfrey;
Raised veg patch, to be created
Patio and water butts.

There's a tiny strip next to this where I've put nasturtiums, lavenders and a comfrey.

I've nearly finished removing all the bramble (black berries), if I get 6 out a session I'm happy! This plot was riddled with them, dock plants, dog weed, nettles, couch grass etc and all dug by hand, occasionally pick axe.

It's a challenge due to being on a slope and having limited soil level due to the rock bed, however careful terracing and embracing the rock is beginning to work in my favour. I'm hoping this is the year I'll finally be fully up and running.

Better stop procrastinating and carry on!

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Never feel concious about sharing - we actually love it here! Especially if there are photos to add

Sounds like you've got a fair lot of plants. Amazing!

Black berries definitely will grow out of control if not tended to, and the spiky branches can do their fair share of damage to people. Do you like blackberries? My dad used to boil them and then use it as jam on bread. I don't know if they necessarily have to be boiled, but we would pick them wild from a nearby abandoned field (once upon a time a greenhouse, which had but shambles of it's old frame left between the tall weeds).
I still remember climbing on top of the old frames, as no one else would dare climb above the blackberry bush, and picking loads of berrries. Thankfully we never fell into the bush!

I've seen lovely terraced raised beds on the forum before. I'll link you one below

Thread 'Little Project'

Feb 12, 2022

Just dug in 6 new raised beds and half filled with organic material ready for a soil mix. Back filled the rear of each bed with river stone to stop water going down behind the beds. Also put in an extra 24,000 ltrs of water to help with the up and coming orchard. Layed a heap of gabian rock around the tank by hand I think it looks great. Took a week but not bad for only breaking my big toe just over 4 weeks ago.

• Self Sufficient Dreamer
• Replies: 22
• Forum: Building DIY, Machinery & Tools

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[The Good Life]

When my plot is a little less chaotic photos will be shared.

I do like blackberries and considering potting a couple up, with the pots on slabs so I can monitor their escape attempts. I know, seems odd I'll contain these but not the raspberries but these are slower to spread (took 4 years at home).

Scrumping was a lot of fun growing up and I've done a bit since moving here, usually eaten as I go along rather than taken home.

As a kid we used to have a plum tree and so many jars of jam were made each year. My aunt-in-law makes a fantastic ginger and rhubarb jam and I must get the recipe (aka rough guide) to it as I have grown ginger for a few years (again, thanks to Mark's vid!), I'm waiting for my turmeric to be harvest ready.

When I purchased this flat I got hold of an old farmhouse recipe book which covers seasonal cooking, growing, jam making, squash (cordial/ diluting juice) etc. last year I 'pickled' for the first time as an adult.

Forgot to say I've spuds in a builders rubble sack on the patio and tried a layering method this year. Also finished my rhubarb strip off yesterday.

I'm following a make do, scavenge and repurpose ethos as I don't own the 'land' otherwise I would be having the raised beds in your link; instead mine will be pallet collars courtesy of another plot holder

I tend to grow most things from seed, allowing some plants to 'bolt' (go to seed) as it provides them for the following year(s) and also have a good seed supplier.

I do like experimenting as it aids learning and growing my knowledge. I also enjoy bending rules and attempting to grow things that would not stand a chance where I am; sadly I'm not in the Gulf Stream part of Scotland. Found the growing rice video as I'm keen to try and grow that!

 

[daveb]

Maidin mhaith Welcome to the group. I do same letting some bolt and go to seed, will choose and allowing certain ones go to seed each time so i have the original or as close to the original as packaged of the heirloom seeds and not crossing with another. Then pack and label what generation if applicable. ive done a few crosses over the years and a few with some surprising results. i have blackberry and raspberry canes and yes as mandy says they can get crazy. also spread around in areas some just allowed to go wild blueberries high and low bush, mulberry , choke cherry, gooseberries along with wild and cultivated strawberries. Just picked up some Goji plants i am going to put in. there are many here with plenty of knowledge so dont hesitate to ask

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

I've never heard anyone refer to it as scrumping. Interesting! According to the dictionairy it means "stealing from an orchard or garden". I'm not sure it counts as stealing, as the plot was long abandoned. I imagine at least 10 years, though likely much, much longer. Especially since there was no evidence other than some metal frames left, and most of those were in bad shape, or completely collapsed altogether. Or perhaps I'm thinking of the word "stealing" a bit too literally.
It used to be a huge plot of land, and you could get lost within the tall shrubs. Sadly, about 7 years ago they started turning all this land into housing. There's nothing left of my old hide-out I'm sure (which I visited on occasion when I needed a break up until I left The Netherlands for Australia 6 years ago).
It makes me happy just thinking back on that, haha.

Sounds like growing/gathering runs a bit in the family! That's amazing!

You're making me miss rhubarb. I've tried growing it here, but it just won't work. I kept it alive for many months (probably just over a year) with some effort, but it was always a struggle. And it never did any good, or got much bigger at all. It's just not meant to be for my area.
When I was a kid my dad used to grow on occasion some strawberries and rhubarb. Though, the rhubarb mostly just refused to die. The strawberries never lasted more than a few weeks.
And my mum's got this chive plant that she basically neglects, yet it begs for more. The only thing she likes to grow are orchids, which she used to replace every 2 years or so. I'm not sure she's still got any, now that they've moved house.

I think my favourite part of gardening would be experimenting. And I absolutely love growing from cuttings I've taken myself. It just makes me giddy that I can make something from next to nothing.

Also, we love both messy gardens and organised ones
We have people keep gardening diaries on here, so they themselves can look back on their own progress.
@DThille , @Lunai , @Grandmother Goose , @daveb (indoor hydrophonics) are a few off the top of my head.
@Grandmother Goose for example showed us how she cleared the land, designed her raised beds (and then adjusted them again a few times later), and then filled them to turn into paradise. It's very inspirational to see what everyone else is doing, especially as we live in such different climates.

 

[The Good Life]

Thank you for tempting me with more fruit ideas DaveB!

I've never looked up the definition Mandy, but it does make sense in a way as all land is owned by someone or an entity, oops.

I'm all fascinated by what grows where and which country. Having watched, or more like listened with a cheeky look while working, to loads of SSM vids I was quite surprised at the struggles in Aus with some the plants etc.

While out yesterday hubby took me to a nursery (garden centre, plant shop) and I picked up a couple of different courgettes (ball and normal long type), couple of heritage tom plants as they reminded me of beef toms but prettier colours, butternut squash, a sorrel and a sweet potato (I'm not overly keen on them, hubby likes them, and I thought homegrown may be enough to sway me enjoying them).

I quite like the idea of a growing diary, I'll have a look where they're generally located and get one started!

For now, I'll leave you with my main rhubarb, really dwarfs the little transplanted one:

 

[daveb]

i need to put in some rhubarb a friends house down the road a new couple bought the place and thinking it weeds and burdock ripped up some huge very old rhubarb beds that were already old when we moved here when i waas in 3rd grade back in the 60's. One out of the six bed was approx 35 feet long and 6 feet wide . i used to get bushels and bushels every spring and make my rhubarb jams , strawberry rhubabr pie filling , rhubarb chutney and more. just rememberr grip stalk near the base, pull the leafs down like going to flatten the whole stalk to ground and give a little twist to snap it off the head at the base of stalk, do not cut rhubarb to harvest you will cause chance of crown rot on the plant.

 

[The Good Life]

Thank you DaveB I'm loving the ideas you're giving me as all I could think of was neat dipped in sugar, crumble, jam and squash (cordial).

I'm trying to incorporate universal terms to describe things as I appreciate we all have different words for numerous plants and general terms. At times it can be the usual debate over buns, rolls, cobs etc.

I do remove rhubarb the way you've recommended, must have been ingrained as a kid.

Shame your mates yanked the rhubarb out as I wouldn't have thought it looked like a weed seeing the stalk and it's good to know I'll never need to replace mine during my lifetime!

Now, where's the best place to start a diary as there's a lot of activity going on at my plot and I'll be doing an occasional update with the home garden

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

You can put a gardening diary in various places. It could be depending on what sort of content you generate most. Some people who like to share DIY share it in the DIY channel. Other that aim more towards gardening have it in the climate channels (in your case, probably Temperate).
If needed, the location can be changed.

I tend to post mine in Sub-Tropical as that's what I live in. It's probably the easiest and most-varsitile.