Veg Garden and Pumpkin Patch 2018

                            The Pumpkin Patch all ready to plant up again !
 Phew ! This is such a busy time ! I thought I,d  do a quick update for you of my Veg Garden . So I had thought I had sown pretty much everything now ... some things had come up and been pricked out and potted on . Potatoes planted , grass cut , shed re -painted , fence fixed..again ... stuff taken to the tip...meadow fertilizer on ...new roses , shrubs and young saplings planted ..roses pruned , palm in centre of veg garden tidy and take off tatty old lower leaves , re-pot cacti....solar shed cleaned out and reorganized , sow more seeds  buy more compost , trim banana plants in the shed and water Dahlias to get them growing again , garden seat and picnic table set re -stained .... my birthday .. my surgeon ringing to tell me that my scan was "all good " best birthday present anyone could wish for !..for another year anyway ...

Flora Day which was amazing  this year , especially the Children's Dance ..one of which was my little 6yr old grandson dancing for the first time ... all dressed in white , the boys so smart and the girls so pretty with flowers in their hair . Helston shops and houses all bedecked with greenery and bluebells and other flowers. The band , as always , brilliant ! 

 So yes , the Pumpkin Patch  is all ready to plant up again . I just had to prize out a couple of large weeds , give it a scattering of slow release fertilizer granules ,no digging really ,just a gentle rake over .

 The water hole in the centre still looks good and I sorted out a big piece of pig wire for the squashes to climb and scramble over , I,ll probably fix that up tomorrow .

 
You my remember that I only grew one Squash  last year , the Gete-Okosomin Squash. This was to keep the seed pure . This year I am growing lots of different squashes , pumpkins , courgettes and cucumbers .
 Here they are having their first "hardening off  "session on the greenhouse patio this afternoon .

 I raised them up off the ground hoping to keep the snails and slugs off ....and keeping  my fingers crossed that the bunnies would not nibble them .
 This evening I have put them into the solar shed , where it is a little bit cooler than the greenhouse .

 In the Solar shed I have started off celery, tomatoes, French beans , nasturtiums,shallots and onions , lots of Black leafed  Kale , lettuces Little Gem and Romaine cos lettuce .

              Back in the greenhouse  Opuntia buds are about to bloom .

                                              Epiphyllums too !

        New easy to put together shelving in the greenhouse , very happy with .

 Cucumbers and Butterbush Butternuts germinating ..no sign of Cussonia spicata coming up yet ..this is my second try with these seeds .
 Two trays of pretty Tagetes Lemon Gem and Red Paprika ..I,m running out of space !

 The sweetcorn is withering away and my leeks are not so good either , no idea why..some you win , some you lose . hmmmph !
 Mangetout peas are sown... fingers crossed the mice don't eat them ...we love our Mangetout peas !

                                   The labyrinth is looking great !

.......and then a friend told me that her Runnerbeans were coming up beautifully already ....aagh ..I had forgotten to sow mine ....so off I dashed straight away into the garden and put them in ..now ,we had a little rain this morning , but I,d really like some more over night please ..to save me having to haul the watering can around again . It's all go here !

Air Plants - are still alive !

So I think I bought these Air Plants about a year ago ..... whenever I have bought these , I have usually ended up just watching them slowly wither away .
 I must be doing something right , because look at them now .....not a lot of difference you might say ...except that they are still here !

 Here they are having their , just ever so slightly , warmer than tepid soak over night in the kitchen sink .

In the morning , I gently shake off the water, carefully pat with a paper towel and then leave them to finish off and readjust while I have my cup of tea .

I  muddled up their plant labels , so cant tell you what they are , except that they are all possibly varieties of Tillandsias .
 I love epiphytic plants...that grow up on the branches of trees and on cliffs amongst ferns lichens and moss ....mostly coming from Rain Forests and mountain sides in South America . I have quite a collection of Epiphyllums up in the greenhouse ....so I thought I,d give these a go .
 My only concern with them is "Are they being ethically sourced ?" With respect for the environment..that being the beautiful rain forests...the so called "Lungs of the our planet Earth " .

I feel uncomfortable that they have had all their roots / aerial roots cut off . I know that they dont actually put their roots into the ground , but the aerial roots are important ......anyway , that is just me having a moan !
 I love the way the one above sparkles in the light as if sprinkled with glitter .

 This one had a hole in the main part of the plant , I discovered this when I opened the packet . We bought them whilst on holiday , so too far to return it..I thought this would be the first one to pop it's clogs .
 I didn't give up on it though and now it has a little pup/side shoot .

 I found this beautiful piece of  drift-wood on the beach and I am thinking of attaching my plants on to it and suspending it in the window ....somehow .
 Thing is ....the plants need to easily be taken off for their fortnightly soak ....hmmm ...
 The sun is shining here in Mullion today , blue sky....just back from church ...going to sit in the Summer house and do my embroidery .
 Have a peaceful Sunday all  .  love Debbie x

Re-potting Schlumbergera truncata

  I am re-potting 4  Schlumbergera truncata otherwise known as Christmas cacti , into a nice new hanging basket .
 Also re-potting one small Rhipsalidopsis gaertnerii otherwise known as the Easter Cactus into a slightly bigger pot . This one is a piece from one of my mum's cacti so very special to me . They are so called , because this is roughly when they flower .

 They are all different colours and it should look pretty when they flower .
Behind I am preparing a window box full of Begonias and  Pelargoniums which I have saved for several years now.

 I have used Multi -purpose compost and perlite...which is making the basket heavy ..I only remembered this at this point ....I,m worrying about my kidney cancer scan with contrast coming up on Monday ... I am so scared I can hardly think straight  at the moment .

 I have hung the basket up in the porch , I think I will get a stronger hook for it though .

 The plants look happier already . When the weather warms up a bit more I will hang it outside  and all through the summer .
 Through my kitchen window I am delighted to see the Woodpeckers are back .
 Hope you had a lovely Easter .....wish me luck....say a prayer for me .