We didn’t start the year with New Year resolutions. However, the start of a new year can’t be ignored. It provides the perfect opportunity to consider what went well last year, what didn’t work, and more importantly what we want to change this year. I always feel very positive at this time of year. Even if the garden looks a mess, I know that spring is on the way, so it won’t look rubbish for long. This year, again, we have flooded at the nursery. It is nothing to moan about, others in country have come off significantly worse than us! However, it has got us thinking about landscaping and planning out a new site. We are currently shopping for a new home, it may take some time and we are prepared to wait for the perfect place. Still while we wait, we are planning for future animals, and thinking how best we’d like to organize things.
I’m also considering my own garden. I’m looking at what plants I’ll take with me, and deciding which ones might need some prep work beforehand before I start digging them out. We have numerous trees that will have to stay. The main center point to the garden is the willow tree standing in the middle of the garden. Planted as a baby I have loved watching it grow and become a main fixture of the garden over the years. Leaving our home wouldn’t seem right unless we take cuttings so I can grow more of the same. It is far too big for suburbia really, sold as a small tree, with a final height no more than 5mtrs. Well I can say it would be significantly higher than that if we’d have let it. This variety should be perfect for a new spot on more land. Willows are excellent for damp ground, so I’m forward planning. We have some seeds on order for other trees and as my birthday fast approaches (I wrote this blog prior to my birthday on the 27th Jan, it's just taken so long to sort the blog page out!). I have asked for trees (and money towards our new German shepherd pup!). I’ll take tree saplings or seeds, either way the prospect of growing my own trees and getting to plant them permanently is very exciting to me.
I was happy with the potatoes and the spinach that I grew last year. The runner beans and squash were rubbish… I thought that it was all down to me, thankfully loads of people seemed to have struggled with them last year. It was too cold and wet to get them off to a good start.
This year is a big one for us, in several ways. We are launching our poultry keeping courses, simple introductions to keeping chickens, ducks or perhaps geese in your own garden. Steve is passionate about the animals so the prospect of sharing his knowledge with others is very exciting. We’ll even offer a slice of cake and a brew for the visitors.