Hello All,

I hope you are all well and enjoying the slightly warmer weather?

It's been a while since I last posted, in the main due to ill health, apart from heart problems, I have also been dealing with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and rheumatoid arthritis in my hands. Not wanting to tempt fate but I am starting to get things under control and begin gardening again, all though at a slower pace. Under strict instructions from she who must get obeyed, I have cut back on the plots and just have two now as my visits are limited to once a week.

I have taken the decision to limit my growing ambitions this year and focus on getting things tidy again as I want to enjoy gardening again. I have never had so many weeds!

   
   

At least I can plod on slowly for the time being.

Nice to be back

Pulling some rhubarb today from an old, and trusty plant made me realise how much I take it for granted. Every year it produces but I never give it any food or even water. How ungrateful is that? 
Its not just the rhubarb but all the fruit trees and bushes, the flowers and shrubs too. I rob them of something that has taken them months, maybe years, of energy to produce - and in one quick snip or snatch, its gone, without so much as a "by your leave".  
I feel guilty and need to apologise for my rudeness. 
In future, I intend to thank the plant (aloud) and give it a gift in appreciation for what they have given to me. It may be some water, or mulch or compost around the roots. Perhaps some chicken manure pellets from a tub that I will carry around in my bucket.  Or some TLC, weeding around its roots or pruning  away some dead growth to give it more air and room to breathe. Its the little things that show you care and make a plant feel wanted.

Just watched this.     
  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKFCbaxZ...QJAYcqIYzv

Very interesting, informative and quite worrying?

Anyone got any of these? Or even heard of them?

I believe this first one is well known .
The self-sufficient gardener by John Seymour 
This edition published 1978 by book club association 

Herbs and fragrant garden by Margaret Brownlow 
This revised (3rd) edition 1978

How to grow vegetables and fruit by the organic method 
By the staff of organic gardening and farming magazine 
Tenth edition November 1974 printed In American

A new I-Spy Challenge! 
What plant in your garden/plot is in flower in May. Starts tomorrow with the Letter A.

Its struck me today how many things/events celebrate the month of May.  Are there any other months that give their name so generously?

Any recommendations or tips for growing melons. I seem to have lots of seeds but never had much success growing them. I remember growing Minnesota Midget with moderate success, some years ago, but no luck with any others.

So I added some more crochet to my sales barrow today after work. I discovered some **** had ripped a clump out of the lemon balm I have for sale. I say for sale. I just ask for a donation for any of the plants. They could have had the whole pot for anything 1p and above.

I need to add more compost to cover the roots again tomorrow.     

Why do that? It’s just a bit of a **** move. 

We have a little cottage right next to the house that used to have chickens on the ground floor, and seed storage on the first floor. We will convert it to a little guest house eventually.

We decided to put our future flock of hens in the barn, as it stays warmer over winter, and has running water and electricity. The far left corner of the barn where cows once were milked, we have cornered off a space with some spare wood and chicken wire. Jay has built a door and the framework, and we've worked on the lovely nesting boxes together. I'll post pics when it's finished. We've probably spent a good six working days on it so far, and we're really quite chuffed with it, considering neither of us are builders or carpenters lol