We have a little summer house at the moment - it's kind of an odd shape with a permanent opening. It's a bit ramshackle to be honest, and Jay has his heart set on a new summer house with sliding or opening glass doors along most of the length of the 'rectangle' facing the house, and thus also the afternoon/evening sun.

We will draw electric into it, probably also have the existing solar panels set up on the roof, which needs to slope backwards towards the back of the garden, if that makes sense. I'd quite a little sink of some kind put in, but not sure about rules around the waste.

Have you built one? What tips and tricks do you have up your sleeves? What would you do, if you built one again? What's on your wishlist?

Anyone noticed any 'multi-bag' compost deals in the supermarkets yet? I think I used Morries four bags for a tenner last year (or was it three bags?)

OK - I have a super fruit cage that my other half built for me about four years ago.
It’s 2 metres high. However it’s not the most beautiful structure in the garden and needs to be screened.
I’ve tried morning glory, which looked lovely but climbed in to the cage and tried to strangle the raspberries.
Also tried achocha that similarly took over - but did at least give us some tasty fruits.
I’d like some suggestions, please, for maybe a hedge that will screen the cage and also give me some foliage or floral pickings for my flower bunches.. preferably keeps its leaves in winter to do a really good screening job. Over to you!!

I have an old airfrier that still works, but not in the good enough condition to pass to a charity shop, as it has some broken parts, though safe to use, I used it to sterilise some soil, switching it on for five minutes was long enough to take the soil up to a temperature of 60c, not sure what the cost would be with using it but, will use it again when the sun is out and I have power coming from the solar panels

An interesting article about the effect of cardboard on the soil. Worth a read. I'm interested in your views on it.

https://gardenprofessors.com/the-cardboa...jcHZBaRJOs

Not 100% this is the correct section for this, so if any fellow admin want to move it please do. 
This is great but I had no idea it was a thing. It helps the environment and small businesses and is great support for your beans    .

 https://ncfed.org.uk/news/beanpoles/

PSB = Purple Sprouting Broccoli - a brassica I associate with After Christmas - not much else to pick in the garden time. Also, one that seems to take a lot of growing space for a long time.

Sorting through my seeds tonight I found a packet of Suttons "Purple Sprouting Continuity Mix" which claims to have a 6 month harvest period, from October - March from a May sowing. 
The packet contains equal quantities of 3 different PSB - Rudolph, Red Arrow and Cardinal (75 seeds in total) 
Also in my seed box is Summer Purple, sown in April/May, harvested August onwards.
In theory, I could add these to the Continuity Mix, sow them all in May and be picking PSB from August to March.
Its tempting BUT all the seeds are way past their "Sow by" dates and I don't have much success with brassicas in any form. Remind me in May and maybe I'll give it a whirl.

I ventured over the allotments today and sat and watched a pair of great tits measuring one of my three nest boxes, must have flown in and out a dozen times, no nest building materials being carried yet.

Last year I had two occupied by great tits and the other by a pair of blue tits.  I love watching them.

48 red roses for the 48 years we spent together.       Took them to her grave and spent some time with Helen. 

Strange how certain things affect you more than others. When we were courting she sent me a Valentines card with a little poem, summat about kisses and making  a miss a misses?. I took that as a hint and proposed to her! 

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