The New Shed

The new shed is more or less completed now. John finished the floor in a very nice cypress tongue and groove which he polished. Very fancy, wish the house had it. It was the cheapest flooring and a good deal. 

Right Side

Left Side

The two metal sheds were put into place and a clear plastic poly carbonate roof added from bits that we had. The back wall is from the old roofing, that was replaced after the big hailstorm.

This week all the tools were added. One side for all the pots and chicken manure, seedling soil etc. Still an extra shelf to go on for bigger pots.

Left Side 

The other side is tools like the lawn mower and whipper snipper.

Right Side

The front of that shed has a cupboard

 Plus we moved the potting table down to it as well. It will be a case of  if I managed to go down to the bottom of the yard to work there. Definitely will have to bring all the seedlings and seeds back up, as it is too much to visit everyday and having them on the verandah outside the kitchen, or in the glass house, to keep them watered, more practical. At least the verandah where visitors come looks a lot neater now. John has done a very good job and worked hard on this.

Once the flower boxes on the front left hand shed are planted, it should start to look better. As yet we are undecided to leave it open or enclose the little bit at the front. I like the openness, when in there, but there is still a table that can go in, although not a lot of room to spare.  The rain usually comes from behind the shed. The other day it came the other way from the sea, so the floor would have been soaked. We shall see what happens, and maybe add an awning.
 

Shows the pots for flowers on the Left

Outside a couple of water tanks to hook up and the path to finish. 

 The Bridge has been removed also, as in the before photo. Now we will work out how to use and neaten up, the rest of the garden around it.

Before

My grand daughter came to work yesterday and we planted potatoes in pots. We found some new potatoes in one of them so cooked them up for lunch, as she loves them, and I am sure never eaten straight out of the garden. Added parsley and butter and a lesson she won't forget on growing them. Mum requested a Rosemary plant so I also taught her how to propagate some. Hopefully they will grow.

Looking down at some of the pots behind the compost bin. Out of the way here. 

After lunch, we then sorted another laundry cupboard. This time my preserving jars. Threw out a lot of used jars and sent them to the community garden for whom ever makes jam and pickles. Kept just enough for our own use and rearranged filled bottles to an easier and more visual use.

The other laundry cupboard is long and deep, and I was forgetting what was stored, so some bottles and bits and pieces have gone in there. Downstairs is a huge cupboard full of empty jars.

Narrow cupboard next to my brooms and things.

Again very tired today, but I must say best thing I did in "hiring" Miss P as it makes me think about the big jobs that need doing, and so handy for her to be climbing up and down stairs or the ladder. I also let her type all the labels out which she loves to do. So I am thinking she is enjoying it as well as helping me.

Till Next Time.

Progress of a New Shed.

We have two metal sheds in the back yard, one is full of tools the other was the chicken roost, egg laying area. It is now been over a year since we had chickens and if we get anymore can move them to the top level. I have had thoughts of quail recently as much easier to look after and only take up a 30cm (square foot) of space each, compared to chickens at a square metre. It may not happen as our Daughter in Law is getting 2 chickens this week for the now 6 year old twins to experience. Eggs aren't big in that family due to Miss G being allergic to them and so the other children have grown up not really liking eggs, odd as that sounds. Cakes and such are usually made with an egg substitute.

Old chicken shed, just after it was put in 2016

 We have now pulled down the picket fence and the shed, the chickens got old and our son dealt with them, then we went on  long caravan holidays, so never got back to it all.
This below is the other shed.

It had all the compost bins in front which have now been moved to the back garden, which I have written about before. John pulled everything down and now the gazebo is holding all the "stuff" mainly from my old garden shed. Bits of the chicken shed are all over the place.

This is the new floor that is going in, the ground at the corner end is very uneven.

The two sheds are roughly back to back so the idea is to move the chicken shed to the fenceline, as it has a roof and needs to face in towards the house, and the tool shed to where that was. Our son has been organized to help when the time comes. Such awkward things to move too.

The red bridge is going to the Comunity Garden over a  rock river bed.

The whole thing will be roofed over and the middle for my potting area hopefully, John has an idea to fill the fence with more tools, I see it as a seedling working area, more table than anything else, and the chicken shed filled with pots and such. The other shed is filled to the knocker with tools as well and unusable for me. Living with a hoarder is not easy. There is always the gazebo I suppose, to use.

It has been raining most of the week and quite chilly, so I have lit the fire every night, just love sitting by it. I dashed out, between rain and the odd bit of sun, to bag the tomatoes as caterpillars are getting into them, and finally picked the two pumpkins, but surprised at how heavy they were, one was 1.8k and the other 1.65k. Other than that haven't done much outside, not really feeling myself, whether it is just the cold or I need a stronger medicine for the Rheumatoid, don't know,  just working on crafty things.
 

Hope you all had a good week.  Till Next Time

Demolition of a Garden

Last Monday we pulled apart a prize winning fruit and veg. garden as the new owners only wanted 2 or 3 beds. It was definitely my dream garden, 10 large beds 6 of them caged, at least a dozen fruit trees.

Overgrown and unloved but such a perfect garden.

 The citrus trees were loaded and we took 2 buckets full of limes lemons and oranges for the members.

Lemons in front

Four of us took most of the day to load the trailer with all the wood and wire, and we still have to go back to finish it off. Gained lots of plants though, for the community garden, rhubarb, lemon grass,
princess lilies, an unknown bulb but suspect it another lily, bunching onions, oregano, strawberries.

Boards removed

 The soil is going to be bulldozed flat for lawn. Still two more beds to do, and leaving just the back ones. The plastic "glasshouse" has two beds either side and the owners are pulling that down as well.

Load of wood ready to take back.

Tuesday  was our normal Garden day and now we are changing to a Saturday, so those with keys open the gates on different days. 7 Beds are now rented so come spring the members will need more time. We went yesterday our first Saturday but it drizzled off an on and only 2 members popped in. We managed to fill a bed with herbs and put up a bean trellis.

In my own garden I have potted up new seedlings, mostly flowers, and planted some madagascar beans in t/rolls for the garden bean trellis.

The glass house is getting hot now and at some time will have to consider when to put the shade cloth on. It has been quite cold here recently and  last night it hit 4.7C  degrees and the apparent temperature 2.9C so a cold spell like this, still shows me to wait a bit.Love having the fire on though, but have to get a new supply of wood, this coming week.

Hope your week has gone well.

Till next time.