You're never too old to learn, right? 
I seem to be learning new things every day so I thought I'd write them down here, before I forget!! Please share things you've learnt too, no matter how small or trivial - maybe we can all learn from them 

1. Montbretia spreads by seed as well as corms. The seedlings look like grass.
2. The spiky thing on a garlic press is for taking the stones out of cherries & olives.
3. Its better to put the wool insulation inside the pot, not underneath.

Just read a news item about food price rises and how people are coping. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5kvv9n10go

Research has shown that people are making simpler meals in order to reduce cost. 
"Almost 7 in 10 Dinner plates include fewer that six components" said the researchers. 

Seems I've been cutting back for years as I'd be hard pressed to think of many meals I've made eaten with more than six components - assuming that means something like meat and five vegetables? 
Not sure that I really understand what they're trying say here. Thought a  standard meal was something like fish chips & peas, or meat and two veg with maybe a Yorkshire pud and gravy. Maybe a stirfry, a curry or casserole would have more than six ingredients - but, is an ingredient a "component"?
How many "components" do you put on your dinner plate?

Yes Folks, Its time for a new, cunning Plan. 
I've put all the vegetables that I could grow into Traffic Light categories - Green Light are my favourites, the ones I really, really want to grow, Amber Light means it would be good to grow but not as my first choice. Red Light veg are ones I've struggle to grow and don't really enjoy - or, can be bought fresh cheaply.

For example:-
GREEN Light veg include Tomatoes, cucumber, courgettes, beans, mangetout, salad leaves, beetroot & carrot, chard. 
AMBER Light veg include leeks, onions, radish, broad beans, spinach, kale.
RED Light veg are parsnip, swede, turnip. kohl rabi, aubergine, peppers, celery, celeriac, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, sprouts, sweetcorn.

What about the Zones, I hear you ask?

ZONE 1 is the Best growing area - sunny, fertile, close to water and to home. Its the easiest to maintain because its convenient to pop into! Basically, its the GHs and pots on the Patio and the old Chicken Run.
ZONE 2 are the Veg Plots at the far end of the garden - BUT not all of them, only those that have been kept clear, or have usable structures like bean frames
ZONE 3 are the Veg Plots that need some TLC and the rest of the garden. 

Now it doesn't take a Giant Leap to see that GREEN Light veg should be grown in Zone 1, AMBER veg in Zone 2, and RED Light veg seeds should be chucked out, swapped or randomly scattered.

These were my first earlies type Solist sewn end of Feb in poly tunnel and harvested on 18th May

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Hi folks it’s been a long time since I posted, my apologies   I am still growing and have made a number of changes to my garden set up. I will post about these later when I get some decent photos. In the meantime hello again.

Look what I found in my live mouse trap this morning!      . A proper monster. 

This is the second one that’s been big enough to set off the trap.

I struggle to organise the flower spaces in the garden. The spring is beautiful with bulbs but as the season progresses it loses a lot of its colour. I could, if I was inclined, research, buy and plant things from the garden centre but I'm tight and  time is always short when these things should be done,  as the veg patch takes all my concentration. 

As an experiment,  In an ideal world, if you had say a 2m² bed,  what flowering/colourful plants would you plant to give some colour for the main seasons, I'll let you off winter, if that makes it easier.  I think SC will be a dab hand at this one.

Whilst planting out some bedding in a very dry bed I was visited by a lizard.  It wasn't very plump and was about 5-6in long. Research tells me it was probably a common lizard. He stopped to say hello then scuttled under the perennial rockery wallflower. First time ever I've seen a lizard in the garden.

   
We all know that Chinese crispy "seaweed" is actually cabbage or kale. Its also quite expensive to buy but, really cheap and easy to make. 
I asked the Duck for recipes and followed this one. roughly. https://www.justaveragejen.com/crispy-seaweed.html
Couldn't find the sesame seeds in the cupboard so missed that out. 
Used Taunton Deane perennial kale as the leaves are huge and quite smooth. Took the stalk out, rolled up the leaves into a cigar shape and sliced them as finely as I cook with my big oriental chopping knife (as it seemed appropriate. 
I sprayed the shredded leaves with "Fry Light" and stirred them around. Them put them in a metal cooking tray in the halogen for about 10 minutes. Forgot to add the Chinese 5 Spice at the start so sprinkled it on afterwards.
Will definitely do it again  as I have lots of this kale to find a use for. Six cuttings in water at the moment.

I never thought I would fall out of love, let alone fall in love again! The courtship is brutal, constant demands and endless pampering, I am smitten, even though I see not a single indication that my affections are being returned.

I spend my downtime thinking of our future together,  wake up and wonder of the time we will spend together, even though the relationship is totally one sided.

Of course that's gardening all over, although it is said "you only get out, what you put in".

Really glad to be back gardening again, although the endless weeding at the moment is a bit tedious.