a new start

at the beginning of December 2015 we moved to a new flat with a garden, its only small, but its all mine. i brought an amazing amount of pots with me from my previous balcony, but now i want to make this space my own, colourful and productive.

since i moved in it has rained and rained, and i have an enormous muddy paddling pool! but in the last few days we have had a cold snap and i have finally started to put the beginnings of structure in my garden. i have discovered heavy clay soil, very acidic, going to have to use a lot of muscle to work in lots of goodness! anyway so far i have decided raised beds and trough is going to be way forward for my fruit and veg. i have brought troughs for my raspberry canes, and have dug in a herb bed and shrub bed, adding lots of compost. my favourite added feature is my new bench, i have brought a bench with planters either end, and repotted my dwarf cherry trees in the planters. i have also brought a plastic greenhouse to protect my tender plants and in anticipation of seed planting as spring arrives. from now on, most of what i do in the garden is going to be on a very low budget, i am going to scrounge planters, source seeds, although i have a reasonably full seed tin already. and see what i can grow in my small space. the other bonus i am already finding is my black dog of depression has lifted and i feel so much more positive, waking up every morning, whatever the weather, to spend time pottering about outside in my little bit of heaven.