A Creative Spirit in Portugal
'A Tour of My Garden (part 1)' included photographs of our main outside living areas and garden which is south facing and as I said in my previous post: When I think of the various areas of our garden I try to plan them as different rooms, or a transition from one room to the... Continue Reading →
Fig trees grow like weeds, but not in my garden.
In the Western Algarve growing strawberries in January is relatively easy. Dare I say we do not have ground frost and temperatures can reach a high of 18c during the day and from between 2C to 12C at night. I have found the best method of growing strawberries during the winter months is in containers... Continue Reading →
In my quest to use as many natural products in the garden as possible I consulted Google and found this informative article by Backyard Boss who kindly gave me permission to repost some of the article here. WHAT ARE EPSOM SALTS? To begin, I should probably explain what Epsom salts are. Epsom salts are... Continue Reading →
After making some Kumquat marmalade which was absolutely delicious, I decided to grow my own Kumquat tree. Kumquats are expensive here in Portugal so planting my own tree seemed the logical step says she, who kills most things including fig trees which are meant to be indestructible. Fingers firmly crossed I planted a healthy tree... Continue Reading →
With a little creativity it's amazing what containers you can use to grow strawberries. Deep plastic crates prove excellent containers for growing strawberries, lettuce or rocket. Line the crates with black plastic and make holes in the base area to allow for drainage. Add stones, then good quality compost and voilá! Because the containers are... Continue Reading →
I am absolutely convinced that gardening in my patch of Portugal is beyond a challenge, or labour of love. Case in point: I'd no sooner tidied the patch and planted up all the vegetable plugs I'd bought from the market when I noticed brown spots on the leaves. Sigh ... There is NEVER a dull moment!... Continue Reading →
Piglet in Portugal 