A Creative Spirit
Mr. Piglet wanted a new garden project, so I set him to work making a birdhouse. It's too late for this Spring, but the house will be ready for Autumn once the male birds start house hunting. I'd seen so many variations on YouTube I finally decided to use the dimensions on the http://www.rspb.co.uk https://www.rspb.org.uk/helping-nature/what-you-can-do/activities/build-a-birdbox... Continue Reading →
For this week's Six on Saturday, I decided to focus on some of my motley selection of vegetables. Once again I have the same problem with yellowing leaves. Too much or not enough water or is it nutrients? 1. Tomatoes The Black Tula (beefsteak) tomatoes have finally started to grow. A fellow gardener in France... Continue Reading →
For this week's Six on Saturday, I was going to write about vegetables, but when I strolled out into the garden to photograph my motley selection, I was struck by the array of flowers in bloom, basking in the May sunshine. Coleus Neochilus I love this plant! Apparently, it repels mosquitoes Coleus neochilus Coleus neochilus,... Continue Reading →
I am addicted to succulents and committed to creating a drought-tolerant garden, which is just as well because we will have a hosepipe ban this summer. The drought situation is critical, and restrictions are already in place in the Eastern Algarve. Let's just hope all the tourists who arrive in their hoards this summer refrain... Continue Reading →
This week has proved to be one of the busiest in the garden so far this year. I had (and still have) so much to do that I don't know where to start. I feel like I'm spinning on the spot. Everything needs my attention, and it needs it now, which often sees me start... Continue Reading →
Vertical planters are a great way to grow a lot of fruit and veg in a limited space. The perfect solution for small suburban gardens and apartments with a small balcony. After checking out vertical strawberry planters for sale on Amazon and further research on YouTube, we decided to make our own. We'd bought the... Continue Reading →
It's not been gardening weather this week. High winds, heavy rain, and squalls are not exactly conducive to going outside to the garden beyond making sure everything undercover is watered; the snails and caterpillars aren't harvesting my kale, spinach, and lettuce, and nothing has blown away. I am a fair-weather gardener. I am not moaning--we... Continue Reading →
I like to keep a monthly diary of the fruit and veg I'm growing in my urban garden - successes and failures. It's worth noting the temperature in the Western Algarve is cooler than East and Central. While we do not experience ground frosts, many inland areas do. We seem to have our own microclimate.... Continue Reading →
This week, while I've been busy in my vegetable garden, I decided to focus on flowers for my Six on Saturday gardening update. One carrot looks the same as the next, as does spinach and kale, yes? We've had a mixed bag of temperatures ranging from 6C at night to 18C during the day. Sun... Continue Reading →
Another week and another Six on Saturday update. Seriously. I seem to spend every spare moment when I'm not writing in my garden, and just as I begin to relax, yet another plant demands my attention. Weather: We've had a mixed bag of weather this week. A couple of days of hot weather at the... Continue Reading →
This week's Six on Saturday's gardening endeavours have once again been set against a backdrop of intermittent showers, sun and strong winds. I'm not complaining. We desperately need the rain. The only downside is the mosquitoes that are always so delighted to see me when I venture out into the garden. The daily temperatures have... Continue Reading →
Six things that are happening in my garden this week. Hence Six on Saturday hosted by Jim. Where has this week gone? It seems like only yesterday I was preparing last week's Six on Saturday gardening post. 1. Drought in the Algarve The heavens finally opened and we have been blessed with heavy rain for... Continue Reading →
Weather in January We have had a mixed bag of weather this January. Everything from Southerly winds, Atlantic storms, heavy rain, night temperatures just above freezing to temperatures around 20C and brilliant sunshine. We have our own micro-climate by the sea. A few miles inland in the valley is much colder so what grows well... Continue Reading →
Several years ago, I bought a kumquat tree to grow in a pot. Poor thing struggled, and its leaves were always yellow. I was advised this was due to either too much water or not enough. An iron deficiency or whatever, so I bought various expensive commercial feeds, and they did not make that much... Continue Reading →
My Six on Saturday this week is another mixed bag of the joys of growing vegetables. We still have not had rain (apart from mizzle and sea mist) and I confess this is a cause for concern as I read unless we have rain soon there will not be enough water to see the Algarve... Continue Reading →
I am curious. While removing and disposing of some tomato plants that had contracted the dreaded blight I wondered if I should dispose of the remaining soil in the pots or would the UV rays from the sun kill any blight bacteria? Apparently, high UV kills COVID-19 virus on surfaces so why not blight, especially... Continue Reading →
My Gnome has been SUPER busy with a new project. After seeing a friend's three-bin composting system, Gnome kindly agreed to construct something similar to replace my old single bin plastic composter. I try to recycle/upcycle everything so what we will use this for I'm not sure. At the moment I am leaning towards... Continue Reading →
This week I have mainly focused on creating colour in the living areas of the garden. aka, the terraces, pool and in the Gin garden. Although, if am honest, I have not had much time for 'chillaxing' in said Gin garden as there is always some area of the garden screaming for attention, especially as... Continue Reading →
In these uncertain times we all need an anchor in our lives to help keep us sane, so the commitment to grow all my fruit and veg from seeds is mine. The seeds and compost may have cost a small fortune, which will make the produce gold-plated if and when it grows, but this is... Continue Reading →
For my Six on Saturday this week I will focus on my vegetable and strawberry challenges. This week has brought another mixed bag of weather with temperatures ranging from 3C at night to 20C in the day on our sunny sheltered terrace. Northerly icy winds followed by heavy rain confirmed it was still winter rather... Continue Reading →
Piglet in Portugal 