PINKEYE POTATOES

I've had mixed results so far with the vegetable garden but just look at the lovely  pinkeye potatoes. I might be the only person who can not grow a pumpkin or a yellow zucchini or even the most easy of all vegetables, Blackjack zucchini (for the whole season I have only managed three full sized).  I can now say I grow my own pinkeye's so all is not lost after all. I gently cooked them in water without salt, then tossed them in some butter, snipped chives, a small amount of chopped mint and freshly ground black pepper, totally yum.

NEW YEARS EVE

The year has flown by and the house anniversary has already been celebrated.  My new year resolution is not to make any,  so it seems I have made one after all.  I've spent today updating my links list, paying any unpaid bills, putting away Christmas decorations and poking around in the potato patch (the little potato above is almost to cute to eat).  Furgus is trying his best to stay cool,  I had to cut off some knotted fur as he just will not let me brush him. He bites,  hisses and then when you think he's forgotten about it he will ambush you and bite the back of your leg.  Five brush strokes is all he'll put up with,  it used to be three so maybe by next new years eve I'll be up to ten. 

Have A Happy New Year.

ESTHER DEAN'S GARDENING BOOK

 This little book is an eBay find, the book and postage were less than $10.00 total bargain. My first garden bed was a traditional dig \ de-stone \ weed \ feed and it took weeks to complete the soil was so hard there were so many rocks and the grass just kept coming back. That bed now has two sorts of potatoes thriving so it was worth all the hard work.

Then I read Growing Without Digging it sounded to simple, I've seen  no-dig gardens before and they workout to be quite expensive with lots of layers. Esther Dean's bed construction is straightforward and easy.

1.  make a frame, can be anything
2.  layer newspaper 1\2 cm thick
3.  layer with pads of  lucerne hay

I watered at this point as it was a hot day.

4.  sprinkle organic fertilizer
5.  cover with loose straw about 20cm high
6.  sprinkle some more fertilizer
7.  tip a circle of compost 10cm deep & 45cm across 
I used a potting\compost mix  3\4 compost 1\4 potting mix
8.  plant seeds or seedlings in the circle of compost

9.  lightly cover with loose straw and lightly water 

The photo above shows the the circles of compost and seedlings coming through the straw, you don't have to cover the whole bed with potting\compost mix just in the places you want to plant in. So far they are thriving, the seeds have germinated faster and are healthier.

I'm going to make three small Christmas stockings one for the flatmate, one for the Furgus and one for me. Do other people give their fury friends stockings with more than one gift?  here are two fabric choices so far I think Rudolph will be the flatmates and I'm not sure about the hearts I think I'll use the mushroom fabric from my stash for me. Now just have to find something nice for Furgus,  I must be going mad will a cat even notice the pretty fabric? and do I really care.