Smashing Pumpkins...

Breaking news...Father's day interrupts important gardening/blog work! Although I still managed to get plenty done in the garden this weekend, I didn't have the full on veg-fest that I'd counted on.  Myself and Nicole thought it was only fair to drag the hubby's carcass to the pub for a father's day lunch treat, (Nicole thoroughly approved because the pub in question does have a fab little play area AND a bouncy castle...everyone's a winner!)

I did however manage to squeeze in a little trip to a new garden centre en route.  The hubby played a vital role in this as I needed a load of bags of compost and top soil. Way easier to get him to lug them into the car than me doing it! Surely it's what EVERY dad wants to be doing on Father's Day?!

So, back to the homestead, and my next job was to erect a couple more raised beds for the plot.  Feeling a massive need to share some information with you now, people.  The first two raised beds I put down on the patch were from Argos, as I mentioned before.  They were easy enough to put together but a wee bit time consuming.  The latest addition to the plot, quite simply, could not be easier to put together. They are just short of 1 meter squared and took approximately 45 seconds to assemble! They cost me £19.99 from Homebase, are made of wicker and have an internal liner which makes them suitable for use pretty much anywhere. I think they look pretty cute sat next to my original beds.

You may notice, in the background is another new addition to the situation.  He doesn't have a name yet, but when we were looking around the garden centre, (trying to find a new wheelbarrow) Nicole spotted this little beauty. I found it hard to say no, and pretty soon he was winging his way through the checkout and into the back of the car.  I don't have a clue if he will do his job properly, but to be honest, I'm willing to give ANYTHING a try to keep those pesky birds off my crops!

 

So, with two new beds full of compost, my next job was to transfer some more seedlings across.

As I mentioned previously, last week my friend Nick kindly gave me a load of seedlings which she'd cultivated in her greenhouse.  Amongst these were pumpkins and courgettes. I set about planting my pumpkins, making sure they had plenty of space.  However, when I came to look in the box of seedlings, I could only find two courgettes.  I'm sure there were four to start with! I'm now in a bit of a pickle.  I think I've got my pumpkins and courgettes all mixed up! Ooh, the drama! They look so similar, and to be honest I haven't got a clue which are which! Unless any of you tell me that growing them together is going to cause problems on a gigantic scale, I think I'll just leave them as they are, and hopefully find out which are which when they start growing. Or should I say, IF they start growing! Fingers crossed x