My Vegetable Patch

Last year I started making use of our garden for the first time in more practical ways. I don't class myself as being green fingered and quite frankly I didn't and still don't do a very good job of keeping my in house plants watered and alive...I leave that to my husband. But I thought it would be a good project for me and the boys to get stuck in to and show them where food comes from. Last year I was very successful at growing courgettes but maybe a little less successful at getting my children and even my husband to enjoy eating them. We did have great fun growing a pumpkin and that was readily eaten in the form of pumpkin soup. My carrots on the otherhand looked grotesque and deformed and the stony soil proved to be too hard for them to grow nice and straight. This year I thought I would focus more on salad plants like lettuces, peppers and tomatoes. I have attempted carrots again but this time planted them in a pot and filled it with fresh soil...no stones. We have a few chilli plants growing and some broadbeans and my favourite...sugarsnap peas. 

 Not to be forgot though are my strawberry plants that now in their second year of growth should provide us with some juicy strawberries and the plant nearest to you in the picture below has been started by my mother who is conducting her own experiments and just started growing vegetables and fruit herself. It's a melon plant! Now this might be fun, I will certainly be keeping you updated on it's growth. My mum started off 4 of these plants and now they are all in different locations and types of gardens across the country from southern regions to northern regions, from shady back yards to sunny gardens. I'm hoping ours does well.

 Here are my broadbeans that I noticed today have just started producing their pods. It's very exciting to see and I'm looking forward to tasting this years produce.

As well as what you can see in these pictures we also have a rhubarb plant in our back garden that is a faithful producer of rhubarb, a plum tree that produces vast quantities, a raspberry plant in it's second year of growth and an apple tree.

Vegetables and fruit are generally left to me to deal with, but the flowers and lawns are my husband's domain. Here are some of the roses that are growing and there will be much appreciated thanks to anyone who can identify what type of rose is featured in the picture immediately below, the gorgeous pink and yellow variety. It was present in the garden when we moved in and I love it but no idea what variety it is.