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The Village Grapevine Interviews and Garden Blogs

Plenty of colour out there today on my puppy walk with Ruby today from to
20/09/2025

Plenty of colour out there today on my puppy walk with Ruby today from to

Off to there new home at a local primary school!!!!The are quite big so dug a big hole in a sheltered area next to an...
09/09/2025

Off to there new home at a local primary school!!!!
The are quite big so dug a big hole in a sheltered area next to an old tree stump in there nature area, added some of there old home and topped up with more soil, twigs and other decaying earthy things! Hope you enjoy your new home and the kids enjoy you when the time comes!!


earth

Before this old stump gets ground I thought I would check for any inhabitants!! About 30 of them.Going to see if the loc...
09/09/2025

Before this old stump gets ground I thought I would check for any inhabitants!! About 30 of them.
Going to see if the local school would like them for there nature area🤞🏻

Smoothly does it! Some new steps to get you down the side of the house to the lower gardens. Quite a steep drop in a as ...
07/09/2025

Smoothly does it! Some new steps to get you down the side of the house to the lower gardens. Quite a steep drop in a as it happens!
So using some treated 🪵 we started at the top. We had to add a couple of landings and a turn to keep the steps manageable but down we got! Some nice rope balustrade gives the customer the peace of mind and safety at the steepest areas!!!

Extension to a fence we constructed a couple of years back! This time enclosing of a corner off, to keep the dogs safe w...
07/09/2025

Extension to a fence we constructed a couple of years back! This time enclosing of a corner off, to keep the dogs safe when other things are going on elsewhere in the garden!! The matching gate gives easy access to the area and looks great as well!

Fabulous purple 🫘 and flowers on my Mrs Lewis Purple Pod from Mentioned in a 1979 Thrower book. The plants grow to ar...
30/07/2025

Fabulous purple 🫘 and flowers on my Mrs Lewis Purple Pod from

Mentioned in a 1979 Thrower book. The plants grow to around 2m in height with purple stems and very dark leaves. Small purple flowers are followed by bright, shiny, flat purple pods which, when young, are delicious steamed. The dried beans have a lovely nutty flavour.

There’s a new threat on the plot!!!! This one pinches your 🧄 & 🧅 while you’re trimming them up, and anything else she ca...
28/07/2025

There’s a new threat on the plot!!!! This one pinches your 🧄 & 🧅 while you’re trimming them up, and anything else she can get her 🦷 around!
❌ I will point out I very quickly relived her of the 🧄 as they are quite poisonous if eaten by dogs ❌ Allotments are great places for puppies to indulge their senses and digging!!!! But keep your 👀 peeled on the plot with furry friends!!!!!
garden

After repeated attacks by slugs & 🐌 the 🍺 traps have worked and at third time of asking my Runner 🫘 are up and away (aga...
30/06/2025

After repeated attacks by slugs & 🐌 the 🍺 traps have worked and at third time of asking my Runner 🫘 are up and away (again)

garden

🥔 Let’s talk… potato scab! 😬Dug up the earlies and spotted the dreaded scab? Don’t panic — it’s more common than you thi...
29/06/2025

🥔 Let’s talk… potato scab! 😬

Dug up the earlies and spotted the dreaded scab? Don’t panic — it’s more common than you think and mostly cosmetic. The skins might be rough or patchy, but the spuds inside are still perfectly edible (just peel them and carry on!).

Scab is usually caused by dry soil, high pH, or too much fresh manure. This year’s dry spring didn’t help — and some varieties are just more prone than others.

Tips for next time?
🌿 Keep soil evenly moist while tubers are forming
🌿 Avoid lime or fresh muck before planting
🌿 Try resistant varieties like ‘Charlotte’ or ‘Maris Peer’

Remember — scabby spuds are still good spuds! Just not the prettiest in the bowl.

Have you had scab this year? Or are your tatties blemish-free and smug?

🥔 First Earlies Are In! 🌱There’s nothing quite like the thrill of tipping out that first pot of earlies — little golden ...
29/06/2025

🥔 First Earlies Are In! 🌱

There’s nothing quite like the thrill of tipping out that first pot of earlies — little golden treasures dusted in soil and still warm from the sun. These are Rocket Sharpes Express & Swift, and true to their names, they were up and ready in no time.

Planted out in the chilly blush of March, they have been quietly doing their thing beneath the surface. A handful of seaweed feed, a watchful eye for blight, and a bit of muttering at slugs — and here we are.

Boiled gently with a sprig of mint and a good dollop of butter and sat on a plate next to salad and a piece of steak that’s dinner sorted.

Anyone else harvesting their first spuds this week? What variety are you growing?

Trying to stay out of the scorching ☀️ (34c) Having a flick through the best magazine I know of!!!And found a full page ...
29/06/2025

Trying to stay out of the scorching ☀️ (34c)
Having a flick through the best magazine I know of!!!
And found a full page picture of me!!!!

🍎🍓🥒🥔🍋🌽🥕🥦🍅🍄🍇🍏🥗🌰🍄‍🟫🫐🍐🧅

A very unusual thing for my picture to appear it’s normally just my words and pictures I’ve taken.

🥬🍠🫛🥭🌶️🧆🫜🧄🥝🍈🧅🍐🍋‍🟩🍏🍇🥦

And thanks to you can see and read all about when I paid a visit to Quarry Bank a property in Cheshire and engrossed myself in its fantastic kitchen garden!

garden

With an empty pot now the 🧅 have gone.Found these beauties hugely reduced Who said carrots had to be orange?I did a lat...
23/06/2025

With an empty pot now the 🧅 have gone.
Found these beauties hugely reduced

Who said carrots had to be orange?

I did a later sowing of these purple, yellow, white and the classic orange delights last year and they turned out well. Each colour brings something different: the purples are peppery, the yellows are sweet, and they all look stunning on the plate.

There’s something magical about growing food that surprises you when you pull it from the soil. Nature’s full of colour – you’ve just got to dig for it!

garden

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