Ups and downs

So it's been a frantic couple of weeks with lots of changes. I've been working on a number of garden projects alongside the chillies with the aim of including a little bit for everyone in the family.

The first major build was the raised beds. Tucked in the corner of the garden these sleeper-built beds will grow some fresh salad crops for the kitchen as well as some marigolds to attract the beneficial insects. 

Raised beds fully planted, the peas are still in hiding, the cloches seem to be keeping the pigeons off at least.

Next up was the forest bed - a mixture of ferns, tree stumps and rocks tucked in the shade beneath the cotoneaster tree. 

Finally, and most critically, is the greenhouse build. I've just received a toughened 8'x6' greenhouse, complete with louvres and auto vents for plenty of ventilation. The concrete base has been built and the ground prepared. I've assembled the galvanised base and we'll erect and glaze it on the weekend.

Hopefully I'll have something left to put in the greenhouse. After a disastrous episode with an over concentrated soap spray (and forgetting to wash it off afterwards) I've managed to kill nearly all of the seedlings and damage most of the young plants. They've now been washed off and moved iutside to the small growhouse in a hope that the sunshine and fresh air will aid their recovery. 

The little growhouse, dragged out if retirement and housing the few remaining plants that survived the winter and the haphazard care.