On Friday Lloyd and I are going on a very special holiday to somewhere I've never been before, but Lloyd has, several times. Bali. Lloyd has a significant birthday this year, as does another friend of ours, Dan, so we're all heading off to Bali together. It's so exciting and couldn't really have come at a better time for me as my stress level - due to building work, mud and rain, has almost reached as high as I would like it to be! That being said it's SO much better since the bathroom was finished. (Oh for those who have asked for more photos, it's incredibly difficult to photograph! It's a tiny room with not much natural light and nothing looks like it really does when I try to take photos, so you can take my word for it, it's flipping gorgeous!)
Anyway the point of this post!
I want to get my seeds into their pots before we leave. If I wait till we get back they'll be 2 weeks behind where I want them to be, so today I made about a gazillion paper pots.
I find it very therapeutic, actually. What I do is work out what I want to plant, then make out a ground plan of where I want the things to be in the veggie garden. I've been doing this for a few years now so that I rotate things around.
After I've done this I think about how many of each thing I want to plant. Like tomatoes - this year I'm going to go for somewhere between 10 and 12 plants.
So once I've done that it's just a case of adding everything up to see how many pots I need. I make big ones for the tomatoes ( I don't fill them right up with compost initially, so that when the plants start to grow I can top up the compost a few times, this means that the stem is nice and strong, with long roots.) Big ones for the courgettes as well.
Everything else gets small pots.
And as I said last year these get planted out ~ round about October time ~ pot and all, as it just bio-degrades into the soil and the little roots don't get damaged.
Tomorrow's job is to plant everything and make sure they're all labelled.
I shall be tying my wee greenhouses to the deck, and the shelves to the greenhouse this year so as not to have a disaster like last year - HERE'S the sob story.
Good luck with your plants, and I hope you have a happy holiday.
ReplyDeleteThank you! We're so looking forward to it xx
ReplyDeleteGood reminder to me to get my planting in order! Have a fantastic trip - post pics!!
ReplyDeleteAren't you a lucky duck. I have never been to Bali but have always wanted to travel there. Have a safe and wonderful trip.
ReplyDeleteYou know, those pots are a really good idea. I'm thinking I might give some a go when I run out of the things I'm currently using. Thanks. Have a wonderful holiday.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite place in the world. The gardens are amazing - everything grows so quickly. Make sure you spend heaps of time in and around Ubud, soaking up the sounds of ducks and chimes in the rice paddies. Have a great trip.
ReplyDeleteOh we're staying in ubud! It's going to be blissful xx
ReplyDeleteHi Laura, now very jealous. A cut and paste from one of my trip advisor posts. Hope it is helpful. "Try Naughty Nuris up the road for dinner. Great ribs and the most fantastic tuna sashimi on a Thursday night. Here you will sit with others on big tables and its a great opportunity to meet others from the most far flung places.
ReplyDeleteMurnis is good for dinner or lunch. Make sure you ask if there is room on the bottom terrace!
Head to Siam Sallys in the late afternoon (try and get there before dark so you can enjoy the view from the upper level) and partake in their superb ginger martinis (two for one happy hour) great thai food.
We always use the same driver for day trips and that mad last minute rush around buying gifts etc for everyone. Nyoman has good english, excellent local knowledge, a lovely clean four wheel drive with extra seats and will endeavour to find whatever you are looking for (this time I wanted bird cages!). Contact: nyomansukerta@yahoo.co.id mobile: 0361976429. "