Gardening, the simple metaller's simple pleasure

[mugz]

you can plant beds directly with seeds, if the beds are sheltered from wind, but if you want to go for simple you can't go wrong with lavender, rosemary, and thyme. Once you plant them they look after themselves and can handle the colder damper weather, whereas the majority of other herbs need pots and window ledges and don't always do well weather-wise.

[Bigmac]

I have some rosemary, thyme and sage in one little bed that I'm filling with perennials. I planted these outside a few years ago, gave them no attention, and they're flying, so they're a good bet.

I also have parsley, coriander, dill and loads of basil. I companion plant basil with each of my tomatoes, so there's a big surplus of it that. Basil would need to be indoors, mine are in the poly tunnel, coriander can be a bit sensitive to bolting too in warm weather, so it's best to sow every 4 to 6 weeks for a constant supply.

The parsley and dill should be grand outdoors, but it also depends on what you like to eat yourself. Like I wouldn't eat much dill but I use it to make dill pickles.

So overall I don't think you can go much wrong with rosemary, thyme, parsley and dill outdoors, and some basil in a pot indoors on a sunny windowsill.

I've just finished eating my way through the first early potatoes, second earlies are coming up next week, and I've tonnes of broad beans I've been making my way through. Pickled some of the cucumbers and gherkins, along with some nasturtium seeds. The first tomatoes are starting to ripen too,  and the lettuce has been getting munched on for months now. Good times.

Still waiting for the first egg from the chickens, lazy shits.

Tis nice to walk out to this when you want a little escape from things:

[mugz]

there's a sense in which everything in that photo is perfectly Irish. If someone had never been to Ireland, they'd get the atmosphere right away; more than Dublin city centre, more than ye olde pub in ballywhatever.

[Emphyrio]

Thanks for the replies. That should set me on my way.

[Bigmac]

there's a sense in which everything in that photo is perfectly Irish. If someone had never been to Ireland, they'd get the atmosphere right away; more than Dublin city centre, more than ye olde pub in ballywhatever.

Yeah there's definitely a real feeling of being 'home', in surroundings like that. A clearer sense of belonging, rather than somewhere to merely lay your head.

I've been saving up a deposit for some land a a cottage in the countryside where I can really kick things up a gear. The chickens are great, but I'd love space for more animals, and to really start growing enough to fully survive on.

Speaking of chickens, they look a bit cramped in that above photo, but I built them this the other day, so they're all good now:

[mugz]

My advice is if you have some degree of privacy in a suburban area, stay there. The acres in the country thing sounds great but isn't.  As bad as cities are, the countryside proper is as bad in similar ways; finding a place in a medium size town or near somewhere like that is the aim, which it looks like you have already.

[mugz]

Thanks for the replies. That should set me on my way.

there are so many places closed now with overgrown plants and borders, so you could 'borrow' clippings from here and there.

[Bigmac]

My advice is if you have some degree of privacy in a suburban area, stay there. The acres in the country thing sounds great but isn't.  As bad as cities are, the countryside proper is as bad in similar ways; finding a place in a medium size town or near somewhere like that is the aim, which it looks like you have already.

Yeah I get that they all have their drawbacks, I just think my heart is in a quite country cottage with some fields to roam. I've been going shooting most weekends now too, so some of my own land to hunt on would be ideal in the future. I'm currently in Dublin, so anything like that is a bit of a drive away.

I figure if I get the basic crop rotation and other key pieces in place in my current small space, it's just a case of working out how much I'd need to multiply each by to get a full year, or close, supply. The only thing really missing is grains.

I do a fair bit of foraging wild edibles and fishing too, so I think I'd be in a decent position to stand on my own two feet in the not too distant future.

[Kurt Cocaine]

My advice is if you have some degree of privacy in a suburban area, stay there. The acres in the country thing sounds great but isn't.  As bad as cities are, the countryside proper is as bad in similar ways; finding a place in a medium size town or near somewhere like that is the aim, which it looks like you have already.

Yeah I get that they all have their drawbacks, I just think my heart is in a quite country cottage with some fields to roam. I've been going shooting most weekends now too, so some of my own land to hunt on would be ideal in the future. I'm currently in Dublin, so anything like that is a bit of a drive away.

I figure if I get the basic crop rotation and other key pieces in place in my current small space, it's just a case of working out how much I'd need to multiply each by to get a full year, or close, supply. The only thing really missing is grains.

I do a fair bit of foraging wild edibles and fishing too, so I think I'd be in a decent position to stand on my own two feet in the not too distant future.

Maybe Varg would rent you a shed?

[Bigmac]

A man can dream.

[mugz]

My advice is if you have some degree of privacy in a suburban area, stay there. The acres in the country thing sounds great but isn't.  As bad as cities are, the countryside proper is as bad in similar ways; finding a place in a medium size town or near somewhere like that is the aim, which it looks like you have already.

Yeah I get that they all have their drawbacks, I just think my heart is in a quite country cottage with some fields to roam. I've been going shooting most weekends now too, so some of my own land to hunt on would be ideal in the future. I'm currently in Dublin, so anything like that is a bit of a drive away.

I figure if I get the basic crop rotation and other key pieces in place in my current small space, it's just a case of working out how much I'd need to multiply each by to get a full year, or close, supply. The only thing really missing is grains.

I do a fair bit of foraging wild edibles and fishing too, so I think I'd be in a decent position to stand on my own two feet in the not too distant future.

Maybe Varg would rent you a shed?

let's find out!

[Kurt Cocaine]

 

[Bigmac]

Damn, I really dropped the ball on that response. Well done, mugz.

[mugz]

Any ideas for a natural weedkiller? Have a load of thistles coming up in the back garden, got rid of most of them last year with roundup, but now the kids are older and will be outside more I don't want to go so severe

you'll want to avoid roundup altogether; generally all that stuff isn't worth it in gardening or health terms. There's no way to avoid carefully digging out the thistles & as much root as you can, though there is a case for maintaining a patch specifically for nettles and thistles

[mugz]

Damn, I really dropped the ball on that response. Well done, mugz.

personally I'd find it exhausting living in inland hillbilly France with a mad Norwegian and his larp-wife, and larp-kids.

you'd be on edge 24/7; yes ok it's not likely to happen, thankfully.