Monday 14th July 2008 diary entry
Well it's a lovely day here in the south east uk, but I'm at my desk working hard, because all I hear on the news now is the credit crunch - or recession if you like - recession sounds a bit less gimmicky even if were not officially there yet.

So as well as growing my own food, I'm thinking about solar energy/heating again to save more money this winter. I was talking to a family friend yesterday (over Suday Lunch) and he said that solar panels don't need sunlight, just daylight and are widely used in plenty of countries that get less sun then us here in the UK. I'd always thought they needed sun! I need to get a window from somewhere to start with though. I'll keep you informed :-)

But back to growing food, you know, the only thing I'm having problems with are my courgette plants. The two I have in pots are only producing very small courgettes which then go yellow and wrinkle up. I've tried extra watering and feeding (then they went yellow then soft)

Yet the courgette plant I put in the border seems to be producing one good sized courgette one at a time. Perhaps they need to be in a border, to let their roots run free? Cassie xxx

Moping at my desk ;-)

Friday 11th July 2008 diary entry
12.30 pm Hi! Well the weather this week has been a bit dodgy - think the papers were right - June was the best month. And then there might be a recession. Already is if you're a builder/plumber working on new housing projects by the looks of it. Not great for estate agents either.

At least if food inflation continues, we can just grow our own. I've got all my vegetable patches on the go now. I'm eating my own carrots, lettuce, potatoes and courgettes - and rhubarb tonight! And I could be pulling a few baby/early onions and beetroots if I wanted but I'll let them get a it bigger yet.

Next I'll have my tomatoes, peppers (I already have some half size peppers on the windowsill) runner beans, rhubarb and more gooseberries and strawberries.

For winter, I'll sow winter (lambs) lettuce, rocket, swedes, brocolli and spinach next month (not quite sure where I'll squeeze them in yet ...).

And I can carry on sowing carrots, beetroot and lettuce for a while yet as they're cool weather crops ie don't need much heat. I even put a few left over potatoes in last week, though they won't get huge before the frost kills them.

Then again, with a bit of plastic on those and the other cool weather crops they'll apparently go on producing for 6 weeks longer (mid november?). Then from february it's time to start all over again!

I guess the average family growing their own food would save £40 or £50 or more a week (£200 a month) And families who are wider of girth would save even more lol

And it's virtually no work after the first year - once you've dug lots of soil conditioner into the beds to make the soil finer and fluffier!
Cassie xxx

(click for full size pic)
Picking my lettuces that I have on the patio (Salad Bowl variety) a leaf lettuce - you can pick the leaves as you need them -also my cherry tomato plants

My aims


1. Grow all my own food (well nearly!)

2. Stop nipping to the supermarket all the time and spending more money - especially for salad


3. save money - cut my food bills in half (see above!)


4. just step in the garden to get myfood for my meals (this thought keeps me going when it's pouring of rain ...)


5. keep my garden looking pretty at the same time ie pots on patio and small veg patches between my plants in the border


6. produce my own garden compost (means lots of newspaper shredding)


7. learn how to save my food over the winter - also preserving in jars


8. sow winter lettuce and vegatables too