Potting corner

 This weekend I continued with my autum clean up and moved onto the potting area. I'd always intended to put some more shelving in there, so I went to Bunnings and picked up this wooden kitset shelf. It wasn't too bad to put together actually - easier than those horrible galvanised shelves I've used in the past, and it can be painted - bonus! It has the holes for the shelves pre-drilled, but there are extra holes too, so you can customise it to a certain extent. I decided to leave the bottom shelf off so I could stack large pots underneath. I put the extra shelf in the middle of the unit for holding saucers and other small things.

 So after a coat of my unifying dark green paint I put the shelf in its new home. The pots fitted under and around it nicely. To the right, under the piece of old carpet (and behind the vintage mirror that I still have to find a perfect garden spot for), is my worm farm. I thought all the worms had died but I had a quick look anyway, and to my surprise found several living worms. I put some more food scraps in for them, but they don't eat the food very quickly - I hadn't fed them for months prior.

 Pots, punnets and plants. I have more punnets than I need and it's a waste to throw them out. I wonder if someone would come and take them if I put them on Trade Me for $1.00...

 I was gutted to lose several aged terracotta pots in the quake. It takes about 3-4 years to get a good patina on there. The ones at the front are new, just starting the aging process. Winter weather helps!

These bags are holding unmatured compost. As I was tidying up it became clear that I would need to start another compost heap, so I emptied out one of the bins. I put it in these bags in the hope that it will break down just as well in them as in the bin.

For the new heap, I layered autumn leaves, grass clippings, old potting mix out of pots, and ash from the pellet fire. I haven't really made a proper layered heap before, as I usually just throw things in as I come across them. We'll see if it makes any difference!

 Some of the last autumn flowers in reclaimed glass bottles brighten up the table.

 Here's the just-a-tad-bit-wonky shelving on the fence. It makes a nice display area.

 Some brave little bulbs making an early showing. The hoop petticoats in the blue pot put out lots of foliage every year, but I've only ever had one flower. I keep meaning to just chuck them in the garden somewhere and forget about them.

Well, glasshouse and potting corner are done. Next weekend is the shed, the worst of the lot. Can't wait.

My potting corner

I had some quality pottering time in the garden this weekend. Above is the potager, half completed. The right hand side is done... the circle paths are laid and (most of) the ground is planted. I have potatoes in the big patch closest to the camera, and chives alongside the central straight path. I know, they look like overgrown grass, but that's only because the overgrown grass growing over the unlaid brick path is making you think that! Once I get those bricks in and the grass tidied up, the chives will look charming and rustic. 'Kay?

Basically the whole left side is still unplanted, because there's no point doing that yet when I'll be trampling all over the whole thing putting the paths in. (The bricks are laid out on top of the ground, but not yet set in.)

Anyway. See back in the corner of the property behind the shed? That's my new potting corner. It's been designed to be home to all the useful but unsightly, or currently un-useful, things that don't fit in my shed.

In the bottom right hand corner is my apple tree "Baujade". It will hopefully screen that area off even more as it grows. Weeds are a major problem in this area of the garden (especially the dreaded convulvulus and oxalis) so I covered a lot of ground with weedmat. Around the apple tree I spread some dirt and sprinkled grass seed and a few wildflower seeds. If it looks like the picture in my head, I'll have a romantic mini-meadow here.

I've got some sweet peas growing in front of the trellis which will help with the screening too. When I put that trellis up, I was imagining hanging bunches of garlic and onions up to dry on it in autumn. Looking forward to that day...

Here are my compost bins. I just love making compost! The act of literally turning rubbish into a product that you usually pay money for really appeals to me, and it's such an easy thing to make. I have three bins so I always have something to be added to while the rest is brewing. I put my compost bins on tarpaulins to stop vigorous weeds from growing through.


This area is also a graveyard for spent bulbs, where they can gather their energy to bloom next season. The green metal stick on the left is my compost turner. It has sort of a corkscrew at the base and as you turn the top it burrows into the compost, which makes it easy to stir and turn.

This side still needs to be organised - I'm going to put a shelving unit up to tidy up all those pots. Then I'll actually be able to reach the potting bench!

This is a sort of avenue, or it will be once the trees grow! There are 2 apples and a feijoa.

Here's the part of the potager I've got planted up - from left to right are green broccoli, purple broccoli, pak choi, and garlic interspersed with some pak choi. In the small wedge shaped garden at the front is a row of spring onions and a tiny little rosemary cutting. I haven't quite decided what else to put here but it could end up being herbs.

This post was brought to you by the letters p-o-t... as used in the words potager, potting corner, pottering, compost and pots. And that makes me think that I've spent a bit too much time thinking about this post and it's time to go sautee some leeks for tea.