Just a little update with my garden.
Not much at all has happened recently apart from some apples falling and a bit of raking and ripping out weeds!

BUT tomorrow I’m hoping to sow those seeds but need some final help.

B&Q or Homebase? (currently 10% off at homebase). What is the best one for a spot of garden shopping?

I can't find any sand anywhere but my mum can get hold of some cheap play sand for kids play areas, will this be ok?

Also, I looked for top-soil and there is no way I’m paying £50+ for a ton of mud, but I managed to find 20ltr bags in Poundstretcher which contain fertiliser so I’m going to go with that. Anyone see this as a big problem?

Remember I am on a TIGHT budget.

Thanks in advance!

The message
from mbwest contains these words:

Just a little update with my garden.
Not much at all has happened recently apart from some apples falling
and a bit of raking and ripping out weeds!

BUT tomorrow I’m hoping to sow those seeds but need some final help.

B&Q or Homebase? (currently 10% off at homebase). What is the best one
for a spot of garden shopping?

Never been in either, so I can't help. 10% is relative: 10% off how much?

I can't find any sand anywhere but my mum can get hold of some cheap
play sand for kids play areas, will this be ok?

Sharp sand - ideal.

Also, I looked for top-soil and there is no way I’m paying £50+ for a
ton of mud, but I managed to find 20ltr bags in Poundstretcher which
contain fertiliser so I’m going to go with that. Anyone see this as a
big problem?

Nope.

Remember I am on a TIGHT budget.

I'm not surprised, with the price of beer in Westminster being what it is.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

Thanks for the help again, i went to B&Q and it was good, good stuff and good prices.

I ended up buying WAY too much and had to pay a cab to take half.

I got 5x100ltr bags of bark chipping, it says per bag it covers 4sqm, so I also think i need about the same again.

I got 5x35ltr top soil bags at about £3 each.

I got a long 'claw'.

I got that fine sand i was looking for, about £1 and also managed to get the cement and builders sand i needed to raise the level of the wall.

Oh and i also accidently brought 6x20ltr bags of compost. Ooops. I thought it was top soil but that was in the smaller bags only. Never mind. I also spent 20mins in "instore" believing i was in B&Q (same colour codes etc) and complained that it said they were open for another 2hrs when they shut.

I also looked for weed and feed and all of the boxes said you need to wait for atleast 6months until you can use it on new lawn. - Is this usual.

I also got some slow release fertiliser granuals to sprinkle into the soil. good idea? bad idea?

So i should be giving the garden another go tomorrow and hopefully, FINALLY getting those seeds down.

Let me know if you have any suggestions/last minute tips and thankyou for all your help!

Yes the prices of beer in Westminster are terrible but fortunatly there are still a few student bars i can go to, but i do notice the difference as i regularly shoot with the army where it is about 70p a pint!

I did notice today that each one of those BIG bags of bark i bought say they cover 4sqm and I have 5 bags making that 20sqm but my garden is 66sqm so i would need atleast another 10 Now that looks like a lot, infact it looks like too much, i mean we are talking 500ltr of the stuff. Do you think it will still do the job, maybe just not as good?

Thanks ;)

Ok today i started cementing my wall at about 7/8pm.

I got most of it done but it needs about 10 more bricks and we ran out of cement, i actually had to get 2 lamps from my room to finish off the last of the cement.

I also managed to loose my keys and had to climb up to the 1st floor kitchen window to get back in.

All in all we got the majority done so it's ok, i also had a go at cementing (myfriend is a builder and he showed me how). So next week i am going to cement in the seating area and put the rockery down and then lay the lawn at the end of it all. Finally finished just after 10pm.

Off to B&Q again, ill try not too buy soo much this time

There still seems to be SOO much glass and rocks in my garden ever after taking a lot out, oooh, it's hard work.

How is everyone elses garden going? any big problems?

Eileen i'm also curious as to how big your garden is. You say you have an organic garden which means that you have to pull those weeds out by hand and/or dig them up. The thing is as my garden isn't massive, 66sqm soil/soon to be grass area, i would have thought that digging a hole for every weed would make my garden look real patchy.

Also what weed and feed do you use? if any.

In article , mbwest mbwest.1qwk81@gar
denbanter.co.uk writes

Eileen i'm also curious as to how big your garden is. You say you have
an organic garden which means that you have to pull those weeds out by
hand and/or dig them up. The thing is as my garden isn't massive, 66sqm
soil/soon to be grass area, i would have thought that digging a hole for
every weed would make my garden look real patchy.

Pulling up most weeds doesn't leave any obvious sign. Even when you have
to dig up a bit, you re-smooth the soil. Certainly looks better than
patches of dead weeds from weedkiller!

Unless you're a fan of those gardens where the flower beds are expanses
of soil with the odd flower dotted around (or even planted in tidy
straight lines) then the plants you are keeping will be so thick that
you won't notice that any weeds have been pulled out! And you certainly
won't want to risk weedkiller near your precious plants.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

I am hoping to have a lawn and that is what i am worried about, if i get weeds coming through that i have to dig up then i'll have patches in my lawn won't i?

In article , mbwest mbwest.1qxhk0@gar
denbanter.co.uk writes

I am hoping to have a lawn and that is what i am worried about, if i
get weeds coming through that i have to dig up then i'll have patches
in my lawn won't i?

Yes, you're right, a lawn consisting entirely of grass is probably
incompatible with the organic approach.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

The message
from mbwest contains these words:

/snip/

Oh and i also accidently brought 6x20ltr bags of compost. Ooops. I
thought it was top soil but that was in the smaller bags only. Never
mind. I also spent 20mins in "instore" believing i was in B&Q (same
colour codes etc) and complained that it said they were open for
another 2hrs when they shut.

Never mind - mix the compost with the topsoil and the grass will be all
the better for it.

I also looked for weed and feed and all of the boxes said you need to
wait for atleast 6months until you can use it on new lawn. - Is this
usual.

Yes. At *LEAST* six months.

I also got some slow release fertiliser granuals to sprinkle into the
soil. good idea? bad idea?

Unnecessary, but I can't see that it would hurt.

/snip/

Yes the prices of beer in Westminster are terrible but fortunatly there
are still a few student bars i can go to, but i do notice the difference
as i regularly shoot with the army where it is about 70p a pint!

Humffff! When I used to shoot on army ranges there wasn't even a
shelter, except the overhang of the butts. And it was often a half-mile
march back to the barracks.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from mbwest contains these words:

I am hoping to have a lawn and that is what i am worried about, if i
get weeds coming through that i have to dig up then i'll have patches
in my lawn won't i?

Buy a 'touch' weedkiller. You apply it straight on to individual plants
with a brush or sponge - the latter usually comes with the bottle.

But really, if you pull up the weedlings as they appear, you shouldn't
need to.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/