sprouting for girls

I have a convert!

farewell purl cottage garden

Today Pearl and I made the most of the break in the storms and got stuck into a spot of gardening.

The first thing I did was pot up this beautiful Acer Atropurpureum that I sent off for on a free Gardener's World Magazine offer. I had been planning to buy one anyway for our new garden, as I just adore acers- they must be my very favourite plant. Something about the delicate structure bobbing about in the breeze and the way the leaves turn the most breathtaking crimson really gets me excited.

I do hope this one goes on to flourish into a superb potted tree that we can keep forever, wherever we're living...

I could tell you that the rest of the garden was looking stunning in all its Autumnal glory...

 but really, that would be a big fat lie.

It actually looks like this...

As you can see, the grim reality has kicked in. We are going to be leaving our beloved garden behind- the shed has been emptied, the strawberry plants lifted and, most painful of all, the faithful veg box has been cleared. 

I've had to harvest my Brussels sprouts rather prematurely- these emerald beauties were ear-marked for Christmas, but I don't really fancy frozen sprouts with my Christmas dinner, so I think they're now crying out to be pan-fried with pancetta... mmmmmm.

So, tonight I'm drowning my sorrows with some margaritas and a little extra help from some of my dad's finest...

Farewell Purl Cottage garden. 

You will be sorely missed.

strange fruit

Of all the plants I have this year the two I had the least faith in producing fruit were my cucumber plant and peppers. But this week I have watched in amazement as these very plants have come up trumps, with fruit that actually looks like it's going to be perfectly edible.

The cucumbers are growing thick and fast- one will be ready to pick very soon, and there are about six others not far behind.


And I have a pepper! Granted, it's only one solitary rather small pepper (probably not much to shout about when I have been nurturing two pepper plants since April) but a pepper, none the less.

I have also sown the last of my peas to eat as pea-shoot salad..

and am watching the sprout plants getting very large, but a little nibbled by the hatchling cabbage-white caterpillars I keep having to remove from the underside of the leaves.


I hope they don't eat them all- I am looking forward to home grown sprouts on Christmas day!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

PS we have a very exciting new gardening venture in its early stages of planning- news about this will follow tomorrow......

rhubarb and custard

We visited the in-laws yesterday and came back with more rhubarb from their patch than you could shake a stick at.

Tonight, after the girls had their Sunday night bath, Flora and I chopped up their pink stems and prepared a delicious crumble, topping it off with creamy custard and scoffing it for supper. The rest of the rhubarb was swapped with one of my neighbours for some of his dried chillies.

Meanwhile, the garden has really benefited from the first overnight rain shower for weeks- the sprout seeds have finally germinated and the strawberry plants are already coming into flower. Various seedlings on my windowsills are ready to plant out, but that job will have to wait until later in the week as I have totally run out of energy this evening. Time to snuggle up with some knitting and a brew!