Excess Baggage.

 It's been a funny old day. We went shopping. That threw me into a fit of despair as everything is almost unaffordable. We went for 'gardening stuff' and bought quite a bit from Poundland and Aldi. I bought two very big bags that I can use to drag waste to the tip in and general use around the garden. We bought summer flower tubers/bulb which we will put in pots and we bought plant feed and slug exterminator (the jeffin' things eat almost everything I plant!). I'm growing in bags again this year, the potatoes are in and just starting to show signs of life.

 Foster Mummy's beans have been planted in this posh, bought new from a real garden shop bag, with pole holes, the poles in bags that I used last year kept falling down and didn't stay upright.......I hope the £7.99 bag will do the trick.

 The fruit in pots is looking quite sorry for itself. The white currants are doing well, but the black currants don't seem to be doing any thing at all. Is this the same for anyone else?

 Everything is coming along in the poly tunnel although most of it gets eaten by slugs and snails, I bought two huge pots of slug killer from Aldi which I compared with the stuff from the proper garden centre and it was less than half the price. If you have one near you, then pop down and get some, it's only £2.10 each. Now it's had a sprinkling of chemical warfare against snails, the plants might stand more of a chance.

 I've also masses of borders to get through. I have weeded the front border, which is looking much better and I'm enjoying the azaleas whilst they last. I now need to find/but some aesthetically pleasing and yet effective mulch to stop it drying out and try and hold back the weeds. We will try (again) to sell our house next year so this year will be about preparing the house and garden (with next to no budget) to appeal to the mass market and make sure we sell it for a price that will allow us to move.

I've moved the 'veggie' pots this year to the side of the house, it's in full sun until 4 pm and the patio was just too exposed, windy and hot. This is only my second year of growing fruit and veg and I'm still learning as I go along. My garden is on the side of a hill, south facing, dry, windy and not the easiest to garden. I'm looking forward to an easier garden in my downsized and simplified future. In fact, my next home will be chosen on the basis of the garden and how it will be part of our sustainable future.