Friday 20 March 2020

Swords to ploughshares I


I've been working on a new terrain feature for BigRedBat Mansions (above). The feature is designed to fit a 300cm grid, and the 180cm mini is included for size comparison purposes, only.


It sits in a formerly unused portion of the garden that was formerly a dump for unwanted paving stones.


On Wednesday I had an excellent chippy build a wooden retaining wall, so two sides are now fortified, with impassible terrain on a third.

Flippancy aside, this is going to be one of a number of a number of garden projects that I plan to fit in alongside the wargaming, this year. In response to Covid, I intend to turn a good portion of the garden over to vegetables, with the intention of feeding the family and, hopefully, generating a useful surplus that we can give away, locally, since food is likely to be at something of a premium later this year. We are all going to be spending more time at home, and I can testify (after digging just a single square metre of the new area) that gardening is excellent exercise! March/April is also a great time of year to be planting stuff out. Feel free to join me "Digging for Victory over Covid!" Stay tuned for more posts over the coming weeks...

14 comments:

tradgardmastare said...

Great plan! I am already chitting potatoes and tidying the garden towards growing produce. Seed compost arrived today. I look forward to seeing how you proceed.

Steve J. said...

My potatoes chitting too but too cold and wet to go in the ground yet. I grow them in buckets as well so trip to B&Q tomorrow to buy compost.

BigRedBat said...

Thanks chaps. I have also been looking at seed potatoes. I am a relatively novice gardener; if I can grow stuff, then anyone can!

BigRedBat said...

Buckets! Now there's an idea. :-) I have a couple of huge reinforced cardboard boxes that I am planning to turn into temporary planters, might try them with potatoes...

Matt Crump said...

Good luck with that...but remember there is no food shortage. It is just being stored in peoples kitchens rather than in shops.

BigRedBat said...

I think it's pretty likely that there won't be as much fresh food about as in a normal year. If there is, well it's no problem, I can always compost the surplus.

David said...

Keeps you fit! No doubt it will taste better as well.

Prufrock said...

Good plan, BRB!

Bluewillow said...

Good plan, it is always good to grow your own food anyway, best of luck with the project it is very satisfying to grow your own crops.

I prepared two beds on Wednesday and Thursday, turned the compost, trimmed the fruit trees (three cherry, two plumb and a pomme sauvage, and have quite a few vegetables in the seeding pots ready for planting after the 24th March (rising moon) onions, potatos, capsicum, tomatoes, cucumber. New seeds go in before the 1st of April, possibly lettuce if the weather remains fine, ready for planting the next crop, and I continue with the moon phases for the rest of the year.

Last year we made over 80 jars of Jam and 40 jars of preserves, gave a lot away, planning on making more pasata this year and pickled goods this year as we are almost out. Although we have a lot of plum Jam left, and pickled onions which I cooked with today!

Cheers
Matt
French Wargame Holidays

BigRedBat said...

Thansk chaps!

Mi Matt, that sounds like proper gardening! I have some fruit trees, too, plan to look into them once the new beds are ready. Passata is an interesting idea, might have a go, here, if we have a tomato surplus. Best, Simon

ICM said...

I am in awe of you gardeners; everything I touch dies shortly afterwards. That saaid, I too am putting a planter together for herbs and I've just come off the hill where I foraged my first harvest of wild garlic. Think pesto; wild garlic butter; soups; and flowers in salads. Then do some painting!

Ian

Paul Scrivens-Smith said...

A very sensible and useful terrain feature. I'll have to stick to tomatoes and peppers in pots on our balcony.

BigRedBat said...

Hi Paul, I'm currently working on a two-box feature at the far end of the garden. :-)

diakwargame.blogspot.com said...

Cool Elephants!