This week we’ve managed to complete another of our ‘major jobs for 2025′ – building our chilli greenhouse in our new back garden. When we lived in the farmhouse I filled the window sills in the conservatory with chilli plants, but since moving down to the Shippon we don’t have the space. So we bought a greenhouse in the winter sale and have been waiting for the time to build it. A few weeks ago we spent my birthday with my dad digging out and concreting the base – and we’ve snatched time over the last couple of weekends and evenings to make a start on building the structure. Having most of Sunday this week free helped as we had time to build the door and window (the more complex bits) and get all the glass in. We chose a black frame so it blends into the background more – save for the silver glass clips it really does look great.
We wanted to build the greenhouse before we bought all the shelving, so we could check the sizing and make sure all our chilli plants would fit. We have about 70 plants that have been patiently waiting for space – many are still quite small and in their original pots but they come to life once they’re planted out into a bigger pot. It may be too late to get a decent chilli harvest this year but hopefully we can overwinter them in their greenhouse and get a headstart next year.
John also found time to paint the second coat on our garden wall, so that’s another job completed. At the moment we’ve got our slightly-ragged-looking tomatoes against them – one of our next garden jobs will be to start laying our patio which will make that whole area look more ‘finished’. So many jobs to do and summer is getting on. The kitchen garden is looking a bit of a mess now and we’re struggling with mildew and the usual garden pests everywhere. So this year’s harvest may not be as great as we’d hoped but at least we’re trying. And learning some lessons for next year!
Ley Farm Cottages 