Whilst Lou & I continue to go with the flow with Guerrilla Podcast Home Grown thought process? Just maybe it’s about time we got round to adding a quick update and share a few of our photo’s as a reminder of what we’ve been up to.
Updating our personal record, what’s worked for us and not worrying about whatever may have gone pear shaped whilst we’re attempting to grow our own food in the backyard in Salford. Not forgetting what space we’ve got in the front garden!
To be honest we’ve had more than our fair share of issues over the last few months or so, consequently the title for this post Guerrilla Podcasts Lessons Learned (AKA Never Give Up) seemed appropriate?
On the plus side, once I’d created the Home Grown Journal pdf with the intention of keeping a record of dates planted / picked and costs etc, it hasn’t proved to be too big an ordeal as maybe I may have first imagined, to keep the info up to date. Most likely they’ll be a few tweaks in progress for next year and that’s something I’ll check out in a couple of months.
Slowly but surely, gadgets are beginning to fail and that obviously creates somewhat of a problem when it comes to keeping track of whatever for the future, but for the now, No Worries, I’ll figure a way around that eventually!
Earlier in the year we set off with the best of intentions, planting seeds in the hope of growing our own veg in the backyard. Make Do & Mend was the way forward at the time and how things have changed in the yard since then! The Bedding Boxes arrived more by fluke than design and believe it or not that’s really done us a massive favour in our ability to try out a variety of veg, more than we first imagined when we set out with the Home Grown idea. The Cabbage Patch was born and to be honest worked far better than expected, growing well in both the front garden and the backyard.
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So after tasting and enjoying the Home Grown veg, life sorta got in the way for a while and that in itself created another massive learning curve for the future.
Those lovely multi coloured butterflies that look so nice doing what they do during the summer, are actually killers in disguise.
OK so i know it’s obvious to you that i should have put a net over the veg in the backyard, but that didn’t happen and the results were devastating thanks to the white (cabbage patch) butterfly invaders. Lesson learned for next year for sure.
The Pak Choi rocked in the backyard and I eventually picked them after about 8 weeks. Leaving a couple to go to seed just to see what happens as i hadn’t a clue?
I’ve planted a few more for later in September which I’ll hopefully try after about 6 weeks.
Recently I’ve planted beetroot and cauliflower in bedding boxes 1 & 2 in the backyard, just to see how they grow for later on in the year and the front garden has been dug over completely as i acquired a box of potatoes which were planted in the hope of home grown spuds around October / November?
At the end of the day Me & Lou are learning by doing. Growing veg in the backyard that we’re both going to eat.
Recycling as we go with whatever comes our way and with the introduction of the bath now in place on the concrete in the front garden, (filled for the now with soil directly from the front garden) I’ve planted several spuds in it already just to give it a go and have a look see how / if the potatoes grow?
With hindsight maybe I should have raised the bath on bricks? No Worries for the now I’ll possibly get round to that later!
I’ve also recycled a plastic pallet, which in itself was entertaining getting home on the tram and bus. The bus driver didn’t want to let me on initially, saying i may use it as a weapon. Not quite sure how that would happen? Anyways, I’ll be trying out the strawberries in a new area out of the bedding boxes as they got too wet and weren’t warm enough, so I’ve got something new in mind for next year?
So for the now …. Whilst I get my head round the devastation caused by those lovely looking butterflies during the summer and kick myself for not using netting to protect my prized veg from the deadly attack of the caterpillars. 
We’ll continue doing what We Do! Just Because it Sounds Like A Plan. Lessons Learned and Never Give Up.
Now to avoid chemical warfare on the Home Grown front, just maybe it’s time to hit back for next year and figure out a few new ways to protect me grub from the bugs.
Maybe plant curry, try coffee, use foam from washing up liquid or whatever else i find out between now and then by chatting to a few more people who are in the know?
Nice One for thy time
~ Inabit ~
