Vivi's Kitchen Garden

Chatting and chilling. Today it’s all about relaxing…..I’ll be talking about some bath products, some journals/magazines and a book review….yes, it’s all about slowing down for a few moments to enjoy some of the more simple pleasures. Perfect for the weekend!

It’s hard to believe it’s September with temperatures above 30! It’s a scorching day so I need to go slowly………the perfect day for harvesting flowers; in this case the Lavender. As I get stuck in to harvesting I also spot a few jobs in the herb bed that I need to tackle. Pour yourself a glass of something cold and join me in the herb bed.

Today I’m on the sofa again….except I’ve swapped the sofa for my shed…..and I’m having a little celebration. I’m celebrating the garden, celebrating taking some time out…..and celebrating my Sister’s visit during which we went ‘out out’ (!) to the theatre and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. Grab yourself a glass of something and come say ‘cheers!’ with me.

Hurrah for a group effort at the weekend to tame some of the unruly plants around the site….including the ‘hedge’ next to my plot. And hurrah for another ‘better-late-than-never’ task…….the Calendula harvest. WARNING: arachnophobes look away between minutes 24 and 27 as there are some close up shots of the things you don’t like!

A slight digression at the start of today’s video as I share my lovely start to the day…..and then it’s on with the jobs. Today’s jobs are some of those little odd jobs that can easily get forgotten…..I made a list of them after filming the September tour to remind myself….so, time to get stuck in….yay!

Hahahaha…….I’m late with pretty much everything this year…..including my ‘thoughts on….’ for the month of August. Time has not been on my side…….never mind, come and join me in the kitchen for a natter and a think out loud.

It’s only a couple of weeks since I showed you (very late) the garden in August. In that time there have been quite a few jobs done to get my garden back on track…..and tamed a bit. I hope you can see the difference as the garden heads into autumn…….ahh, mellow colours and ripening produce…..September is a wonderful month when the rewards start to come.

Goodness me, like so many other jobs in the garden this one is about four weeks later than normal……..but better late than never! I am getting my last lot of winter brassicas planted today from seeds sown back in April. I’m planting purple sprouting broccoli, calabrese and savoy cabbages. Oh…..and the following morning, as I finish off the jobs, I try out my new garden pinny.

Today my attention is turning towards seed saving to ensure a garden for next year (and many more to come I hope). Actually, seed saving is something I think about throughout the season as my plants are growing. I talk today about how I select my seeds for saving and the process I use to make sure they store well…I reference the Koanga Institute in New Zealand and have included a link which takes you to a gorgeous video of their seed bank.

In which I chat about getting out and about and make like Ronnie Corbett chatting in ‘the chair’….all around the houses for a wee catch up. Ach, once again my camera has decided it cannot cope with my face…….so maybe have a listen whilst doing something else rather than just watching! Ach, sorry!