Something for nothing?

I suppose there is no such thing as a free lunch but this has got to be coming close.I hope to have lunch from it at some stage at any rate.

I have been busy re-purposing and recycling. I found myself with a couple of wooden boxes and some old enamel bowls and pots after a random auction box lot purchase. Too chipped and damaged to be used in the house I drilled the bottoms for drainage and popped some jaunty flowers in the pots and filled the boxes with plastic pots I have accumulated I love this little display, it fills my heart with gladness! You will note that the rocket looks sort of spindly, the display seems to fill my chickens (well the one who keeps hopping out of the run) with rocket.

I have been wanting to construct a raised bed on the last remaining corner of soil in the courtyard as it is dry and lifeless and full of pebbles and those recycle glass gravelly things which make growing hard. we have toyed with the idea of using a piece of galvanised water tank from round the back of the shed but it was just going to be too big to handle so I had to put my thinking cap on. 'Round the back of the shed is a veritable treasure trove(read:pile of rubbish) left by previous owners so I tromped around to see what I could find.

Much to my delight I found everything I needed, an old wooden washtub with the bottom rotted out forms the raised part in the middle and the outer edges are formed by old pieces of wood, most joyous of all I found a hardwood sleeper, only slightly rotten on the ends which is just the right length for the front piece.

I have filled the bed with the most wonderful composted "stuff" I have found.. round the back of the shed of course. There is some ivy we are trying to kill off down there as well as the junk and I have discovered the most beautiful compost under the ivy and the rubbish on top of the concrete slab. It just goes to show that whoever thought that they would defeat nature by concreting and paving everything was wrong, nature will always win out of you try to fight her.

So just in time for the onset of Spring (I know you are out there peeping waiting for Winter to end..)I have a raised bed waiting for radishes or tomatoes, lettuce and sorrel seeds are already in... what else do I want I wonder? I do like the anticipation of Spring just around the corner.

Before I forget you must admire my purple sprouting broccoli which is purple and sprouting! I am looking forward to trying some after all this time!