Getting Back to Basics and Blogging

This is where I'm blogging from tonight - hut 3 at Frugaldom. It's totally off-grid with views across to the Galloway hills and I'm listening to a cuckoo that's nearby, in the wildlife garden.

As many of you know, Frugaldom began as part of a frugal living challenge many years ago. The land-based project derived it's name from frugal (free)dom, as wise budgeting and frugal (or thrifty) living are what helped us afford freedom from debt. Freedom from all debt, in turn, enables freedom from the rat race. Wise investments can reap rewards that afford the luxury of working at something that feels more like an enjoyable hobby. Money saving, prioritising spending, investing in your own future and safeguarding your lifestyle are all paramount to a happy life, in my opinion. It's the little things that make us happy... Like a box of sprouted potatoes.

This afternoon, I spent an hour out in the Frugaldom food garden planting those potatoes, helped by two of my grandchildren who arrived here after school. We planted potatoes, onions, cabbages and beetroot, tidied up one of the strawberry beds and weeded around a garlic bed.

The garlic was planted several years ago and has been allowed to grow wild. Now I just pull what I need whenever needed, chop it up and cook with whatever.

After planting potatoes, I transplanted some cabbages in between the rows as a bit of an experiment. I'll probably have to net these off to protect them.

This strawberry bed is a new one, filled late last year with runners from a bed in the herb garden.

I am hoping these red onions survive in their sheltered spot alongside the barn. Next to them is a bed of beetroot seedlings.

The cabbages, beetroot and onion seedlings were all purchased along with peas, tomatoes and peppers, using a gifted voucher. The voucher was for £50 so also afforded us the luxury of 2 honeyberry bushes that have been planted at the side of the herb paddock. Both fruit bushes are now flowering.

i have never grown honeyberry bushes but other fruit such as blueberries, raspberries and blackcurrants do well here so I'm hopeful of having some success, assuming no accidental escapee goats get near them!

The main potato bed was recently topped up with composted pony manure - with 7 ponies on site, we have plenty of free manure for anyone who can collect it. Often, we find a few pounds in donations in the postbox - thank you!

This old water tank is going to be utilised as a veg planter once it has been filled with sand and composted manure mix. I may even add in some vermiculite, as I have plenty left over from previous years. 

This is the smallest if three huts we have built at the project since lockdown. They surround the food and wildlife gardens and we hope that the various occupants, all Friends of Frugaldom, will be able to make the most of escaping to this patch of paradise in the southwest of Scotland. Tonight, we are in this hut, watching the wildlife and hoping the bog myrtle and blaeberries produce a good crop this year.

Field of bog myrtle and blaeberries now has rowan trees among it and is crisscrossed by wildlife tracks leading past hut 3.

With such a great spring, weatherwise, the recent sunshine really gets you into gardening mode so this year's focus is going to be a return to creating a soup garden and a pudding garden. The herb garden is already flourishing and the little areas of orchard are surviving. I'll check out the newest fruit hedge soon as it has started to grow and I am sure we will have plenty of apples. The rhubarb is doing well after being  split up last year. So much to update on here, so much to do out there, I hope you will follow Frugaldom and enjoy being part of the project.

Thank you for reading my blog. As summer progresses, I hope to bring it right up to date with everything that has been happening here and will try my best to post regularly.

Don't forget the motto... The less you spend, the more you can afford. 😊