What's Growing at Frugaldom this Year

Signs of Summer - the first of the briars are flowering and the hum if the bees can be heard. Seeds are sown, seedlings transplanted and pea pods are fattening. The grass and wild flowers are profuse and we are now anticipating the arrival of the various wildlife babies. It would be great to see pine marten kits this year.

One thing we won't see is kittens, as the female cat who lives at Frugaldom spears to have been neutered at some point in the past. We can tell this by the cropped portion of her ear.

Work continues in the herbery, where the first of the new sculptures have been put on display - two woodland warriors, the guardians of the garden.

The cleared space to the right of this photo will become home to the next sculpture, known as 'Embrace  Nature'. Meanwhile, the herbs are thriving, the first strawberries are beginning to ripen and the beds are looking healthy. 

By the yard, the salad bar is being reinstated - better late than never. Our food growing efforts have fallen way short of anything imagined, thanks to the amount of time it takes each and every day to see to the ponies and goats. Now, almost halfway through 2025, we are desperately trying to catch up with the growing season. Weeks of dry, hot weather followed by the recent deluges have seriously hampered progress but we have overcome the water supply problem, for the plants, at least. Potatoes, cabbages, onions, beetroot, kale and even some Brussels sprouts all seem to have survived and there are signs that we may get a few tomatoes,  cucumber and peppers. Here's hoping!

Not Pretty, Just Effective

I had to cover the new strawberry bed to protect it from the feral cats. It's not great as a temporary fix but it's enough to keep them out of it and prevent them from digging. The wire mesh was a roadside pick-up where a neighbour had stuck a 'please help yourself' sign.

This looks a bit of a monstrosity but it will keep the butterflies off the cabbages, hopefully. It's green rubble mesh that we kept from a previous project so we have plenty of it.

The blueberry bushes are beginning to flower. I love blueberries but it's always a race between me and the wildlife to see who gets to the ripe berries first.
I was surprised to see the beginnings of elder flowers so I'll need to try and be prepared with enough sugar for elderflower 'champagne'.
First of the apple trees are beginning to blossom.
cherry trees are blossoming. Everything seems earlier this year but May is promising to be a good month for colourful displays around the wildlife garden.

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