Pallet potting table.

Here is my new potting table!

I know this is not a sewn, knitted or spun item, but it is handmade so that's ok, right? Jamie and I spent the weekend building a potting table for our garden. My parent in laws were visiting and gave us a lot of help also with this endeavour. To be fair, Jamie is the total brains and brawn behind this creation, my role was more as the 'artistic director'. 

I have dreamt of having my own potting table ever since we moved to Newcastle and rented a house with a yard. Potting tables can be as unique as your garden is. Most often they are crafted from re-purposed materials that the gardener has managed to salvage from a local source. Random bits are nailed, glued and screwed together to create something for the garden that is functional, and in my case, pleasing to the eye.

This potting table is completely made from pallet timber I was able to obtain for free from a retired gentleman who lives near the town where I work. He builds chicken coops and bird breeding boxes in his spare time and was only too happy for me to take what timber I needed. I did offer to pay him for the timber, but he replied with a smile "I would be offended if you paid me, please take as much as you need". He spent almost 45 minutes with me discussing my design plans and selecting the perfect pieces for the project from his substantial timber pile.

Pallet timber is ideal for this kind of project. It is cheap, or possibly free, and is a standard size. Pallets are made from outdoor wood so this table will survive being exposed to the weather. What I also prefer is the timbers 'rustic' look. Every piece is weathers differently. Knots. Stains. Splinters. All slats are unique.

I am considering adding some nails or hooks to the upper part of the timber frame, to use as a place to hang my gardening hand tools whilst I am working. Rhonda also uses a potting box to prevent wasting some of her soil while she is potting. I am hoping I can whip one of these up with all the off cuts I have left.

Below is the photo I found on pinterest months ago that I used for the inspiration for this potting table. The table was made by Bruce at www.thedesignpallet.com. The image has been sitting in my Gardens folder for some time, waiting for me to get my hands on some pallets.

~ Image can be found at The Design Pallet here ~

Jamie was really pleased with how similar his creation was to the inspiration photo...

We finished the potting table as the sun was setting, so I am yet to actually use it to pot any seeds. Winter is a difficult time to garden as night falls before I am home from work, leaving me unable to garden most evenings. Sometimes I do a spot of weeding before work, but that depends on the chill in the air and me not hitting the 'snooze' button. I am sure this table will get much use though next weekend!

Sam xox

Skye Gyngell's herb garden.

After reading Skye Gingell's cook book A Year in my Kitchen I was inspired to create a herb garden based on her notion of base-note and top-note herbs. I utilised my raised brick garden beds that were already divided into two. I cultivated the beds with organic compost and manure from my chickens. I let the beds sit for two weeks, then planted my herbs and mulched using newspaper and sugar cane to help keep weeds to a minimum.

Skye writes "Base-note herbs are the ones that help lay the foundation of any dish. They endure the burden of long, slow cooking, continuing to add their flavour as long as they are cooking".  

~ My base-note bed: sage, thyme, oregano and rosemary.

Skye writes "Top-note herbs are like the icing on the cake - they complete the dish. These herbs don't tend to hold their flavour through vigorous cooking but must be added very close to the end of the recipe, even if only as a garnish, to maintain their clarity and vibrancy".

~ My top-note bed: parsley, dill, basil and chives ~ 

You can do something like this even if you don't have a backyard. Simply plant herbs in pots on your balcony, or in pots on your kitchen windowsill. Nothing beats the taste of fresh herbs in your cooking.

Sam xox

We have settled.

Hi Everyone,

I feel like it has been ages since I last put up a post. It has been. We haven't had internet at our new place, so I have been using my iphone, which means I have been able to read all your blog posts but commenting is a little tricky.

In the last three weeks Jamie and I have moved house and have been trying to settle into our new routine. That being, we live in Newcastle on the weekends, then Monday to Friday I live off the kindness of friends and family, on a continual rotation of people's spare beds and floors while I finish off my position at work in Sydney.

I feel like I haven't really moved to Newcastle yet. I only spend two out of seven days here with Jamie. I have a couple of job interviews lined up, so fingers crossed that will yield some employment for me up here :-)

Now, on to more important things... like sewing.

I have not done any! I am having massive withdrawal symptoms from not being able to stitch when I want to. Currently my new sewing room is still a pile of half opened boxes and stacks of sewing magazines. I haven't had the chance to really get in there and sort it yet, but as today's weather here is looking dicey, I might be able to begin the sorting this afternoon.

Here are some photos of what the room looks like (before all the boxes and furniture filled it)...

It's the smallest of the three bedrooms, and I would call it a single room, as it is only like a half sized bedroom. The windows are my favourite feature, as the one on the left is where my table sits below, and it looks out onto our garden and veggie patch. I think this will be a lovely spot to sew. You can't see in the photo but there is also a wardrobe (out of sight to the left of the shot) which came with the house. It has a lot of shelving storage space in it which I think is going to be great for storing most of my sewing stuff concealed from sight!

Talking about storage, we have moved from an apartment with a huge lock up garage to a house with not even a car port. We desperately needed a shed, so that was our first homemaking project...

Jamie selecting sand for leveling the shed.

A shed we bought on eBay. We lost the instructions.

We were lucky enough to have two friends visit the day after we moved in.

We had our very own 'shed raising'.

The final result (Jamie has since installed the sliding doors).

The veggie plot in need of some serious work.

Last weekend I did some work in the garden. I have weeded completely the main part of the veggie garden, turned all the soil, and filled our compost bin to the brim with different bits and pieces.

At this time of year there is not a lot I am able to plant which means I have a lot of time to be able to spend on the planning of the garden. Deciding on the layout of the plants, what to plant, and when to plant them. I am going to keep some sort of gardening diary to help me with this. I am very excited to finally have the space to build a veggie garden that will hopefully provide us for most of our veggie needs. In my apartment in Sydney I was pretty limited to what I could grow. Now the possibilities seem endless...

Glad to be back!

Sam xox

Bike and pledge review.

It has been a good couple of months now since I made my New (financial) Year pledge and boy has my life changed! The most obvious change is that I am no longer working as a casual primary school teacher, but now full time as an outreach worker in the mental health field. I began this job at the end of July and have loved every day so far. But this post is not about how much I enjoy my job, it is about checking in to see how well I am sticking to my pledge:

Reading back over my pledge post, I can remember how depressed I was feeling about not having permanent, full time work. I am one of those people who thrive off working and contributing financially to the household. I mean, I worked 5 days a week while I studied full-time at university for four years! I love work. When I made my pledge I was trying to create a bit more of a routine and structure to my life, attempting to patch up the bad feels I had about not having a 'proper' job. Here goes:

--> I said "I will not buy a single piece of clothing for the next six months - I will have to make any clothes I want instead!" and, well, I have pretty much stuck to this, even with working full time! I do admit to buying two dresses for summer though (that was a weak moment)! I did have to buy some new clothes, but they were shorts and t-shirts for work only. That gear I do not wear on the weekends! :-) So far I have made 2 dresses, 1 scarf, 2 skirts, and one pair of pajama shorts.

--> I said "I will make more homemade foods." I tried. I did make a bit of bread. But this has definitely fallen off my radar since beginning this job... does cooking dinner count? Probably not.

--> I said "I will grow seasonal vegetables and maintain a herb garden." Well, winter was rubbish. The spot I dug my vegetable garden just didn't get enough sunlight, so I had severely stunted crops. I have re-planted for spring and it is looking much more promising. The days are getting longer and the crops seem to be growing much faster.

--> I said "I want to establish more environmentally friendly cleaning methods.". This definitely has not happened I am afraid! Sorry guys (and Earth)!

---> I said "I want to start an exercise routine." I have done this! A week after I began my job a gym opened up downstairs from my office (what are the chances). So there really was no excuse. I am currently doing 2 spin classes per week and it is actually making me feel good! (I know, exercise really does work, strange huh)!

--> I said "In an effort to live greener I am considering riding a bike to work" I found out this week that there is a spot in the office where I can leave my bike if I ride to work! So what's a girl to do when she uncovers such information? Buy a bike of course! Look at my new baby...

Jamie picks it up for me on Tuesday, so come Wednesday I will be riding to work! I am planning to add a basket to the front and a bag on the back, plus some fenders and lights.

* * * * * * *

So overall I think my New (financial) Year pledge is going pretty well. I have definitely stuck to most of it, and it is becoming a nice part of the routine of my life.

I am now beginning to plan my goals for the coming New Year... just over a month to go.

Sam xox

A brilliant idea from Bondi.

Inspiration comes when you least expect it.

I attended an appointment for work this week that involved a walk to a cafe. On the way I came across this...

The sign read...

I thought this was such a neat idea and a lovely gesture. I am going to try this out and put up a similar sign in my apartment block. No doubt it will not be as professional in appearance, but hopefully it will have leave the same warm feeling when read.

Sam xox

First harvest.

I had my first harvest today from my down-stairs vegetable garden (called so because it is literally down stairs at ground level, three stores below my apartment).

I gave away my first picking to a dear lady who lives in the house that backs on to our apartment block. She is 94 years of age and lives by herself. Every time I am working in the veggie garden she pops her head out of her back door and has a chat. She is super sweet and seems to enjoy our conversations. I picked some parsley, lettuce and a bunch of lavender (from my balcony garden) and called in to her house to give her the goodies.

In total Endive, Rocket, Cos Lettuce and Parsley are all ready for the picking, and I have soooo much that I have put a sign up in our lobby inviting my other neighbours to 'help themselves'. I hope they do because there is just far too much for Jamie and I to get through on our own.

On a side note, there was a big filthy weed growing next to my brussel sprouts. I pulled it out but it stung me on my wrist - you should have seen it! It had all sorts of crazy cactus-like spikes sticking vertically up from the leaves. I now have sore lumps all over my left wrist. Does anyone know what this weed is? I threw it in the greenwaste bin before I thought to take a photo.

Sam xox

Sunshine again.

After a week of clouds, wind and rain, the sun was shining today! My poor vegetable garden has taken a bit of a beating from the wind, but I have my fingers crossed that it won't have damaged too many of the seedlings.

To be honest, the leeks are looking terrible (have any of you tried to grow leeks before? Do you have any advice?) and I am contemplating pulling them out, because they are taking up so much room, and after a month in the ground they still look puny and sick.

Leek removal could make room for these little beauties... Remember I set up this seed tray at the beginning of May? Well, the seeds were planted a month ago, and look how well they are doing!

You can't see in the photo, but the plants are: Peas, Parsley, Red Onion, Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Beetroot.

I thought you might also like to see some photos from my husbands fish tank.

Today was also spent washing.... and washing... and washing! Due to the terribly wet weather we have been having, I have become very behind on our clothes washing. I am not kidding you, I have already done 4 loads today and have at least another 4 left. I am beginning to regret buying the "couple sized" washing machine last year.

I am having an Art Day with my dear friend Mel tomorrow, which I am very much looking forward to. I am hoping she can teach me a thing or two about water colour painting! If the paintings I do are not too awful, I will post some photos of them... maybe :-)

I have something nice to show you all, but will have to wait until tomorrow when I can take a good photo in the day light!

Sam xox

Veggies, veggies, everywhere.

I thought I would share with you some photos of some amazing vegetable gardens I have visited this week.

The first is that of my Father-in-Laws. He has had this veggie garden since my husband can remember. My FIL works in his veggie garden daily and is more than willing to share his produce with family and friends.

The next is my Grandfather's vegetable patch. He has only had this up and running for a year now, but as you can see he is enjoying great success! The veggie patch greets me when I arrive at their gate, and it takes all my will power not to pick a broccoli or two before I reach their door!

And now on to my vegetable garden! I have been away from home for the past three days, only arriving back this evening. Happy to report my darling husband has kept up my watering regime and everything looks like it is doing well!

One last little thing...

So I have been growing these snow pea plants for the past few months. I kind of underestimated how tall they actually grow (sounds silly but I bought the plants from a market and they did not have an info tag... naive I know). Anyhow, once they totally overgrew their trellis I decided the only thing to do with this monster bush was tie it up on a hook sticking out of our brick wall (this is growing on our balcony 3 stories up remember) and I was so embarrassed - I thought it was going to die!

But LOOK! Can you see the little snow pea pods! It actually produced after all...

Sam xox

P.S Anyone want to have some of my seedlings I am raising?

Here is my vegetable garden.

I spent most of the weekend digging a veggie garden. I have to be honest - I am so sore now! If you're keen to make your own veggie patch, here are my simple tips:

The first step is to dig up all the bricks and builders rubbish that is buried under the soil! Thats right, I dug up a dozen bricks from this patch of dirt. I think over time it has just been used as a dumping ground for odd bits of rubbish. I was able to use the bricks on some of the bricked boarders.

Second step, dig lots and lots of cow manure and compost through the soil to get it nice and fertile.

Third step, you will need to decide on your veggie gardens layout. When building the plots, make sure it is not too big! You should be able to reach all areas of your plot without having to get into it :-)

Now the fun part begins - plant your veggies! Make sure you are buying veggies that are in season for planting, and suit your climate. Plant your veggies following the instructions on the punnets.

Keep watering and monitoring for pests, and in a couple of months you will have a mass of fresh produce!

Sam xox

My vegetable garden.

This week I have been making preparations for a veggie patch I am building this weekend!

I found some very cheap packets of seeds (99c) at our local grocery store so I bought 6 different packets. I have planted them in this foam box, and after 4-6 weeks they will be ready for planting in my veggie garden.

I am building the veggie garden tomorrow. So far I have bricks and soil, just have to go to the garden store and pick up from compost and manure. I have been on the internet all evening researching what I can plant at this time of year. My options are:

Leaf Crops

Seedlings: Cos lettuce, Spinach, Leeks

Seeds: Radish

Root Crops

Seedlings: Beetroot, Carrots,

Seeds: Parsnips, Turnips, Swedes

Cabbage Crops

Cover with straw – don’t over fertalise as legumes produce their own nitrogen

Seedlings: Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Peas, Broad Beans

Lots to pick from (sorry about the pun!)

I will post pictures of my veggie patch tomorrow.

Sam xox