I have been making shopping bags over the last few days using a pattern I made from drawing round a long-life supermarket carrier bag. I did make some before Yule and gave them away as presents and now I am getting a few orders for more. I am using recycled curtains and cotton and linen clothing from a charity shop for the fabric. The bags are strong and sturdy and will take a lot of weight. I am now thinking about using blackout lining to make some potato keeping bags. Just need to source some of the said blackout lining material from the charity shop now.
We have ordered our seeds for 2009 and they should be with us soon. Managed to save a fair amount of seed from last year too. Himself has been digging over the veg garden and also digging out a new squash patch. Fetched a huge load a seaweed from the beach after the last storms and now it is really rotten and stinky it is being dug into the ground. Seaweed is a fantastic fertiliser but it really does smell disgusting. It's a good job the neighbours are away.
We have had a real problem with longtails in the veg garden. They ate half a row of carrots, nearly all the parsnips and the kohl rabi a couple of weeks ago. All we have left now in the garden is kale, mustard greens (a bit straggly but still OK) and the purple sprouting that they have not quite nobbled yet. What can we do? We make compost to help the garden and they set up home in the nice, warm compost heap. It is a problem that is unlikely to go away and we have to decide what to do but I expect it is going to involve the Pest Control Man.
