product review Archives - The Smallest Smallholding

July 9, 2016 by Lucy

In the run up to The Big Day (aka the day I will push a baby out and my life will change forever and ever amen), I think I’ve been nesting. I’m constantly tidying up, turning out, washing, organising… always on the move and always with a list as long as my arm to complete.

One job that isn’t necessarily fundamental to getting ready for Baby Bear’s arrival, but has been on my mind for a long, long time is my greenhouse. I haven’t bothered to clean it out properly for at least two or three growing seasons, and you could really tell. Bindweed had crept under the greenhouse base, pots had been left to stack up, fall over, become full of dead leaves and spiders and it just looked like an eyesore in the corner of our little patch of Smallest Smallholding.

When Buy Fencing Direct contacted me to ask if I’d like to review one of their products, it was a great excuse to justify spending a few hours getting the greenhouse sorted out. I opted to review a potting bench – more shelf space and a working area for sowing and potting on is exactly what I need.

But first, I had to tackle THIS monstrosity to make room:

My first task was to set about removing all the old plastic pots, studiously and carefully rehoming the dozens of spiders nestled between each pot. Luckily our local tidy tip has a hard plastic collection point so those pots won’t be going to landfill.

Next, I pulled up about six tonnes (hyperbole alert) of bindweed root, and levelled one side of the soil next to the wonky path that I built a few years ago. Using some basic weed suppressant liner, I lined and fixed the ground, and laid a layer of shingle over the top. Instantly it looked much neater and should hopefully keep the dreaded bindweed at bay:

Then the big job; putting together the potting bench. It had arrived sans box, fastened together with instructions which were actually more informative than Ikea’s point and mime flatpack offerings. There were actual words, which helped immensely. After leaving the bench outside for a good couple of weeks, we couldn’t find the screws that came with the flatpack so not sure if they got lost in transit or not. Either way, we had to get our own from Wickes.

Putting the bench together was definitely a two-person job, especially since the last time I handled a screwdriver about two weeks ago I properly skewered my finger, thanks to pregnancy hormone-induced clumsiness. The instructions were easy and very clear, but one thing I would have preferred was if the pilot holes had been drilled for us… but that’s just a minor consideration since it went together well and everything fitted as it should. We just had to do some careful measuring (read: I measured and Rich re-measured and readjusted) and I had to hold bits of wood in place whilst Rich fixed the screws.

It’s definitely a sturdy bench and looks very smart… I’m very pleased with the build quality. And together with the newly laid shingle flooring, freshly washed greenhouse glass and some tidying up it’s made a world of difference in my little greenhouse. Really looking forward to using it now! Just got to finish the tidying, shingle and glass cleaning on the other side, and my greenhouse will be looking tip-top… Some replacement glazing would be lovely too (I call the missing panes “great ventilation”…)!

You can also read my interview with Buy Fencing Direct right here: http://greengardens.buyfencingdirect.co.uk/our-interview-with-smallest-smallholding/

Memories of France & a new Bistro set

June 6, 2016 by Lucy

One of my best childhood holiday memories was from when we were staying at a friend’s house in a small French village in the Vendée in France. Each morning around 8am, my Dad would disappear off to the boulangerie down the street and appear not long after with armfuls of croissants, baguettes, pain au chocolat and fresh orange juice.

We’d sit out together – my whole family and my best friend Laura – under the hot morning sun in the old rambling garden, eating our delicious fresh bakes with lashings of confiture de fraise. Once we’d stuffed ourselves to the gills, we’d pack up and head off to the beach, or take ourselves off for a ride on the old clapped out bikes in the shed. It felt magical at the time, and the memories still do.

Since then, I’ve always felt that there’s something a bit special about eating al fresco, especially on a sunny morning under a cloudless blue sky, just before everyone else has woken up and gone about their business. Until a couple of weeks ago, to eat breakfast under the morning sun here at The Smallest Smallholding meant perching on the crowded kitchen door step, or faffing around with the big table cover and chairs down by the veg plots.

So when I was contacted to review a Habitat bistro set, of course I leapt at the chance. We’d had a spate of hot, sunny Spring days and I was longing to make the most of the morning light streaming onto the back of the house. I wanted to be able to start my day in the fresh air and listen to the bird song whilst I munch on my (now vegan, no croissants as yet) breakfast. (I’m still a huge fan of confiture de fraise and can also be found chomping down on toast or baguette loaded with blackcurrant jam too).

We decided that the Habitat PARC Bistro Set would be perfect for our needs – just two chairs and a bijou table that worked well in the small space we had set aside. The PARC Bistro set is priced at £85.00 and we opted for the slate blue (but I think now the PARC set is available in black, yellow or red for extra zing). We have a little patch of mostly untended gravel outside the conservatory, that has up until now been somewhat of a redundant space, and this is where we decided to set up our new little eating area.

As I was at work, and Rich works from home, he was responsible for setting up the table and chairs, and assures me they all went up together with relative ease. The metal frames are sturdy and solid, and seem fine under Rich’s rugby-like build and 6’3″ frame, and my ever-increasing 7 month-pregnancy weight too! The colour is perfect and really lifts the area, and having a small eating space outside the back door before you get to the garden gate really gives a once sad looking space some real purpose. And with it being outside the kitchen, it makes popping out with a sandwich at lunch time or, in Rich’s case, his 7th cup of tea in the morning, easy. Just being able to get out and take a moment in the fresh area is great.

Even though I am yet to finish planting up this new eating area I’m excited about being able to use a new sizeable space. I’ve got a shelf of lettuces and herbs growing there, but I know now I need to rethink what could be a really productive and pretty space. I’m picturing rows of potted flowering herbs on the sunny side to accompany the bistro set, and on the shady side maybe some majestic hostas with a refreshed and revived gravel area for shade-loving herbs like sweet woodruff, angelica and parsley.

And in winter, when the northerly winds return and the frosts start to bite, we can fold away our little bistro set and store in the shed until Spring comes around again and we’re able to sit out, with our new daughter, and enjoy lashings of fresh bakes and confiture de fraise under the bright morning sun.