Reclaiming my garden now the cows have gone

The idea of living off the land isn't new. Once a long time back I used to have a thriving garden. It fed me and the kids without the fear of certain (now departed) bovines destroying everything in sight. Now they have gone I've been reclaiming my garden back again. Winter after winetr it got pounded into the ground by the cows - in the end I just gave up bothering! The only thing that survived their onslaught was the mandarin tree, and the heritage grape vine. Everything else ended up demolished.

The empty tyres that had been scattered everywhere are slowly being put back into use again as glorified planters. My soil is so bad that nothing likes growing in it; except maybe for the blackberry which is rampant as all heck. My quiet persistence has paid off I'm gradually knocking the nasty things back with loppers, and a deadly brew of rather nasty spray I put on the stumps. I was so happy I had planted a sunflower with the rather colourful name of "Moulin Rouge" an F1 hydrid put out by McGregor's Seeds. I didn't think it would even germinate, but there it is growing like mad. It will reach a height of two metres (6.5 feet) in height with a gorgeous red/purple flower. I can't wait to see it in bloom. Happy me.

After being trapped in a tiny pot for months I planted the zucchini I had bought from the local store. Despite the weeds there I picked our first yellow zucchini yesterday, and added it into a salmon quiche I made for me and the girls last night.  It was delicious.

This is a young pomegranate tree I got from a lovely lady who lives locally. Since I've planted it the little tree has taken off. Thankfully there will be no cows to eat it all!

And last but not least my rather sad looking Meyer lemon tree. I'm going to give it a good dose of blood and bone, plus some magnesium. In couple of years it might be okay to fruit. The mandarin struggled for years in my horrible soil until I gave it a good dose of horse poo. Since then it has thrived. Well that's another post done. Hopefully I'll be able to have something else new in the garden to show sometime in the next few weeks. We'll just keep at it bit by bit.