The joy of growing lettuce and carrots

Oh what joy to be able to eat my very own lettuce and carrots that I have grown in my very own garden.
 It has rained so much at Clover Cottage recently that I have been very afraid that all of my lettuce would be squashed under the weight of the raindrops. Well, that is only one of my problems as the other challenge I have is those naughty snails and slugs that just love to come out of their hidey holes after the rain. I always catch some of them munching away at my precious veggies first thing in the morning and it is no good explaining to them that it is a naughty thing to do because they have such tiny brains and anyway I do not know where their  ears are or if they can even hear me !  Marise Mouse , who lives down the lane told me to put bits of left over garlic in my vegetable garden as the slugs do not like that. So I will try that and I hope to solve at least one of my problems. Love from Sherbetx

Sherbet is sending you all sunshine and blessings

Just a quick hello from me, Sherbet Sheep as I am sitting here in the sunshine.
At this very moment, I am thinking of you all and wanted to send you lots of sunshiny, rainbow coloured blessings to start your week off in a harmonious and joyful way.
I am resting here on the grass after eating an omelette packed full of herbs from my garden.
I see that the slugs do not like this sunshine.  I did not see any on my lettuce this morning.
 Oh well, this is a short, sweet message letting you all know that my thoughts are with you.
 Don't worry if you think my face looks a little bit sad today, I am perfectly alright, I am just lost in my thoughts that is all and sometimes little sad bits happen in my mind especially when I think of my dear friend Reginald Rabbit who now lives in heaven.
 Love Sherbetx

Sherbet has some very naughty caterpillars eating his lettuce

Oh dear friends , you have found me digging my garden.
 This is the month when I plant lots of new seeds and lots of little baby vegetable plants .
I must tell you that when I came into my garden early this morning to water my plants, I found some very naughty caterpillars on my lettuce , well really the truth is that they were on the remaining stalks of my lettuce! I do not mind sharing my lunch with caterpillars at all because as you know I do love all the little creatures in my garden but when they chew through every single leaf, I realise that I will have to give them some lessons in good manners and teach them to share .
It seems there are always lessons to teach and lessons to learn  so I am going to start teaching those naughty caterpillars right this minute .
Love Sherbetx

Sherbet has naughty, slimy slugs in his garden again

Here I am  saying a huge, rainbow coloured  hello to all of my dear, loyal friends from nearby and far far away.
 Well I must tell you that I have some very naughty slugs in my garden again.   It has been raining  very, very madly here at Clover Cottage lately and although I do love the rain (as it means I  do not have to water my vegetables) it brings out lots of slimy slugs from their hidey holes. I really do not know where they all come from,  it seems like magic how they all just appear in my lettuce plants.
It is as if I have waved a magic wand and they have all popped out of thin air ( or another planet).
 I do hope it is sunny tomorrow so that they can all go back to their hidden homes.
 Love from   Sherbet x                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Sherbet has a naughty visitor

Oh dear, this morning I heard a loud moooooing noise right outside my bedroom window.  I know that sound very well as I often hear it when it blows in with the wind on windy days.  I quickly put on my boots and opened my kitchen door.  I couldn't see anything, but on walking around to my vegetable garden there in front of my sleepy eyes, right in the middle of my lettuce patch, stood a big brown and white cow. Oh my goodness, what a naughty cow !  She had squashed lots of my newly planted, scrumptious lettuce plants. I recognised her as Gertrude from  Greengate Farm at the other end of Wiggleway Lane.  She was rather big, much bigger than me but she was very friendly. I took a piece of rope from my garden supplies box, draped it around her neck and led her back to her field at the farm.  She seemed happy to be back with her friends again but I was not too happy to see a big patch of squashed green leaves in my vegetable garden.  I must make sure I keep my gate closed. I do love cows but naughty ones are a bit too naughty to be allowed through my garden gate .
 Rainbow coloured love from your friend Sherbetx

A world full of big rainbow coloured circles of happiness

I feel so proud of my lovely vegetable garden. It is a true miracle that I can plant the tiniest little seeds in the ground and then not too long afterwards, some wonderful unseen creative magic makes whole rows of lettuce and carrots pop up out of the earth in my garden. What a wonderful blessing to have all of this rainbow coloured deliciousness that keeps me healthy and keeps my wool shiny.
 I have just remembered a lovely saying that Pearl sent to me, it was written on a postcard. It reminds me of my vegetable garden . It goes something like this:

Sow seeds in the garden of your brother and you will see them bloom in yours.

Pearl told me that it means that if we do good deeds to another we will see good things come back to us. Oh how lovely, how wonderful. The whole world would be so happy if everyone sowed seeds in everyone else's gardens. It would be a world full of big rainbow coloured circles of happiness going round and round and round and round for ever and ever. Oh my goodness that makes me feel dizzy. Love and good deeds indeed. from Sherbetx

Sherbet is so grateful for his home grown lettuce

Oh how lovely it was to share a meal with my dear friends Doodle, Mango and Pearl yesterday evening.  I picked my best salad leaves from my vegetable garden to make sure we had a delicious healthy meal. I am so grateful and happy that I have such a wonderful variety of lettuce in my garden, I have red lettuce, curly lettuce, dark green lettuce, light green lettuce, lettuce with long wiggly leaves, lettuce with short round leaves and  lettuce with raggedy looking leaves. They are all so tasty, some have a peppery taste, they are Doodle's favourite but Pearl says she only likes them mixed in with the other leaves.
 We were very lucky also to have some delicious big red ripe tomatoes straight from my garden vine and one juicy cucumber.  I was sorry to have to take away some of the shelter from my caterpillars but I know they will understand.  Before my friends arrived, I was so excited that I waited at my front door to wait for them and to welcome them to Clover Cottage. I am very blessed to have such wonderful friends.

Sherbet's new year message xx

It is funny how fast the years go by. Now it is 2012. I want all of you children out there to eat as healthily as you can and if you have a garden or a little patch of earth or some plant pots with earth in them then I would like to see you all trying to grow something that you can eat. It is really very easy but you do have to be responsible and look after the baby plants that grow from seeds. If you want to see something growing quickly you can plant some easy mixed lettuce seeds and if you have more patience you can grow tomatoes. There are so many easy to grow seeds, try growing your favourite salad plant or vegetable. You will be surprised at how exciting it is to see it grow day by day but you must make sure that you water it and it has enough light and then it will be very happy.

Sam the slippery slimy slug escapes

The slugs have settled nicely into their new box apart from one who I  have named Sam ( Doodle says I should call him slippery Sam!). He keeps escaping. I have just found him hiding among the autumn leaves in my wheelbarrow. He was not easy to find.






Mango Mouse offered to help me by climbing in and out of the lovely crunchy leaves until he found the naughty little slug. Mango was afraid to touch  Sam's slimy skin so I put my special gardening gloves on and plucked him out of the leaves. He was sent back home to his box just in time for his dinner. (Oh no not lettuce again!!).

Doodle makes a lovely big box for Sherbet's slugs

My clever friend Doodle has made me a lovely big box and has filled it with earth for me and put it in a far corner of my garden. Last night I collected all the slugs. I did get slime on my wool which was hard to wash off but I didn't mind as I was helping them to prepare  for their new home. I let them stay in a big bucket overnight making sure they had plenty to eat and this morning after transplanting some lettuce to their new box I put them in and they are so happy now. It feels so good to help the little creatures in my garden.

Pearl my wise friend gives me advice

 


My dear, wise friend Pearl has advised me to make a separate little lettuce patch especially for the slugs to live in. I will ask Doodle to construct me a special wooden box where the slugs can live happily with their very own lettuce.

Sherbet's Dilemma

 Oh dear, this morning  I am in a dilemma, my lettuce has raggedy edges, it has been invaded by slugs. Now as you all know I love all the little creatures in my garden even the slugs so what am I to do ? I cannot hurt them. I know,  I will ask Pearl she is very wise and will help me solve my problem ..