Originally Posted by bandrui

You should have a great garden with that composted chicken manure. I know I said seaweed is the best but really chicken manure is the best.

Where are you moving from? and to?

Originally Posted by Atlantic Xpat

Last year we had a veggie patch for the first time - approx 18ft x 10ft. The weather being what it is in this part of the world means that planting is really a late May/early June experience. (In fact last June was bloody freezing so nothing really started growing to July). Nevertheless we had success with root vegetables, some lettuce & brocolli. Not so much with tomatoes.

For a brief period of a month we had an aluminium and plastic 8x5 greenhouse donated from a neighbour. It was a brief period one Fall as having moved it from next door. I failed to secure it to the ground strongly enough and it blew away in the first gale.

Having learned from that experience I started the construction of a wood and poly leantoo greenhouse next to the garage. Made from 2x4's and bolted to railway sleepers, it 'aint going anywhere no matter how windy. I ordered some super-duper poly from these people: http://www.northerngreenhouse.com/ but with one thing and the other, didn't get the poly fitted to the frame before summer so it wasn't worth completing. As soon as we get a nice weekend, I'll fit the poly to the wooden frame and we should be able to get an early(ier) start to our veggies this year. In a climate like ours where it doesn't get massively hot and is always windy, a greenhouse or cold frame is essential IMHO.

Anyway, the Mrs is in charge of the gardening, I'm merely in charge of construction! Which is why it's taken so long...

Originally Posted by bandrui

What kind of fruit trees?
It will be lovely.

Originally Posted by fletcher m

moving from York to VI (somewhere between Duncan and Colwood), i see you're quite nearby. What are the transport links like to Victoria from you.

Also, I see there is a train line to victoria from duncan/colwichan, I can't find the train timings, does it operate year round? Yesterday i was begining to think that we had seen the last of the cold weather, storm came through and those that had been on the high ground near york caught snow, bazaar seeing cars driving into York with snow on them in April.

Originally Posted by christmasoompa

Various, a couple of apples, pears, cherry, apricot, plums, almond, peach and crabapple.

It will be lovely, but at the moment it's not a proper garden (more just a big field really). Having been renovating the house over the past year so that we could move in, that's been our priority and I'll worry about the garden next year!

Getting the veggie patch and some chickens up and running were essential though as I really missed them last year, and we've just had the collapsing front wall rebuilt so I may try and get at least the front garden looking sensible soon.

Originally Posted by bandrui

We'll be neighbours . If you are between Duncan and Colwood, you must be up on the Malahat Highway. Cobble Hill?
Lots of folks from here do their grocery shopping in Duncan. There is a 20 min ferry from here.

We also have a lot of traffic between here and Vic... a 35 minute ferry from the South end of the island to Sidney (which I really like), but then it's a 45min drive from Sidney to Vic. At the moment I am getting free ferry tickets on medical to go to Sidney for physio on my arm.
)

Originally Posted by bandrui

With my garden it's a toss-up over who is in control... me or nature.
It was all wild when I moved in. The first thing I did was to fence 1/4 acre to keep the pesky critters out. I still see the odd rabbit that sneaks in or my neighbour's cat, so I let my dog out .
Glad to see I am not the only one with collapsing structures. I envy all you couples though. I live by myself and I'm getting old. I'm looking for a fella with skills .

Originally Posted by christmasoompa

Various, a couple of apples, pears, cherry, apricot, plums, almond, peach and crabapple.

It will be lovely, but at the moment it's not a proper garden (more just a big field really). Having been renovating the house over the past year so that we could move in, that's been our priority and I'll worry about the garden next year!

Getting the veggie patch and some chickens up and running were essential though as I really missed them last year, and we've just had the collapsing front wall rebuilt so I may try and get at least the front garden looking sensible soon.

Originally Posted by fletcher m

http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetail...Key=-639630161

We quite like this, though it won't be there when we move unless the property market is stagnant. That is why i'm trying to get details of the trains and timings to Victoria. It seems that the road journey is about 40 mins to The Royal Jubilee Hosp. That is the best place for work for Mrs fletch.

Originally Posted by ann m

Nice house and garden - I'd check out what the condo/strata fees for something like this would be though

Originally Posted by fletcher m

http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetail...Key=-639630161

We quite like this, though it won't be there when we move unless the property market is stagnant. That is why i'm trying to get details of the trains and timings to Victoria. It seems that the road journey is about 40 mins to The Royal Jubilee Hosp. That is the best place for work for Mrs fletch.

Originally Posted by fletcher m

I have a very good friend that is devistated that we are moving, a big fan of canada, hates gardening, that would be your job! He is a young 60?

Originally Posted by bandrui

Mm. I just turned 63. Is he handsome and kind?

Originally Posted by snowcandy

I have a tiny "living" basil plant on my windowsill bought in Coop last night. It looks dead already

Planted some daffs in a pot and have kept in the basement for the last few weeks. Now starting to see a few shoots after putting out in the sun for a couple of hours a day, they may actually be flowering by August