LiveLAGOM Grow Your Own workshop, and growing my own at home

We recently had a LiveLAGOM Grow Your Own workshop, at IKEA Carrickmines 🌿

I love Sunday morning workshops - guaranteed parking, wherever you like.. (Most shops at The Park open at 10am on Sundays.)

I arrived early, and hadn't had any breakfast at home, so I took a little walk to McD's (which was the only place already open) for toasties..

Everyone got a little gardening kit - ceramic pot, watering jug, garden gloves, compressed coconut mulch, seeds, and an ice cube tray..

These were previously started samples.. Like a miniature landscape ♥

We put some mulch on the ice cube tray, and then planted a selection of seeds..

Then, it was fika time, with a hilarious rap video 😂 Swedish Fika - Go Royal

 Omnomnom.. ♥

Next, we had a flower pot decoration contest! 😃

And I won it!!! 😃♥

I created some Threefingermen..

I think it was Charlotta the Green Cat who won it, really.. Our judge was a cat person 😃

I absolutely LOVE my prize! Socker greenhouse ♥♥♥♥♥

I used these markers for the pot decoration..

Some beautiful pots - these were decorated with paints.. I think I was the only one to use markers..

We had been asked to bring any household stuff that we might not need or want anymore, should anyone else find some use for it.. I didn't bring anything as I still have a lot of my stuff in Bray, and anything I have at home that I don't need, belongs to the house, so I can't get rid of it.

However, I got this third hand George Foreman grill! I almost didn't grab it as it's quite big, and I don't really have any counter space left in the kitchen, but having since tried it, I am so glad that I DID take it! I just need to clear some space for it, whenever I use it.

The lot! 😃 That's the garden kit from the workshop, my pot decoration prize (the greenhouse), and some workshop leftovers - extra mulch, and an opened pack of starter plugs.. Oh, and a spray bottle that was added to our kit, during the workshop.

The seeds that I planted at the workshop, had shifted a bit on my way home, but I'd placed the tray in a mulch bag, so none were lost 😂

Cara was also happy with a new cardboard box..

I put my newly planted ice cube tray in the greenhouse where it was safe from the cats, but then I had to put the greenhouse on the kitchen window sill as it's the only spot with enough natural light, and where the cats can't knock it down..

It was difficult, trying to cram my other plants around it.. But it was also great motivation to finally bury the dead basil trees that didn't survive the winter, but were still on the windowsill.. (Yes, they started from one supermarket pot of basil, and actually grew so big that I classified them as trees, heh..) I also re-potted the avocado twins, and trimmed my oldest bonsai..

With so many nice days, lately (Thank GOD!!! Finally!!!), my gardening mood reached outdoors, too..

I cleared the parts of the collapsed cat run (it went down under heavy snow in March..), did my best to secure the wobbly fence (which had collapsed this way and that way, in many storms, and again under that heavy snow..), put up some fresh netting, wrapped some cosmetic netting around the cat hut, etc.. Oh, and I took down all the ivy from the back fence as that fence was about to collapse under the weight of the ivy jungle..

I bought and re-potted basil again - hopefully, it will thrive just as it did before as I love fresh basil ♥

I bought some seeds as well, and got some free LIDL seed pots 🌿

These seed pots are lovely - there's a little pot, compressed mulch, a tissue sheet of seeds, a little marker, and instructions..

I got parsley, and lemon balm..

Tomato seeds.. 🍅🍅🍅

I put new mulch on top of my mini compost.. I think I planted some pumpkin seeds here as the bag said that they would like that sort of soil..

Before and after.. I'm using old cat run bits here 😃

Trying to keep the outdoor cats off my newly planted runner beans.. No, this is NOT a new litter tray for you.. 😂

Pumpkin and scarlet runner bean.. I got tons of beans, in 2015 (I think), all the way up to October / November! I planted some again, last year, but I planted them too late (due to almost having moved back to Bray, which would have been hell), so there wasn't much growth in the first place, and then it was all eaten by slugs or such - no beans at all..

Scottish Widows look, with my raincoat.. 😂

The following morning, Little Mami was already chillin' on the protective netting....

My workshop stuff has started to grow ♥

I've moved them into the mulch bag, which I keep turning every day, because the plants lean towards natural light..

My plants have taken over parts of my counter as there's no room on the window sill..

I actually had to remove the greenhouse as it was taking too much space.. I can now cram more plants on the window sill, and I'm still thinking of a new spot for the greenhouse..

I wish it was summer, all the time..

I wanted to plant more stuff outside, so I made another spot and planted peas - with protective netting..

I'd started to think that my tomatoes might not happen at all, but after ten days, there were some signs of life - so tiny that I nearly missed them!

Lemon balm is popping up new life as well, and one day later, there were more baby tomatoes.. 🍅

I love my kitchen jungle ♥ 🌿

I really don't think I would have had all this motivation, had we not had that workshop!

I'd love to plant more stuff out in the garden, but I can't afford to get enough compost, right now, so maybe next year..

#LiveLAGOM #IKEA #IKEAIE