Christmas break, December 2023

I do need a break, but with a three year old it's not likely!  Regardless I'll be taking a blogging break for the rest of the month, to return in January with my yearly garden food totals (I've been keeping tally on my calendar in the kitchen).

I've got a few more garden vegetables for Christmas dinner, waiting to be harvested:  a very small Savoy cabbage (I mean, how much cabbage can we eat at once anyway?), a couple of parsnips and daikon radishes (sizes unknown, but probably comparable with the cabbage).  I also have some of last year's almonds for some festive stollen bread, a lovely fresh duck egg went into gingerbread for a house and cookies (made the gingerbread dough yesterday, will bake it tomorrow);  and I have a Christmas pudding made with our dried figs and dried apples.

I'll see you back here in 2024, and until then, a very Merry Christmas and happy New Year.

Growing and eating in December 2023

The son and daughter came with me to do a little sheet mulching at the allotment this weekend, for the first time in about two weeks but we didn't stay long.  Too rainy and muddy (and whiney).  I was hoping the final savoy cabbage might have grown a little in my absence, but it's just as tiny as ever.  Nice and firm head though--we'll eat it at Christmas regardless.  There's one leek bigger than a spring onion, so that is also earmarked.  Other than that, it's slim pickings.  

There's more to eat at the kitchen garden, though that too is mostly past it.  I've picked a few more fennel bulbs which don't look so nice after multiple frosts;  once they're all gone I'll start on the radishes--I can't see them getting any bigger at this point.  I've got both Spanish black and white daikon growing and while the fennel has been ok sized--around 4 or 5 oz each--the radishes look more like 1 oz each. 

We are gradually working our way through the pile of squashes, though to be honest, I think they are going to last us till next autumn when we starting picking them again!  The husband chopped open another big one weighing more than 16.5 pounds, and I made most of it into puree for the freezer, though we ate it every day for a week too (either as a side veg or stirred into whatever slow cooker meal I made each day);  the last of it went into yesterday's chicken and vegetable curry.  It makes an acceptable substitute for tomato in a curry or stew:  a bit of squash puree stirred in and a tablespoon of vinegar for acidity, and it's hard to tell it isn't tomato.  I put a couple dozen of its seeds to dry for next year's planting.  I may save seed from a few others as we eat them (the seeds themselves have thick husks and aren't so good for eating).

Smarter than I thought

I had a surprising encounter with the two ducks last week, when I brought some cabbage leaves home for the chickens.  I gave most to the chickens in their yard, but Girl Duck was quacking at me so I tossed a few down for her, which she set to eating at once.  But then as I walked back to the house, she followed me, quacking more.  Unsure of what she wanted, I waited for her as she walked past me to the water butts and the empty drinking tub there.  She stopped at the tub and quacked again;  so I went over and filled it up.  She backed away quickly, so as not to let me too close to her, but when I stopped she came right over, squeaking this time (the "happy" noise) and got her head right under the water, not even caring about where I was.  That's the first time I've ever had a duck show me what she wanted, like a dog or cat might--certainly I've not had a chicken do so.  I never gave ducks much credit for brains, but maybe they are smarter than I thought.

After months of being locked in their yard, the chickens finally got their first hour of free range yesterday, as our back door has been replaced (it both opens and closes! unlike the old one).  It was too much trouble to walk all the way around from the front door so I didn't bother, but I will let them have an hour a day now as long as no avian flu restrictions come into place.  The ducks themselves have been mostly free ranging all autumn, though I did lock them in before the workmen came with the door--although to be honest, they would probably just hide;  while they are shy of us, they won't even come out if strangers are in the garden.

First frost, November 2023

 Although we were forecast frost last month, and subsequently harvested all our squashes, it's not till this weekend it actually touched down.  The son, daughter and I all visited the allotment that morning to do a little sheet mulch and clear back some of the encroaching brambles and it was cold!  It's maybe a little early for it, but a frost in the garden and allotment means death to slugs and snails.  Or at least a setback in the population, so I definitely need some good hard frosts in winter.

Speaking of slugs and snails, every time I turn something over or pull something out at the allotment, I uncover an unholy amount of them.  I really desperately need some frost, but the best thing would be some concentrated duck action there--and for that I need some secure fencing.  I had hoped this would be the year, but funds don't allow it;  maybe next year.

However, my own garden is well fenced and my two remaining ducks (Girl Duck and Boy Duck) have been free ranging for a few weeks.  I still have some veg in the beds but the only thing I've excluded them from is the pak choy, about five or so heads surrounded in temporary wire.  I would really like to let the chickens free range too, but I don't trust them around the remaining veg;  unlike ducks who are mainly focused on slugs and bugs--and don't scratch up the soil--chickens much prefer plants and I don't dare let them at my radishes, fennel, chard, etc, unsupervised.

Harvesting for Thanksgiving 2023

Nearly Thanksgiving already?  We are hosting some friends, feeding a total of three adults, three teens, and one toddler.  It's actually the husband who does most of the cooking as my workplace (a school) has scheduled vacation days only;  I will be making pies the day before but he'll do most of the rest. This year we are eating:

Pumpkin pie with homegrown squash and our own eggs.  We're still getting a couple eggs a day (unlike in previous years).  And there is plenty of squash.  In fact, we'll be serving it as a vegetable side too, either in cubes or as puree.

Homegrown cabbage from the allotment.  There are only two winter cabbages this year, as the slugs and bugs disappeared the rest, but one is ready to pick now.  I was thinking of saving it till Christmas, but might as well eat it with friends.

I will have a good prod around the rows to find a couple of nice parsnips too--hopefully there are some good sized ones, like the one I dug up last week.

Our turkey came from the supermarket, as did the potatoes, but we'll make some gravy using our garlic and herbs. 

And one more pie:  cherry pie from last year's cherries, waiting in the freezer all this time. 

Root veg

I pulled up my largest black radish only to discover it had been mostly hollowed out by slugs.  What should have been an 8 oz root ended up being just 2.  None of the other radishes seem to be so big, though there are probably several which are around 2 oz.  After this disappointment, I decided I should probably dig up some of my other roots, and accordingly have retrieved one very large parsnip, beautifully unblemished and a whole 12 oz.  Hopefully the rest of the parsnips at least will be equally successful;  but I won't be in a hurry to dig them all up.

Additionally, I've been cutting the fennel one by one, ranging between 4 and 8 oz each.  These have been better growers than the radishes, with only a little slug damage.  Technically not a root veg, but it certainly looks like a bulb.

There are still some small beets at the allotment which I will try and harvest soon--the son and I have been going up maybe once a week to sheet mulch, but the weather isn't cooperating!  I'm going to try and stop by after work in the next day or two.

I had only a few carrots come up, probably because it was so dry after I sowed them in spring.  And then the few I've pulled up haven't been worth much:  small and bug damaged.  Next year I might grow them in the containers I grew cucumbers in this year, though I will probably have to top them up with some sand to lighten the compost in them.  Carrot fly can't reach them if they are 18 inches off the ground, and hopefully I can keep them better watered too.

Keeping the wood stove going

Those kindling bundles I made during the past year have been excellent in starting our wood stove, and far more convenient than rummaging out a handful of twigs from the wood pile.  I trim a handful of dry sticks, up to pencil thickness, to about 30 cm long (a good size for the stove);  I then wrap a strip of a dry yucca leaf around the handful and twist the ends together, tucking them in to keep it nice and tight.  The bundles then go to the wood pile in their own convenient stack.  

It's true they are somewhat time consuming to make.  However, one thing I like to do on nice days is sit in the sunshine in my garden;  these are good days to make a few kindling bundles if I have any twigs on hand.  I'll collect my materials next to my comfy garden chair and make some at my own relaxed pace.

I have a couple of overgrown hawthorns at the hedge at back, earmarked for a hard pruning this winter once all their leaves have fallen.  Although hawthorn is a good dense wood and a quick grower--and takes pruning very well--its slight drawback is it doesn't grow very straight.  It has fierce thorns and can grow in some pretty strange contortions, making it less desirable for firewood.  Nevertheless, it will go into the green wood pile for next winter--and I'll try to negotiate with those thorns to make some more bundles.

As well as keeping us warm, we heat water on the stove for hot drinks, cooking, washing dishes;  we also do occasional cooking (I will hard boil eggs on top, for instance, and we've even baked pizza in the firebox--now that's an exciting meal!); we dry laundry on racks in front of it, and I've even dehydrated vegetables above it.  Although we have to buy in fuel to run the stove, I don't mind spending a few hours throughout the year making the prunings from my garden into bundles to keep the stove going.

Winter stores

Looking at my winter stores, I've had varying degrees of success this year.  Did I grow enough?  Probably not to keep us alive, but certainly enough to keep us in vegetables.

I tell you what, after all those jar woes and the endless-seeming supply of cucumbers, I'm not totally convinced I grew enough.  This seems crazy, given that at the time I could barely keep up with them, and almost every single one went into a pickle jar.  But I wish I had more.  I feel happy with the amount of green tomato pickles however.

Dried veg:  several jars of zucchini and cabbage leaves, a small amount of kohl rabi.  Several dozen Glass Gem corn ears (I tried it unsuccessfully as popcorn, but had better success processing into masa for tortillas).  Lots of garlic--not dried, though in the dry storage section of my pantry.

In the freezer I have pureed squash--as mentioned in my last post--and several bags of various berries, some picked locally/wild and some from the garden/allotment.

Food still in the ground: a few fennel bulbs--these have been surprisingly tender and mild.  A few big black radishes, slightly more parsnips and carrots (though I can't confirm how large they are, unlike the radishes).  Some beets, leeks and a couple cabbages and pak choi.

And it appears squash will be on the menu until further notice.  I made that pumpkin pie--it didn't last long: yum.  Pumpkin pie is very special to me: partly because of childhood memories, and also partly because it's such a lot of work to start from a whole pumpkin/squash.  Of course it's worth it and that big squash made a beautifully dense, dark orange pie.

Pumpkin pie, anyone?

While inspecting the progress of curing (allowing the stems and skins to dry out and harden, in preparation for storage), I noticed one of my biggest squashes had a soft wet spot at the blossom end;  luckily all the others seem to be curing just fine.  This one, since I spotted it quickly, was also fine: for cooking immediately.

The husband took it outside and split it into big chunks with the hatchet--it was certainly too big for any knives and cutting boards we own.  The inside was slightly slimy near the soft spot, but after cleaning out the seed cavity and washing thoroughly, it was ready for cooking--no bad smells or colors.  I wasn't able to weigh it whole, but I weighed each chunk separately:  16 pounds total!  Definitely a record for me.  If you look at the photo in the previous post, this was the red-orange squash at the top right.

I decided not to save seed from this one, as one trait I hope to select for is long storage ability.  There are several more squashes of a similar size which will hopefully be better candidates;  the chickens got their pick of the seeds and stringy bits.

I put more than half to boil in my big stock pot on the wood stove, then most of the rest to simmer in a slow cooker on my countertop.  There is one chunk remaining, waiting its turn later on today, after the others are pureed and in the freezer.  Though I did tell the family I might make a pumpkin pie...

Squashes and squashes

The son, after we'd picked all 20, October 2023

So many squashes, temporarily taking up half my dining room floor.  We were forecast frost over the weekend, so the son and I got them all home from the allotment.  And the two from the kitchen garden too.  All of these grew from the seeds of one squash, except for the long butternut squash.  I'll be saving seed again, but from which one?  Flavor and size I think will be my indicator.

We picked a couple of immature but still good sized ones too;  one has been eaten already, though it took us two days to get through it.  It tasted like a zucchini, not yet sweet like a squash.  I liked it though--we had it roasted with lamb, and then the next day in a moussaka. 

Speaking of butternuts, other people at the allotment have grown them, and I was even proudly shown some, but I can safely say mine is the biggest.  Though only you and I know, as I'm not one to show off

Working while it's still warm

While the lack of light and angle of the sun both feel autumnal, we are having a bit of unexpected warmth this week.  I even harvested a couple of late figs, which I'd thought were long past.  Both sweet and juicy;  one was so ripe it was almost jam.

My autumn sowing and planting are finished in the main;  only some cauliflower seedlings remain in pots for possible planting out later this month.  And then again, maybe not--I've overwintered them in the ground and in pots, and either way was successful.  

Both at home and at the allotment I still have some veg in the ground, to be harvested when needed.  The son picked the biggest squash (as far as we could judge--it was a tough call) at the allotment this weekend, and so it starts.  We tried to weigh it on our small kitchen scale but we got up to 6 lb and ran out of weights;  we guessed it is probably in the vicinity of 10 lb.  It's out on the patio for a few days to cure;  it will be the start of our October window display--and for eating later on in winter.  We would have picked a few more, but we'd walked there and couldn't carry them;  the son kept threatening to drop it, it was so heavy.

Normally October's weather isn't pleasant for gardening, and I usually begin my slow descent about now.  I'm glad of a little extra outdoors time before winter however, and though I don't plan on doing too much, I'll enjoy it while I can.

At the allotment, October 2023

At the allotment this weekend, the whole family helped plant out the garlic bed.  The son and I had sheet mulched gradually over the week, and he and the husband added a bit more mulch on top to make it nice and deep (well composted horse manure and straw from the on site stables).  We then planted about 120 big cloves and covered them over, criss-crossing some artichoke trimmings over the top in the hopes of detering any curious birds--not that they eat them, but they sometimes pull them out if they can see the tops poking up.

The chickens and ducks are back at home because of a rat infestation at the allotment;  since they've gone, there have been dead rats all over the place.  Good riddance.  We've observed that the rats won't eat poison if there is chicken food on offer.  So no chickens=no chicken food=no rats.  I had to harvest my Glass Gem corn because some of it had been nibbled;  I probably lost about a quarter or more of the cobs but the corn patch at home is untouched, thankfully.  Hope we can at least last till spring before any rats move in here (and the poultry can then go to the allotment again).

I thought I'd finally got the last of the cucumbers, but it looks like I still might get one more small batch.  Will I grow this pickling variety again?  Yes, but I need about twice as many jars!  I also finally got the last of the green tomatoes, but couldn't salvage them all from the blight.  I pickled the last few.

Still growing, not ready:  some leeks, kale, purple sprouting broccoli, cauliflowers, Brussels sprouts and cabbages.

Still growing, ready or nearly so:  beets, green and purple beans, spring onions, squashes (and cucumbers!).

Winding down? Not quite yet

Much of the summer harvest is done and gone now, like zucchini, cucumber (almost, anyway) and tomatoes;  despite this, I still manage to walk out my back door every day and pick enough veg for dinner (yesterday it was baby squash, chard, celery and herbs).  The allotment too is still yielding a regular small harvest of things such as beets and green beans.

Some of the harvest is an all-at-once job like the squash and corn;  these are still on the plants, maturing away.  I hope to get them in by the end of October, weather permitting.

There are a few plants just coming into their own now (the end of September!):  achocha (a spikey little green fruit on a very vigorous vine) which has self seeded for years now;  and the Lazy Housewife climbing beans, only just now producing pods.  The other climbing beans have been producing all summer (a pretty purple variety), and both were sown and planted out at the same time.  Well, better late than never I guess.

I am hopeful for a some autumn/early winter veg, looking promising now:  the bulb fennel, parsnips, pak choy and black radish (a cooking radish).  Also hoping for some spring onions, a few last kohl rabi, and some daikon radish--not quite as forward as the others, but we'll see.

Pickles everywhere

After a lot of back and forth, I decided to pick all the remaining green tomatoes at the allotment;  while most of the plants show evidence of blight, it's still pretty mild and hasn't affected much of the fruit (yet).  Well when I say all the tomatoes:  that was indeed my intention, but after filling a big bag full I had to stop at about halfway.

I made my usual green tomato pickle with them, but ran out of jars--again--before I ran out of tomatoes.  I absolutely love this pickle, which is more like a sour salsa really.  In fact, for this batch I used the same pickle ingredients but blended it up into a chunky paste like salsa, and left it to ferment for two days on my countertop.  Now it is so so tasty--even tastier than the chunky pickle I love so much.

I am also still not quite finished making cucumber pickles, as the plants refuse to give up:  I'm reduced to making them in a large plastic ice cream tub from my work, as I'm completely out of jars.  Currently I have three each of the 1.8 L jars of green tomato pickle and cucumber pickles, plus a 3.3 L of cucumber and another 3.3 which is mostly cucumber but has some other random veg (this is a fermented pickle rather than a vinegar pickle, and the one I keep dipping into and topping up again).  My fridge and countertop are both full--the husband is even hinting about getting another small fridge just for pickles...

State of the flock, September 2023

After spending a rather large wad of cash on materials, the husband and son have revamped the at-home chicken coop/run to make it potentially impervious to wild birds.  It still needs to be netted on top to be so, but as we are not yet under a government housing order for poultry, I'll keep it unnetted (and because there is a big horse chestnut tree currently shedding conkers and the start of its autumn leaf fall, right above the run).

Now because of this turn of events, we have now adopted another four rescue hens, bringing our total to eight chickens.  These new ones are settling in at home;  unlike some rescues, they seem pretty calm and are curious rather than nervous.  They are a bit ragged looking with maybe more bald patches than some we've had.  But they seem healthy and should be back to full feather (and bright red combs) in a few months.

We'd arranged to pick the new ones up a few weeks in advance, but it turned out to be the hottest day of the year.  I was really concerned about them dying of heat exhaustion in the box on the half hour drive home, so in addition to large ventilation holes, I also put three big ice packs on the floor, covered with an empty paper feed sack.  All four made it home alive;  I set their box on its side inside the run and left them to find their own way out.  Within half an hour there were two scratching a nice new dustbath, one having a big drink, and one flapping up to perch on various surfaces:  obviously they weren't too bothered!

The old lady hens are still at the allotment with the ducks for another week or two at least;  I'm not quite ready to introduce everyone until the new ones have completely settled in.  Integrating new chickens is hard on everyone.

The two ducks, boy and girl, rule the run at the allotment I'm sorry to say.  Every day I visit, I have to peek inside the little coop to count all the hens, as boy duck won't let them out!  Well, they are allowed if they sneak out, but when he catches them he chases them back in.  Naughty duck.  I would particularly like the ducks back home to go on a little slug hunt in the veg patch, but again I'll probably wait another week or two at least.

Eggs;  two old hens are still laying once or twice a week, as is girl duck.  The new ones (the son has chosen "the Specklies" as their cohort name--we've run out of individual names) have produced six eggs in two days.  Not bad. 

Harvesting from the park

These past few weeks have seen me and the kids at our local country park, just a few streets away from our house, foraging for some wild food.  There are quite a lot of wild edibles there that we know of:  mint, bullaces (a small wild plum), oregano, raspberries, hazelnuts, pears, and even an invasive species of crayfish.  However, we have been picking:

Blackberries

It's been a good year for wild blackberries.  Often they turn out small, sour and seedy;  but this year I've picked a lot of big, sweet juicy ones.  Still seedy of course!  But more juice per seed.  In the past I've made jam, put them in smoothies and used the puree in ice cream.  I've also combined them with wild elderberries to make wine, which is my plan for this year too.

Apples

It seems it's not been a great year for apples however.  My own trees have been producing biennially, and this was the off year:  no apples.  There are quite a lot of wild trees at the country park, and most are nice enough to eat though nothing spectacular (we only know one phenomenally bitter tree).  Unfortunately, the trees there haven't produced much either, and most of it quite small.  The son and I went picking at the weekend and came back with a sack of which the largest were golf ball sized.  These will be for eating only--at least they are free and the kids don't mind the size.  I know of another couple of trees we didn't visit so we'll have to check them next.  

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Our country park used to be a coal mine, and our village a mining village.  When I moved here almost 20 years ago, the park was mostly just a flat grassy field with a small memorial to the miners and a largeish fishing pond at the far end, with a young weedy forest around that.  The whole park has since been planted with many trees;  other plants have recolonised to make it a real haven for wildlife and local people alike.

I have in the past harvested quite a lot of different things at our park, including herbs for simple remedies such as plantain and alder to make a soothing skin cream.  I've even gathered reeds for basketry and old dead wood to use as kindling in our wood stove:  it's a bountiful resource practically at our doorstep. 

Summer's end

I hope it stays warm for the next month but I have my doubts.  I've got at least three big squashes at the allotment plus another one at home;  there are also an undetermined number of smaller ones--all at the allotment--and I want them all to ripen!  Also on the ripening wish list is my corn:  some stalks still have cobs just starting to emerge, and they'll need all the light and warmth they can get.

Surprisingly, I'm still getting a regular harvest of pickling cucumbers;  twice a week all summer and no sign of stopping just yet, though I think they hit their peak in mid-August.  I have so many jars of pickles now, both fermented and vinegar brined.  I had to rearrange my fridge to fit them all and despite that I still have two large jars on my counter;  the bigger of these jars is absorbing all the newest harvest, to ferment for winter--it's got a mix of all different kinds of veg, whenever I have a small harvest that isn't worth dehydrating:  kohl rabi, cucumber, French beans, etc.

I made a second sowing in June of some old cucumber seed;  it was either sow it or throw it and I was again surprised that several sprouted.  Now two of these plants have been producing little cucs:  they are meant to be a mid-sized eating variety, but so far none have been much bigger than the pickling cucs.  Tasty though:  a nice pale yellow variety.  Incidently, I found an over-large, over-ripe pickling cuc that I somehow missed in time and have left it growing in the hopes of next year's seeds.  The yellow cuc variety was from my own saved seed too though I don't know if I'll be able to save any from it again this year.

I made an executive decision to hold off pulling out the allotment tomatoes in the hopes I'll get some more red ones before they blacken--so far so good, although I've picked only a handful so far.  They still look pretty healthy actually, though the cherry toms are goners.

And in other news, I've got two kinds of radishes sprouting up;  the daughter and I sowed two rows of daikon radish after the cabbages all came out, and we broadcast black radish and spring onion seed over the zuc bed after I pulled up most of those last week.  I still have a couple zuc plants at home and the allotment but they nearly are at the end now. 

Blight again

After such a wet July, I guess it's not too much of a surprise that my tomatoes have been infected with blight.  It doesn't happen every year, but it's not particularly uncommon either:  just as they were starting to ripen too.  The ones at the allotment are showing early signs of it, but the ones at home have been blackening for longer;  these I have mostly pulled up, leaving two plants which have clusters of yellow/orange tomatoes, not yet blighted (though the plants are).  I'll give them another couple of days with my fingers crossed.

The cherry toms at the allotment are all sorry with it, though I've gotten a few ripe ones off them;  the regular toms are sprawling all over them.  I sowed a tray of each and planted the regular and plum toms at home and the cherries at the allotment;  except somehow most of the cherry toms ended up being regular toms.  None of the regular toms turned out to be cherries, so I definitely didn't mix up the trays.  Anyway, the regular toms are only showing the first signs of blight, but if I want any harvest off them I'll have to pick them within the next few days, green though they are.

I've made two 1.8 L jars of green tomato salsa (brined/fermented) and put what red tomatoes I could salvage into the freezer for future pizza sauce.  I'll probably make a big jar of pickled toms and cucumbers with the rest of the green ones at the allotment:  I've run out of those 1.8 L jars but I still have a 3.3 L jar, and while there's probably not enough toms to fill it, there's definitely enough cucs.  I have a great recipe for bottled green salsa, but I like the fermented kind even more;  I just need to make room in my fridge for it.

The cabbage bed

A splash of color in the veg bed, July 2023

I'm even busier than last week!  But at least I've got the cabbage bed cleared and replanted (finally) and all the cabbage either dehydrated or brined for later eating/cooking.  As I may have mentioned, they were meant to be spring cabbages (harvest in spring), and none of them produced much of a head.  But I needed the space so I pulled them all, and of course a little harvest is better than no harvest.  The oldest outer leaves went to the chickens and ducks, and I put the stalks in the compost.

After hoeing and raking off the bed, I put down the pak choi and fennel transplants, and two rows of daikon radish seeds;  as a precaution I draped insect mesh over the whole bed--against both cabbage butterflies and pigeons.  

Speaking of cabbage butterflies, the carnage wasn't so bad this year.  Only one spindly little cabbage got badly munched--the rest only lightly, with just one or two green caterpillars per plant it seemed (at least, that's how many I found at the bottom of the sink after soaking each head).  Usually the first wave consists of many many single green caterpillars;  then come the armies of black and yellow ones.  Except they didn't. I have seen a couple of husks here and there where the parasitic wasps have been busy, so maybe other predators have been working on it too?

I've done a couple of quick sweeps at the allotment; the brassicas there look a little more tattered, but I think it's more flea beetles and slugs than caterpillars.  Still, I'll try and keep on top of it, as those black and yellow caterpillars can completely defoliate plants if not stopped in time.

Working, working

Not ready yet, July 2023

It's two weeks into our six week school holiday (for the kids and me; husband is still working) and I feel like I could do with a break!  The kids and I walk up to the allotment every day for our usual jobs:  poultry care, picking artichokes and anything else ready (beets, cucumbers, French beans and more).  I do the same harvesting round at home (cucs, zucs, lettuce, herbs and more).  And after all this I'll get busy in the kitchen every day, cooking and preserving the harvest. 

What is all this junk next to my grape arbor? July 2023

I'm still dehydrating veg nearly every day, and getting to the last couple heads of cabbage.  Also dehydrating the excess of zucs (hooray!), though I have come to the last of the big kohl rabi for now--some little ones still growing, hopefully for autumn harvest.

I've also got several jars of pickled cucumbers--just started a new one yesterday.  Even though it's still maybe a little early, I'm starting to sample the fermented ones I began last month:  yum.  I also started fermenting a small jar of cabbage and zuc, and a big jar of mixed veg with a jumble of whatever I had too much of: French beans, kohl rabi, zuc, cuc, cabbage, garlic.  I even put in some dried chilis I found in the back of the cupboard, which I'd grown about five years ago.  

I still have lot more harvesting--and dealing with that harvest.  I also have other garden chores including clearing beds and transplanting the last seedlings I sowed in July.  I expect to be very busy for the rest of my relaxing holiday.

Curcubits

A lot growing here, July 2023

I sowed my own saved squash seed as usual this spring, but additionally a packet of a new to me variety;  my own squash has made a couple (hoping for more) but the new variety hasn't even formed any female flowers, let alone started growing any squashes (not very promising).  Oh well.  The original squash was a large green kuri type, but has had several generations of crossing with other people's varieties at the allotment, so I never quite know what I'm getting--but that's part of the fun.  Last year it was big and yellow (and one vine I planted at the allotment is again producting yellow fruits).  It's always been tasty;  it's also usually big (growing conditions permitting), and has always kept well.  The above photo has a little green squash right in the center, but it's already doubled in size since I took the picture last week.

Also in the photo growing up canes (maybe hard to tell with all that greenery) are my pickling cucumbers.  I've got four plants at home and about 12 at the allotment.  I may have mentioned before that I've not had much luck with them in the past but this year has been great so far.  I've had a 500mL jar of pickling vinegar on the go in the fridge:  cucumbers go in, a few days later pickles come out.  However, in the past week the harvest has gone up a notch and I've had to break out the big guns:  my two 1.7L kilner jars, which hold 12-15 cucumbers each.  They are both currently brining on my countertop--the recipe from National Center for Home Food Preservation suggests fermenting at room temperature for about a month (then keeping in the fridge for up to six months).  In fact, the cucumbers have been such a success I'm going out to buy a few more big kilner jars.

And also pictured on the left in front of the cucumber canes:  my zuc patch.  This is the year!  I finally have more zucs than I can use, and it's wonderful!  I'm cooking with them most days: diced up into soup, stir fried, grated into bread, sliced thinly onto pizza and more;  I'm of course dehydrating the rest, both grated and in cubes.  I actually have four varieties growing though I'm still waiting on my first patty pan (finally formed a fruit, but not yet big enough to pick);  I particularly like the pale yellow kind below which is very long and narrow.  I also have a bright yellow one, shorter but fatter; and a pale green one, teardrop shaped.

Keep them coming! July 2023

Planting for winter

After a hot dry start, summer has become cool and rainy--somewhat typical for this part of the world (in my 19 years experience).  I usually try and plant for both hot/dry and cool/wet conditions, so maybe not all of my plants will flourish, but at least I should have some success.

Sowing for winter, July 2023

As it stands, I'm still doing some last minute sowings for autumn and winter.  I've been doing about a 3 weekly rotation for kohl rabi and beets, although I think I might be coming to the end of that at last.  I've been harvesting the first of them for a few weeks now, but grown in good composted manure (helped along by the extra rain), they do seem to bulb up fairly quickly.

In the kitchen garden I've been clearing away the spring cabbage bed, none of which managed a very tight head sadly (regardless, these are the current occupants in my dehydrator).  One by one they are making space for the next plants:  fennel and daikon radishes.  Technically I probably shouldn't sow radish after cabbage--both brassicas--but I'll risk it this once, having no other space for them.

I have a couple more cabbages and some pak choy seedlings needing to plant out--I'll risk the cabbages at the allotment but the pak choy will have to squeeze in at home (somewhere!) as it's known slug candy.  I also have a new sowing of spring onions in pots: these will probably make it up to the allotment too--and I'll have time to make at least one more sowing.  I'll keep the pots of parsley at home though, for easier picking.

Preparing for winter

 

All been picked now, June 2023

The family spent a busy day on Sunday working on some garden projects:  in particular getting some more firewood cut/split and stored for the winter.  There are still some larger branches and some old fencing, but the husband and son split nearly all the last of the logs.  We are collecting a newer pile of green wood (mainly branches and larger prunings from our shrubs and trees) drying out too;  however these won't be dry enough for burning until the following winter.

We also picked the first half of the blackcurrants, and the last of the redcurrants.  I'm not quite decided if they will become jam or wine, but for now they are in the freezer until the rest of the blackcurrants ripen.  

My initial experiments with quick pickling/refrigerator pickling seem to have worked out (although the son thinks they are a little too sour):  cucumbers and beets.  I don't think these will last till actual winter, though maybe?  I hope to keep making more small batches as well as eating them.

Another pickle I have been contemplating is my green tomato salsa.  It's also a refrigerator type, and I usually make it closer to the end of the summer.  However, it's a pickle I really enjoy and I do have a lot of green toms right now (none very close to ripening yet).  If I did, I would use the cherry toms and again make smaller batches.  I'll think about it a little more;  the cherry toms are an "everbearing" plant, whereas the regular toms are a "once and done" plant.  So I could theoretically keep picking green cherry toms for the rest of the summer, and keep my fingers crossed the big toms will actually ripen.

I'm trying to keep the dehydrator going most days, even if only for a single tray.  I've been mainly focusing on the zucs and kohl rabi.  I want my cupboards (and fridge and freezer) to be full by winter, with plenty of variety.

Preserving, July 2023

It's begun!  I dusted off the dehydrator and have kicked off this year's preservation bonanza with zucchini and kohl rabi.  I really love having jars of dried vegetables for adding to stews and such:  it's so handy.  I'll probably focus on dehydration as my main preservation method this year.

However, I've also started harvesting my little pickling cucumbers;  it's been several years since I've successfully grown more than just a couple, and I've got my fingers crossed they'll continue.  Some of the cucs are kind of bitter;  an internet search suggests either growing conditions or pollination to be the culprit, and picking off male flowers is meant to be a solution to the second.  However, I'm not 100% sure I'll get any cucumbers at all if I do this (not all varieties can produce without pollination);  I've started a small batch of brined pickles instead.  Soaking them in salt usually works to draw out the bitterness, which is exactly what brined pickles are.  Wish me luck.

I've got lots and lots of blackcurrants ready now, but am somewhat at a loss of how to preserve them.  We are mainly a low carb family so I rarely make sweet things like jam;  that said, I do make a small batch every few years, so maybe it's due again--we don't have any jam in the cupboard at present.  Last year I made raspberry wine from that enormous glut so I suppose it could be an option for the blackcurrants too (though I must admit the rasp wine didn't turn out particularly nice).

And I made my first cut of chamomile to dry for tea.  It's very fragrant--though not particularly nice tasting--but it does really work to help me sleep when I drink it.  I use the leaves, stems and flowers and simply air dry them on a tray in my kitchen.  I was surprised to see it growing this spring, not having sown any;  I was under the impression it was an annual although perhaps it self seeded (last year's plants were very puny and I only got one small jar off them).  Long may it continue.

At the allotment, July 2023

A tangle of new garlic, June 2023

The husband was in charge of digging up the garlic harvest at the allotment last month;  I spread it on a wicker panel on the patio to cure for a few weeks, then into a couple of large plastic trays in the garage to finish off (it kept getting rained on).  Last year I tied my garlic into bundles by their long stems and hung them from the garage rafters, but I might go back to my old way of storing them:  trimmed of their stems, in a kitchen cupboard.  The last of the hanging bulbs went moldy before we used them--if I look at them more often I can hopefully discover any problems earlier.

The daughter (aged 3) helped me pick all the broad beans, and even helped me shell them.  Although the bed was very weedy they were still productive;  most of the seeds sprouted into several stems, each bearing several pods.  Some pods were massive with up to 8 beans;  most were a more modest 4-6.  The son is helping me gradually sheet mulch over this bed.

A regular producer, we have been picking 6-8 artichokes most days.  Rather than picking a big batch all at once, I'm finding the small but steady approach more manageable.  They are kind of time consuming to process: I cook them whole for several hours in the slow cooker, then once cooled I'll peel the outer petals and choke to reveal the heart.  For such a huge plant--they're all about 2 m tall--the resulting harvest is pretty puny:  those 6-8 hearts typically weigh in at around 1.5 oz.  Not each mind you, but total.  Is it worth the space and effort?  For now, I suppose so;  they're a perennial and therefore free.

Another perennial producer is the raspberries;  last year they overwhelmed us.  This year they are fewer though bigger (pretty small last year).  Actually it feels like a good amount this year:  not too many, not too few.  I made a batch of wine with them last year which has turned out very sour;  however I also made a batch of too-sweet redcurrant wine.  Half and half in a glass with ice they are a perfect match.

The chickens and ducks (4 and 2 each) are also in residence, probably for the rest of the summer, though none is very happy with the arrangement.  However, we're getting 1-2 eggs a day, both chicken and duck.  I try to give them something green and fresh every day when I visit, which is all too easy to procure in our still weedy allotment;  I wish I could let them free range a bit, but we still have no fencing.  It's on the list.

I've been waiting two years for...

The first of many (I hope!) June 2023

Last year I got no zucchinis whatsoever.  The slugs at the allotment ate all my baby plants soon after transplant, and the single one left was crammed into an unfavorable position at home at the last minute and ended up not produced anything.

Somehow I neglected to buy new seed;  at sowing time this year late April), I sowed every single seed from a collection of varieties dated 2018.  I oversowed by a long shot, but wasn't sure any of them would sprout!  Luckily I got about 10 plants--and I have since bought a new packet of seed in a £1 sale, for next year.

All but two of the plants are growing at home in the kitchen garden, as I wanted to play it safe:  no problem with slugs here (thank you ducks).  The two at the allotment seem to have managed to survive the slugs, but it's unclear whether they'll produce just yet;  neither have formed any flowers.

But at home, in a bed newly enriched with partly composted chicken manure, the zucs are happening--after two years without I'm a little excited!  Several days ago I picked the first yellow one pictured above.  It had grown to a nice size and was delicious raw;  I marinated it (and some lightly blanched broad beans from the allotment) in a vinaigrette and we ate it on some lettuce (also from the garden).  

The I picked the first green one yesterday which went into a delightful minestrone soup alongside a garden cabbage, new garlic and fresh herbs;  we ate it with another salad, this time with marinated artichoke hearts (from the allotment).

Why so worked up?  I know zucchini has a reputation, but it's always been coy with me.  I envy the stories of people unable to give away their overabundance--this has never been my personal experience.  Maybe later this summer I'll be complaining about overflowing zucs (I can dream).

Protecting my food

 

Trying to save a few cherries, June 2023

Although I love my local wildlife (and they love my garden), I'm not quite willing to share everything with them.  I operate on a "don't ask don't tell" policy with bugs and slugs:  I don't actively try to kill them unless they are destroying in plain sight--such as cabbage caterpillars. 

Lovely lettuces, June 2023

The birds too are allowed a free rein with nearly everything in the garden--unless their idea of sharing means I don't get anything.  Obviously, the birds don't get the caterpillar treatment (ignomiously fed to my ducks), but I have to take a few precautions with particularly vulnerable plants.

Radish seedlings coming up--let's keep the pigeons off, June 2023

This year I'm protecting my lettuces and my direct-sown seed beds, mainly from pigeons.  Last year a pesky pigeon nipped off all my little swede seedlings as they came up, so this year I'm proactive.  The French beans were covered in mesh until they sprouted;  the radishes had the same mesh but graduated to plastic trays after sprouting (apparently pigeons particularly love brassicas), and the lettuces all have a bit of bird netting loosely draped over.

Apparently it's not too hard to protect against pigeons because they won't go anywhere they can't immediately fly to or from--and as they leap straight into the air to fly, this means they don't like to go anywhere with any sort of obstruction.  Thankfully my protective measures seem to be working.

And my little Stella tree is draped in some mesh and an old net curtain to save its 20 or 30 cherries (mainly from blackbirds although they are fair game for anything feathery out there).  As I mentioned previously, none of my three small cherry trees have produced much this year, and in a choice between a pittance of pie cherries or a pittance of sweet cherries:  I decided on the sweet.

Catching up, June 2023

Getting bigger, May 2023

Last winter I picked off all the small to medium sized unripe figs from my little tree, and also gave it a rather extreme haircut.  This year the newly formed figs have gotten big much quicker than usual, and there is plenty of new growth.  I wonder if they'll ripen earlier as well?  Normally those over-wintered fruits do "ripen" but are too dry to bother eating--only the new season fruits go soft and juicy.

I'm still busy in the garden, though the main planting is finished now.  I still have several seed trays on the go, all for successional planting;  the maincrop plantings are all in.  Right now I'm keeping on top of the weeding and watering.

It's been a very dry several weeks;  my water butts are all but empty, and the furthest reaches of the veg beds are suffering from lack of rain.  We have once more shoved the washing machine exit pipe out onto the garden for irrigation purposes but it doesn't reach all that way (the garden hose is at the allotment).  This week already has been very hot and is meant to stay that way. 

The ducks have lost their splashing tub until it rains again too, as we can't easily fill it otherwise--although they can still splash their heads in their smaller water tubs (which hold about 5 L each).  We're down to two ducks now, as our white duck (female) was found dead the other day:  at four years old I assume it was down to old age. 

No fruit formed this year on Laxton Fortune apple, May 2023

My little fruit trees aren't as productive this year, perhaps because of the cold spring.  The apples didn't really flower (they seem to flower biennially anyway) and all three of my little cherry trees have only sparse fruit;  I usually net the smallest, a Morello, but I don't think I'll bother this year: the birds can have them.  The Kordia is small but too big to net--maybe I'll net the Stella instead.  It also has only a couple dozen fruits, but as we've never got any, it'd be nice to taste them!

Providing wildlife habitat

 

Returning to the scene, May 2023

I've seen the hedgehog a couple of times recently in this bed, and it has retreated to the far leafy corner both times, leading me to suspect it has a nest.  Perhaps it has a nest of hoglets?  Recall we lost a week old duckling to a marauding hedgehog--maybe even the same hedgehog.  I can't blame it however, and am still glad to see it.

Unlike most of our neighbours, our garden has a mixture of all kinds of plants;  and instead of an open lawn with just one or two levels of plantings in perimeter flower beds, it almost resembles a slice of forest with a mature horse chestnut tree to a variety of smaller trees (hawthorns, laurels, fruit trees), shrubs from very tall to very small, a small bit of meadow (aka lawn) and lots of layers in between.  

All this provides good habitat for birds especially, who love our garden.  Mostly I love them back, although I'm not 100% about the pair of wood pigeons who keep trying to eat my lettuces--luckily they are foiled fairly easily with some loosely draped netting.  All the different leafy layers means there are a lot of places for birds to quickly fly to in case of danger (which is usually us, or one of the neighbourhood cats), and the different plantings provide lots of food, particularly bugs.

It's an excellent space for creepy crawlies with lots of habitat everywhere, for worms and woodlice to bees and beyond.  The birds are constantly feeding; I see the same male sparrow every day picking aphids off my plum tree (I think he has a bunch of hungry kids in the eaves).  In fact, it's the prime time of year to see parents teaching their chicks to find food, and what better place than our garden?  Soon we will have ripe berberis berries, and after that a steady stream of berries and seeds all over.

The wildlife that live and visit here rarely make trouble, and are either harmless or positively beneficial (like Mr Sparrow);  any drawbacks are small compared to the advantages.  They help me grow better food by eating pests and I love their feathery antics and songs.  I encourage them, the bugs, and even that bloodthirsty hedgehog with my garden design.

Crunch time again

Squashes, etc, May 2023

So many things to do!  It's nearly summer--and after a cold spring, the past week or so has actually felt like summer--and I need to get it all done.

The son and I have been sheet mulching and transplanting at the allotment;  the grass there is nearly waist high in places, thick and lush.  I've given up trying to dig it out, so sheet mulch is the way;  though the grass still manages to come back every year, at least it's knocked back long enough to grow other stuff.  It's mostly cardboard topped with used stable bedding, obtained from the on-site stables;  I have used my precious own-made compost in little pockets just for the transplants themselves.  

Nearly all the summer crops are in now, though I am still keeping up a succession of beets, lettuce and kohl rabi in trays for continuous planting out.  And I've just made a start on sowing seed for winter veg too (mainly brassicas), which will continue through early summer. 

Spring cabbages not quite ready, May 2023

 Other jobs include keeping the new transplants well watered until they are well established, and tying/supporting growth such as for beans and tomatoes.  Speaking of well established, my previous experiments with using waste wool as a planting medium seem to be working very well!  Every transplant growing in wool has simply kept growing, no transplant shock at all, compared to those not grown in wool.  The root balls even seem more robust, with thicker roots and more roots altogether.  

Let's keep going, at get it all done.  Maybe this will be the year for me!

Weaving a fence

Keeping the ducks in, May 2023

 The old roll of chicken wire which enclosed the duck yard was finally deemed beyond repair and chucked out;  I bought it many years ago and it had been disintegrating slowly but surely after the first few years.  Rather than spend money on another roll of wire, I spent time and effort instead and made myself a bit of free fencing.

I pruned my narrow-cane bamboo plant fairly hard this spring;  it's a clumping variety but still pretty fast growing and produces a lot of new canes every year.  I think it was about 10 cm tall when I first planted it, but now it's taller than me, and the clump was wider around than I can encircle with my arms--I pruned it back to about that width.

I then took the longest, thickest canes--between the thickness of a drinking straw and a pencil--and started weaving them in an open diamond shape weave fence.  To keep the structure secure I tied each place where two canes crossed each other.

To make the ties, I collected a bunch of too-small/holey black socks from my son, and cut them into little strips:  stretchy and durable.  I don't know how many I used, but each cane had around eight ties on it (but obviously each tie connects two canes).

To begin with, I worked the first meter or so of fence laid flat on the ground, as it need some length before it could support itself;  after this, I put it upright and wove the remainder in situ.  It took me several days of work, although I spread it over several weeks, mainly depending on the weather (this was in early spring).  I think it should last as long as the chicken wire did, and hey, it was free.

Last year's fennel regrowing, May 2023

Dirty fingernails

In the last few days I've planted out half the tomatoes, sowed some dill and two packets of dwarf French beans, and sowed a couple more seed trays of beets and kohl rabi--all these at home.  At the allotment I've planted out purple climbing beans, corn, kohl rabi and beets, and laid down more sheet mulch.  I've got some tomatoes and red kale up there just waiting to be planted out later today or tomorrow.

Later this week or at the weekend I've got some more climbing beans to go out, along with the last of the tomatoes and I'll be sowing more trays for winter veg, particularly winter brassicas.  I want to get a few more rows of root veg seeds sown too:  more carrots and parsnips (some already up and growing), as well as daikon radish, turnip and swede.

I've been a whirlwind of planting out and sowing seeds, and my fingernails are perpetually dirty;  not ideal for a food worker!  Though I keep them as short as possible (I cook at a local school).  Every day, whether at home before work or at the allotment after work, I've got my hands in the soil. 

Planting out at last

I've started transplanting out my first seed trays, both at home and at the allotment.  Recall I've been trying out a new-to-me method using waste wool sheets under a layer of compost in my trays.  I have been playing around a little with this, as it's kind of awkward to cut the wool sheet apart once the seedlings are growing in it;  I've tried putting a little ball of wool inside individual pots, and also have tried tearing up the sheets into smaller wispy bits and using these as the first layer in a tray.  I haven't yet transplanted any of these additional experiments.

However my first transplants, a small row of lettuces growing in wool, have taken remarkably well and seem to have begun growing immediately upon planting out--no sign of transplant shock.  Perhaps I helped them along slightly by covering the row in mesh (to protect from bird damage), but I think it was probably more due to the wool.

I have transplanted my first tray of corn too, but these I did slightly differently;  they were sown into modules instead of trays, with no space for wool.  When planting out, I put a little wad of wispy wool in the bottom of each hole before placing the seedling on top.  These are also covered in mesh until they find their feet, but I hope they'll be up and running by the end of the week.  I have one more tray of corn to go up at the allotment (within a few days hopefully).

There are lots more trays to go, including beets, kale, cabbage and more;  plus the indoor grown modules/pots such as beans and tomatoes--like the corn, these have been gradually hardened off outside as it's grown warmer;  they are ready to go as soon as I can snatch a few minutes.

At the allotment, May 2023

A bit more work has been done at the allotment, rather than just a once a week visit to pick kale, my winter routine.  The past few weekends the son and I have been emptying compost bins (and beginning to refill with horse bedding from the onsite stables), sheet mulching, and even a small amount of weeding--mainly thistles and a few nettles.

The husband repaired the wire around the chicken yard and I did a few adjustments to their coop, and now all five hens are up there, taking care of the rampant grass covering their yard.  I hope they can clear it all away by June;  if so, I'll bring them back home and plant it up with squash and/or zucchini.  If not, they can stay up there until it gets too hot, like when we had a 40C heat wave last summer.

I have a few trays of seedling here at home just about ready to transplant into the new sheet mulch;  I know the beets will be fine and I'm going to try the kohl rabi this year too.  While there are almost no slugs and bugs in the kitchen garden (thank you ducks) the allotment is teeming with them--I make sure the most vulnerable crops stay at home but I have to balance this against crop rotation too.  Last year I grew mostly brassicas including kohl rabi at home;  I have to rotate them to the allotment this year, or not grow them at all.

I'll also try the corn at the allotment again this summer--last summer something pulled it all out and ate it just as soon as I transplanted it.  This year I sowed double the amount and will keep one tray back--and I'll cover the rows with mesh to hopefully prevent any digging.

Freedom finally (for poultry)

Is the fact that my back door hardly opens the real reason I rarely take photos?  Now that it's a little warmer (and we have got used to being cold in the house this winter), the back door often just stays open all day--to save the effort of reopening it.  Or closing it in the first place.  It's a big glass sliding door and no longer slides on its rails and needs to be replaced.  And very heavy and very hard to move.  That's my new excuse--but we are saving up for a replacement, hopefully within a few months.

Chickens, ducks and all other domestic birds have been granted freedom!  Well, the housing order has been lifted by the government, so our ducks are back in their own large yard and the chickens' tractor has been extended with a bit of fencing so they have a bit more room to move.  Well, not a lot of room still but the son and I still are moving them daily to a new spot on the lawn or garden, so they have fresh ground and fresh greens, and some actual daylight every day.  And we're getting several eggs a week in return.  

The son, daughter and I visited the allotment a few days ago to do a bit more sheet mulching and harvesting (kale, leek and rhubarb) and afterward we went around to say hello to everyone else's newly released poultry.  Lots of happy birds.  I want to get our chickens up to our allotment, but it probably won't be for at least another week.  Maybe longer, as their yard and coop there needs a bit of repair first.  Nothing major, thankfully.

Several weeks ago I brought home a large plastic tub from my work;  it had been thrown out with a hole in it.  The husband managed to repair it and the ducks have a lovely splashing tub now, big enough to get into fully.  I've seen the boy duck in it a lot, but finally saw a girl duck in it the other day (the husband says he's seen both girls in it at various times).  There are two water butts in the duck yard, fed from the garage roof, so I've set up a little hose to transfer water from them directly.  If there's no rain to refill, they can probably fill it about six times before they empty, but this is a wet time of year so no problem with that yet.

Poor germination?

I can only suppose it's been a bit colder than usual this spring, as I had hoped to be able to transplant some seedlings by now; the earliest ones are still only just sprouting up in their trays.  Even the early indoor seeds haven't progressed as much as I'd like, though the batch of popcorn seeds have outperformed everything else, coming up in less than a week (I'm still waiting for several different trays to even sprout).

At the allotment, the 300 snap pea seeds have come up very sparsely indeed.  Maybe about 20 have appeared, and it's been long enough I suspect that's it.  The 200 broad bean seeds have a similar showing.  After I sowed both, I covered them with insect mesh, and buried the edges all the way around, to prevent both birds and mice from digging them up, so I'm not sure why the poor germination rate.

On a different note, recall I've been using sheets of wool insulation in my seed trays;  a blue tit has been spotted wrestling little bits from the edges of trays, no doubt to make the coziest nest ever.  Our garden is a great place for wild birds and we often see many, but the blue tit only rarely;  does it nest in our garden, or is it just the occasional visitor?  No idea, but I get a thrill if I see this elusive little bird.

Seeds everywhere

My kitchen window is so full of seed trays, I've had to stack them on top of each other: I need another shelf! My tomatoes are individually potted (and growing), as is the corn (not yet sprouted). I put 25 purple climbing beans into toilet paper tubes--and another 50 seeds to pre-sprout in a jar on the countertop. I've got zucchini, squash and cucumber;  and eggplant and celeriac. And I'm not yet done with the indoor seeds--I'll need to make some space for any more.

I'm not done with the outdoor seed trays either, though my two patio tables are pretty crowded. I've got lettuce, kohl rabi and beets sprouting up: these need another few weeks to grow before transplanting out. In addition, I have cabbage, kale and Brussels sprouts, and more beets and kohl rabi: all yet to sprout.  I have several more brassicas to start, plus a steady supply of the beets and kohl rabi.

In the ground I have done several short rows carrots and parsnips, and one short row of spring onion.  I want to get some turnip seed down too, but I think mostly I'm sticking to the carrots and parsnips.  These are all at home in the kitchen garden, as seeds at the alloment tend to disappear shortly after sprouting (if at all).

Using waste wool

I'm trying out a slightly different method for sowing seeds in trays, using some sheets of sheep wool which insulates our monthly milk delivery.  The sheets are about 5 cm thick and maybe 30 cm x 150 cm. I've been cutting the woolly sheets to fit the tray and sowing seed into a thin layer of potting compost on top. It's likely I'll need to use scissors to separate individual seedlings for planting so I've sown in regular intervals in the tray, rather than broadcasting; the idea is that the wool underneath the seedling will provide a sheltered growing medium during transplant and reduce transplant shock. You may recall I experimented with soil blocks last year, but was eventually unimpressed with them. Maybe this will work out better.

I've got quite a lot of these woolly sheets as two come every month; some of them are composting at the allotment (the packaging recommends composting), and I've tried mulching with them as well, though unfortunately the slugs and bugs seem to enjoy this cozy shelter. It might even work when sowing seed direct into the beds to employ the same method: lay down a sheet of wool, cover with compost, sow. I may try it.

Update, March 2023

The weather has been up and down over the past few weeks, with a few really nice days, and some cold wet weather, including snow.  On the whole, mostly not great weather for gardening, though I've managed a few snatches here and there.  

I'm slowly building a woven bamboo fence for the duck yard, replacing their disintegrating chicken wire.  I'm using narrow diameter canes I pruned from the bamboo bush earlier this spring, woven and tied together.  I collected a bunch of holey black socks from the son and cut them into small, stretchy strips to use as ties.  It's only a light fence and though decorative probably would not keep chickens in;  ducks are easier to contain as they don't really jump.  I've got the middle section of the fence in place, but it needs to extend a bit further on each side to keep ducks in.  (The three ducks are still in the much smaller chicken yard, under the avian flu housing order.)

The chickens have tractored most of the veg beds at home, and are now onto mowing the lawn in their tractor.  It's nice to see the beds all tidy and ready to sow, and it only entailed moving the tractor a few feet every day--what hard working birds.

I put down a few more rows of carrot seed in the kitchen garden, and the son helped me put down another batch of snap peas at the allotment.  The first batches of peas and broad beans are sprouting up, at last.  I've left the insect mesh on top of them until they're a couple inches up--next week hopefully.  If we get some warmer weather, they might come up a little faster.

I've begun harvesting my small patch of purple sprouting broccoli, have collected a couple of eggs (the first of the year), and am still picking curly kale and the odd leek.  The spring cabbages probably won't be ready until May or June, but they are finally starting to grow after overwintering in the kitchen garden.  Fruit trees and shrubs are starting to put out buds and the plum tree is actually blooming.  

Hopefully the weather will start cooperating;  I have lots more to do this spring.

Starting seeds

 A nice bit of weather at the weekend and I managed to get some seeds sown, both directly in the garden, and in trays.  Most of my seed trays are started outside, as I don't have the room or inclination to decorate my kitchen with them;  there are, however, a few warm weather plants currently gracing my windowsill:  tomato and celeriac seedlings, for instance.

This weekend I raked over a bed the chickens had already tractored for me (scratched, weeded, and manured for two days), and sowed two rows of carrots and three of parsnips.  The carrot seed was last year's, so I may need to resow (it doesn't keep well after opening, apparently), so I sowed it all fairly densely, in the hopes some will germinated.  Not a huge deal if they don't, as I have a couple of unopened packets ready to go.  I also marked the rows with a string between two sticks, to make for accurate hoeing, and then finally put down some insect mesh, in the hopes the birds and bugs don't demolish them as they come up.  I'll take it off once they are well established.

I also sowed a tray each of lettuce, kohl rabi, beets, and red cabbage;  the husband dug me out a big sackful of nicely aged compost about a month ago, and I sieved some of this and mixed with a bit of sand to fill my seed trays.  It's lovely stuff, and I have another three composters full of it at the allotment.  He's suggested making a few grow bags with it, for tomatoes/cucumbers/etc.  If I have enough to spare, I think it would be perfect for that.

April will be my big push for most seeds, but I will continue to do some early batches in March, including some more direct seeding of roots in the kitchen garden at home. 

I can't believe it snowed

The son got his birthday wish one day late this year:  he had a snow day off school;  he and the daughter stayed home and had a fun morning playing in the snow, although the daughter had to come in twice to change into dry clothes and warm up her hands.  Myself, I only visited briefly to take a few photos as I've been unwell this last week (feeling better now).

Berberis starting to flower, March 2023

Although I had prior warning, it seems some of the plants were caught unawares, including the almond tree.  I don't think it took much damage, not being in full bloom, though it looks pretty flowery in the photo!

Almond starting to flower, March 2023

The combination of very cold weather (we had a week of frosts leading up to the snow) and my illness meant that a batch of broad beans got sown almost a week later than I planned--this time I pre-sprouted them in a jar in my kitchen (instead of in the garage in a bag of damp compost) so I just kept rinsing them twice a day, trying to keep them growing and not going moldy.  Thankfully at the weekend--snow all melted--the son helped me get them in at the allotment.

Daughter and son making a snowman

I've also not yet started my March seeds;  I particularly want to start the beets, but there are quite a few seeds to go.  Hopefully I'll get time to start some trays this week, or weekend at the latest.

State of the flock, March 2023

We currently have five hens, ranging in age from about 3 to 6 years old.  That's pretty ancient, for chickens.  Even to make it to 3 is quite a feat!  They really aren't laying eggs, mainly due to age I think, but also partly because they've been locked indoors for so long (since November, because of the avian flu outbreak).  

We also have two ducks and a drake, all around 4-5 years old.  I don't actually know how long ducks usually last, but I'm guessing these are getting up there too.  No eggs from this lot either.

As we are under the housing order, all the birds are back at home where it is a little more roomy than at the allotment.  Plus I can comply with the biosecurity measures much more easily than at a semi-public place.  For the coldest part of winter, they were in their house/yard with a little covered porch.  Now that it's a bit warmer, we've dragged out the old chicken tractor for them.

The husband built the tractor out of some old pallets, wire, and bubble/foil insulation.  It's very small, maybe 1 m x 1.2 m;  has no floor or windows, just a piece of wire where the front "door" is.  On the plus side, it's very easy to move.  We've got the hens living in there now (the ducks are still in the yard), and the son and I move them to a new bit of the veg beds every day.  So instead of constantly standing in their own manure, they get fresh ground with a chance of greens and bugs.  Maybe not a great situation, but certainly an improvement.

Because of the ongoing bird flu situation, I don't think we'll be getting any new birds, instead letting our flock die out naturally.  If scientists make a vaccine or if the virus evolves into something less nasty, I would probably change my mind.  Until then, it's against my animal welfare principles to get more birds when I know they will be miserable.  I will do my best with the flock I have, but I won't be adding to it.

At the allotment, Feb 2023

It's good to get out into the garden and allotment after the winter.  I always need that few months of break time, and when the days get longer and the spring flowers start to bloom, I feel refreshed and ready for a new year.

This past weekend the whole family visited the allotment to sow the pre-sprouted broad beans and snap peas.  The son and I made two large trenches and then we put down the seeds somewhat evenly;  I knew roughly how many seeds there were, so I put down a divider in the middle of the trench and we counted out half for each side.  After we finished sowing we covered the trenches with insect mesh (weighed down on all sides with more soil);  hopefully this stops the mice/rats/birds digging the seed out.  I'll take it off once the plants are up.

While digging at the allotment, I discovered two large-ish overwintered beets I'd missed in my last harvest;  the woodlice seemed to have overwintered with them as they were pretty holey--I decided to compost them.  I also found a dozen or so overwintered onions;  these I grew from seed last year and were pretty pathetic at harvest time.  I didn't bother with these smallest ones, still growing now.  They actually look like they might go on to produce something worthwhile this year!  I'll let them carry on.

My garlic patch too is growing strongly, though the grass is coming in pretty strongly as well.  I've given up on eradicating the grass.  My new strategy is to knock it back long enough to get my plants up and growing (using sheet mulch).  Well to be honest that's my old strategy too, but it was in the hopes that the grass would actually be defeated.  

The leeks, planted out last spring, are in a patch that will need a solid sheet mulching again--very thick luscious grass.  The leeks managed to get a good foothold when I planted them, and are of acceptable size;  the last one I harvested had an amazing root ball which I replanted in a new spot after cutting off the leek to eat.

Finally, I picked some kale from my two year old plant, still going strong.  I picked some last week too, and discovered a fat green caterpillar on it--how did it survive all that prolonged frost we had?  That kale just keeps on giving;  I'm hoping to get it some friends growing this year too.