Picking up the pace

Quite a lot of gardening has happened over the past week, mainly in the Perennials section at home, but a bit of action at the allotment too;  it's the end of our spring break off work/school.  The son and I finished working on the bamboo at last and also drastically cut back the overgrown laurels at the very back of the property.  The laurels were planted by a previous owner, presumably as a hedge;  now they are part of my regular coppice rotation and I cut them back every five years or so for firewood.  

On a sunny, dry day I managed to dig out some of the excellent compost from the bottom of the chicken yard and spread it on part of my veg beds, both around my strawberry plants and onto a weedy bed destined for onion seedlings.  I have a tray of onions, rather small, which I will transplant in a few days after the compost has settled/been rained on.

In addition, I finally sowed a packet of parsnip seed in another bed I'd cleared earlier (with the help of my free ranging poultry).  There's a space below this bed which is earmarked for carrot seed:  very soon!  I also transplanted some lettuce seedlings in between the parsnip rows, and put a short row of dwarf beans at the back (I'd soaked them first);  then I covered the whole bed with insect mesh, mainly as a pigeon deterrent.  

Speaking of pigeons, it looks like they haven't stripped all my plum flower buds off this year--maybe we'll get some fruit at last?  We were wondering if the old pair of wood pigeons moved on/died--we have still seen a pair of them in the garden, just not eating buds off trees:  this might be a new pair who don't know the delicious taste of flowers yet.  Perhaps the Kordia cherry will have fruit too!  I'm keeping an eye on things, but there's not much I can do to prevent them if they decide to attack.

I'm starting seeds and pricking out seedlings regularly;  most of my seeds are started outdoors, broadcast into small pots on my patio table and then pricked out into trays--only roots like parsnips/carrots/beets get sown directly into their beds.  My tomato seedlings are spending nights indoors but having day trips to the patio for sunbathing--only a couple days have been too cold/windy for them;  hopefully in a week or two they'll be acclimatized enough to move out and I can start my next batch of indoor seeds:  cucumber, zuc, squash.  I don't have enough room on my sunny kitchen windowsill for everything at once.

At the allotment my snap peas and beets are just emerging under their sheet of insect mesh.  I prepared another row nearby and put down my kohlrabi seedlings, also under some mesh.  I took the mesh off the broad bean bed at last (mesh goes on most of my newly planted/sown beds to keep birds, mice and cats off) and put it over the kohlrabi instead.  As a brassica, it's in most need of the mesh to keep the cabbage white butterflies off when they start to lay eggs next month.

I'm still harvesting Musselbrugh leeks, but getting very near the end now.  Maybe a dozen left?  I'm also picking purple sprouting broccoli once a week, hopefully till May at least.  And rhubarb once a week too, though it's prolific enough for a much more generous harvest;  maybe I should make a batch of wine this year, something I haven't done for a while.  I rarely drink alcohol but it makes a unique gift.

A few jobs, nothing too strenuous

To my surprise, there was a dry sunny-ish day at the weekend;  all week I've been getting rained on whenever I left the house.  Not only did I finally put my laundry out (it mostly dried), I did a couple small jobs in the garden.  

First off, the daughter helped me roll my small potted peach tree into the garage--it's on a little plant "skateboard."  I grew this peach (or possibly nectarine) from the seed of a supermarket fruit many years ago.  Unfortunately it gets bad leaf curl every year, first dying back and then putting out spindly new growth;  in fact I thought it had completely died two years ago.  But it held on, just.  Last winter I put it under cover and for the first time it didn't get leaf curl;  the idea is that if the tree stays dry as the leaves emerge, the fungus can't attack it.  Maybe it can grow and actually fruit this year.  Maybe.

While we were in the garage we did a little tidying (the garage is more like a big shed) and crushed our winter's collection of eggshells, in preparation for scattering around transplants later on in spring.  We save all our eggshells and let them dry on trays in the garage.  I also give some back to the chickens for extra calcium.  When he was small, the son used to enjoy crunching them up, and now at age five the daughter likes it too.

Then I got out my hand secateurs and nipped off the new water shoots growing straight up from the Sparta apple tree.  I prune this tree once a year to keep it within my reach, no taller than the 2 m fence it grows next to.  I also cut out any shoots growing perpendicular to the fence, to keep it somewhat espalier.  The Laxton Fortune tree needs less pruning as it doesn't seem to be such a vigorous grower, but it has a couple to be taken off the top too.

Lastly, and before the daughter started crying of cold hands (she started making mud pies while I was pruning), I split some little green logs using our small hatchet (I use it as a wedge and whack it with a mallet).  We'd coppiced a smallish ornamental pear tree for firewood during the Christmas break, with the husband using the reciprocal saw while the son and I wielded loppers.  The sticks and twigs were collected in one pile and the short trunk pieces stacked in another;  I worked a bit on this second pile, keeping myself warm with the exercise and enjoying the sunshine.

Keeping warm

A while back, the son and I (and occasionally husband) would go out on bikes into the woods near us every few weeks.  We'd collect as much fallen dead wood as we could into a couple large bags and cart them home on the bikes;  this was the kindling for our wood stove.  Now however, and for the past several years, I've instead been saving almost all our own woody prunings, large and small.  

I'm not sure if our current system is less work than the previous system.  For example, we need to cut and trim the wood ourselves instead of collecting it off the ground (and simply breaking it into pieces).  It also needs to dry several months, up to a year, depending on thickness;  the dead wood in the forest was ready to burn as soon as we brought it home.  True, we don't need to make much of a trip for our own wood, but we do need a place to store it while it dries;  and it usually ends up needing at least two piles if not more:  one for green wood drying out, one for dried wood ready to burn.  I collected the forest wood as needed, and kept it in the transport bags until time to burn.  I could also collect fairly thick pieces and not bother with the twigs;  now I even save my twiggy trimmings and tie them into kindling bundles (more work but great fire starters).

As I've mentioned in the past, we buy in the majority of the fuel for our stove, which is our main source of heating in the winter (we have a gas boiler which we rely on for hot water--we almost never use the central heating).  We also keep a large pot and a smaller kettle of water on top of the stove, for washing dishes/hot water bottles/tea/coffee.  

Being able to light the fire with our own (free) wood isn't the biggest money saver, though we think it's worthwhile.  I'm happy to have that little bit more of self reliance.  Although not directly related to my food, my homegrown woodpile is still a part of my garden. 

Sorting the wood store, making a duck yard, growing squash

Making kindling bundles, July 2025

The husband took this action shot of me, making kindling bundles from the last of the hedge trimmings we cut about a year and a half ago.  At the time we'd piled them up and just left them to dry;  the son and I spent a couple days sawing the larger branches into stove lengths and breaking up the small sticks into kindling.  I don't know how many bundles we made in total--maybe 50?  They're great for starting our wood stove in winter;  since that's our chosen source of heating, collecting as much free fuel as possible is a priority.  True, it's time consuming to make these bundles, but there are times when I just want to sit out in the sunshine and enjoy the garden.  As the son and I were doing this each day, we also supervised the chickens' free ranging:  multitasking!  

Where that pile now isn't, we are constructing a new duck yard.  Recall that the two ducks have a large yard in the Perennials section, which is about four times the size of the chicken yard (for 11 chickens!).  Well, the ducks will share a wall with the chickens;  the two yards will be a similar size, under the shade of our big horse chestnut tree (they need separate yards because Boy Duck is a bit of a jerk to chickens).  As the ducks already get regular unsupervised free range, I hope this move isn't too much of a shock to them.  The husband and son have set in the posts--and an old bathtub--and I've ordered some new wire to enclose it all.  I look forward to having use of the Perennials section again--it'll need a full renovation I think.  

I accidentally left the gate open and the squash escaped!  July 2025

Above is the chicken yard at the allotment, growing squash vines like crazy.  At least five squashes have been spotted, both in this and another bed (not pictured). 

A little bit of pruning

After a very sunny and pleasant Sunday (for the beginning of February, that is) I had managed to get a couple jobs done in the kitchen garden at home;  normally I prefer to visit the allotment on the weekends--as I'm more likely to strong-arm the husband and son into coming with me--but there's been too much going on at home recently (we've had the whole house rewired and what a mess!). 

The fig tree after a little haircut, February 2025

It was so nice though that I left my housecleaning and went out for some gardening instead:  I lightly pruned the fig tree and tied down a couple longer branches next to the fence (pictured above).  I also made sure to pick off all the medium sized immature figs;  these won't go on to ripen properly in my climate but I leave the tiny ones to grow into new season figs.

Ruthless with the redcurrants, February 2025

I already pruned the blackcurrants, whitecurrant and the mature redcurrant in the perennials section earlier this winter;  I was pretty ruthless with the blackcurrants--for a couple years I've not been able to harvest them in time so I wanted to make it easier for me to get to them:  maybe this will motivate me!  I also have several younger redcurrants grown from cuttings which I really need to move to the allotment;  these I chopped down by half to make them easier to transport:  hopefully by next weekend, rain or shine.

Incidentally all the prunings go to a woodpile to dry for next winter's kindling;  I have a pretty big pile already.

Half the apple harvest and bonus bamboo, 2024

Laxton Fortune apple tree, August 2024

It's a very short window for my Laxton Fortune apple tree, which I believe is considered a dual purpose fruit--both a cooker and an eater (aka culinary and dessert apple).  The son tried one about two weeks ago, still somewhat flavorless;  then last week we tried another with enough potential for me to pick a couple of baskets and make some apple preserves;  then a few days later we yet again tasted and I made the executive decision:  it's time! 

We were warned a branch might break (one small one did), August 2024

I picked half of them one day, then after a very windy morning, the son picked the rest.  If left on the tree, they will continue to ripen and become a little too sweet and somewhat mushy.  We got them at the perfect time:  not too sweet, nice and crisp with a tender skin. 

I didn't thin any apples this year, though there was some natural fruit drop in June;  to be honest, I was expecting the fruit to be smaller.  Some of it is a bit too small, but most of it is around "lunchbox size" or bigger.  I've made applesauce and one bottle of apple halves with the first round but the rest are still hanging out in my kitchen in cardboard boxes;  the daughter is faithfully plowing through several a day, and the son and I are doing our best too.  I don't actually know how long these apples will store;  since they are an early variety, I suspect not that long.  My other tree, Sparta, should be ready in September and those apples store at least a month (we generally eat them all by that time so I'm not sure how much longer they'd last either).

I haven't weighed or counted my apple harvest either!  I am good about vegetables, but my rule is to weigh them after preparation, i.e. trimming/peeling/etc.  This throws me off with fruit sometimes, so I don't often weigh it.  Maybe I need to set a different rule for fruit, to help me count it in my totals.

For beans at the allotment, August 2024

My bamboo in the perennials section (the duck yard) has really taken over its space so I got the son to cut it back by 75% this summer and many of the canes, while narrow, are still acceptable for garden stakes.  I've taken quite a few bundles up to the allotment for my beans and cucumbers, and have portioned them out a bit among the garden cucumbers too.  But I still have so many, some of them may end up as kindling.

Trimming and planting trees

The whole family worked to trim back the very overgrown hawthorn hedge last weekend, collecting a very big pile of sticks and branches for next year's wood pile.  We treat this hedge more as a coppice, and it's on a 5-7 year cutting rotation.  We cut a few last winter too and this winter took down the rest.  South facing, it has let in a lot of light!  But I liked tall green wall it gave us as well, so I don't mind the overgrowth either.  I expect a lot of new growth this spring.

The husband was in charge of the electric saw, I commandeered the loppers, and the son was on transport duty.  The daughter helped by digging holes quietly in the far part of the garden, away from all the sharp stuff.  

I mentioned to the husband that the laurels need it too, but not until later in the year;  they are part of the same hedge, both planted by a previous owner.  Although laurels can be cut back hard too--even to the ground--I don't coppice them in the same way as the hawthorns;  unlike the hawthorns, they grow in the shade of the mature horse chestnut tree and block out the view of at least three neighbors.  A welcome privacy feature, I treat them as an actual hedge and try to just trim them back every other year or two.

And on the subject of trees, the husband also planted out a pot grown quince that I started from seed several years ago;  our local greengrocer used to sell quinces, and over a few winters I scattered seeds in several planters on my patio, with fingers crossed.  Well, two are still alive:  one that was planted out last year (and we'd thought died in a hot/dry spell, but happily has new growth) and this one, a year younger.  The first is planted against the fence and the second is near the chicken yard, free standing.

February sowing and pruning

More than a hundred broad bean seeds later, I've almost run out of small pots.  Hopefully they sprout quickly so I can transplant, otherwise I will run out!  They are all stacked up in trays on my patio table now, waiting for a leaf or two to emerge.  I don't normal start these in pots, but I decided to try it this year, to improve on survival rates (I would estimate that my usual pre-sprouting and then sowing direct sometimes results in 25% or less survival:  pretty bad).

I sowed some warm season seeds in trays for my kitchen windowsill for later pricking out:  tomatoes, chilis, etc.   I used to sow these individually in modules but I don't bother now:  it takes up too many trays.  I sow at least two or even three different kinds of seed in a tray with a little stick as a divider, and label which side is which;  I will prick them out into modules or well spaced in trays and then pot on to small pots as they grow.  These take a lot of babying!  But I like growing and eating them.

In anticipation of an apple harvest this year--my little trees have produced biennially ever since I planted them and last year had no apples--I very lightly pruned them, taking care not to cut any branches with buds on them.  The Sparta tree had twenty or more water sprouts without any buds; the Laxton Fortune is less vigorous (and a partial tip bearer unlike Sparta) so I took only about three smaller branches off, all of which were growing too high/in the wrong direction.  Both trees grow against my fence and I prune/train them down to within my reach, about 2 m tall;  this is only necessary once a year to keep them in their allotted spaces.  Luckily the growth can be kept in check easily with a pair of hand loppers.

I also pruned my fig tree and its companion grape vine, trying to keep them both within their own spaces too.  I have to be careful not to let the vine overspread onto next door's conservatory--which it is planted next to--but onto its own arbor.  To that end, I keep it pruned down to one main stem growing up one of the arbor supports.  I have to pull off wayward shoots during the growing season too, about once a month.

The last winter pruning to do is the roses and currants (black, red and white).  I have some nicely rooted redcurrant cuttings from two years ago that need transplanting;  it's so easy to get currant cuttings rooted:  take some pruned wood, stick it in the ground, leave until next winter.  I save all the other woody prunings for my kindling pile.

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.

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.

A whole week of gardening

Wow, our family had a week off school and work and I spent almost every day gardening!  As luck would have it, it was dry and warm-ish:  good weather for being outside.  

I still have battle wounds from cutting down the brambles at the very back, despite the leather gloves;  as we have no loppers I used my hand sickle.  I bought the sickle from ebay, never having used one before;  after experimenting it seems to be a left-handed one.  It's still useable for this righty, after altering my technique.

The son and I managed most of the winter/spring pruning, both of edibles and ornamentals.  After cutting back the apples, I tied down a few branches to keep them 2-D against the fence--they aren't properly espaliered, but I don't let them grow out from or above the fence.  We saved all the long, straight trimmings for use as garden stakes.

The daughter helped me collect yet another basketful of almonds from around the tree.  I can't believe how many there were--about a hundred.  I hope they're still good from having spent the winter on the ground;  I'm keeping them in a separate tray from the main harvest, but they look fine.  We also tidied up the little patio under the almond tree and put a couple of chairs back out there;  it's a mostly private spot with a nice view of the Perennials section.

I got through all of the small trimmings for the woodpile;  the narrowest diameter (pencil thickness) I made into kindling bundles, tied with a yucca leaf (our large yucca constantly sheds leaves: fibrous and strong).  A bit time consuming to make, but hopefully worthwhile for next winter--they're a lot more convenient to use than a pile of twigs in a box (my usual kindling storage).  The husband also sawed the last large trunk pieces into stove lengths and the son and I split some of these.

The son and I also dragged out the chicken tractor and persuaded the chickens to start work.  Four went in willingly after corn was involved;  the fifth was conscripted forcefully.  But they all seem a lot happier to be on some fresh ground with greenery and maybe a few bugs, despite the smaller living quarters.  We have been moving them every day, starting with the empty veg beds.  

What a busy week--and that's only a sampling!  I sowed a few more seed trays, worked at the allotment, started some new duck yard fencing, and more.

Working on the woodpile (still)

I was pleased and somewhat surprised to have a sunny and mild two days last weekend--normally that sort of weather is reserved for weekdays when I'm at work.  The daughter and I spent several hours in the garden, both having fun and getting work done;  the son also made a brief appearance too, although on his watch the loppers were broken beyond repair (though they were pretty old).

With the loppers gone, and pretty much all of our spare cash pledged to pay for essentials only (we've saved up to replace our single glazed windows with double glazing and so aren't making any other purchases for the next few months), resolving the coppice firewood pile might be a little tricky.  I still have some secateurs and a variety of hand saws--though to be honest I'm a little short on elbow grease.  

So instead of cutting up the long lengths of laurel still draped over my patio, I stripped them of their leaves and stacked them up to dry;  I collected the leaves because I thought they would make an acceptable straw substitute for the floor of the chicken house;  we just so happen to be out of straw.  After coming to this conclusion I raked out said coop--not a fun job--and shoved the big pile of leaves in for the chickens to spread around.  These leaves are thick and glossy still and should make the next raking out a bit easier (the compacted straw/manure was pretty solid).  I'm not done with all the laurel either, so I'll be continuing this experiment while my small flock is still confined (under a poulty housing order by the government, due to the avian influenza outbreak).

Once the laurels are finally all dealt with, I'll move the hawthorn trimmings up to the patio next;  these are mostly narrow diameter, to be cut with secateurs--no leaves attached.  This will be the end of this winter's coppicing.  It hasn't made much of a contribution to our woodpile, I must admit.  Still, it's free;  the trees are excellent wildlife habitat, good for privacy, and grow like crazy.  It's winter, and I might as well do something productive, right?