Anything goes
Rain
Tuesday 14 July, 2009
We had the most SPECTACULAR rain last night. About 9pm, we went out to do the water troughs, feeders and to shut in the hens. We were also going to dose the lambs with Heptavac P Plus. It had been showery yesterday, and sometimes quite heavy but nothing like the deluge that hit then.
We were in the sheep shed, thank goodness, and what a triumph IT has been. The rain wasn't taking time to come down - it was easy to see where the description of stair rods comes from - it was solid rain.
Update w/e 12th July 2009
Monday 13 July, 2009
We've had some fabulous weather this week – wonderful sunshine, but with some pretty heavy rain too, so things are growing well. Even the sweetcorn looks a bit perkier.
Most of the broad beans are now picked and frozen. The strawberries are still coming but the raspberries are almost finished. We're planning to replant these this year, so I think we'll have three varieties with successional harvest times. Now the peas and the blackcurrants are ready for harvesting – I find blackcurrants really tedious to pick, but it will be worth it (I tell myself). Actually, I've bribed Dan's mum and dad to come and pick them, in return for morning coffee and a Jacob fleece.
Update w/e 5th July
Tuesday 7 July, 2009
As the strawberry harvest gets well underway, both Dan and I have made strawberry jam. Dan made his special "twice boiled" jam - because he couldn't get it to set first time and was persuaded to tip it back into the pan and have another go. Actually, it's very nice, better than mine, I think, but all will be revealed at the local Horticultural Society show in September. The raspberries are doing better than expected. We're planning to replace them this year and they looked a bit neglected, but they are cropping well. If I could only grow one soft fruit, it would be raspberries. I love a handful, freshly picked, on my breakfast cereal.
Update 27th June
Sunday 28 June, 2009
Following our first strawberries last week, they are now ripening at a rate of knots. In fact, I think the jam pan will be on tonight! The gooseberries are being picked - Dan eats them raw, which gives me the heebie-jeebies. I prefer mine with a nice oaty crumble topping. We've had a real problem with sawfly, on both the gooseberries and the red and white currants. These little blighters can strip the leaves off a bush overnight. Sometimes, they can be controlled by hand stripping, but in bad cases, derris does the job.
Update w/e 20th June
Sunday 21 June, 2009
We've had another good growing week and the weeds are coming on a treat. We've had our first strawberries, though, which is very nice indeed. The gooseberries are also coming on well and the biggest are now ready for picking. The peas and broad beans are podding but the beans are still very small. I must try and find a good recipe for broad beans to get Dan to eat them - he suggested wrapping them in bacon and / or deep frying.
The Hubbard chicks are now outdoors. They seem to like the grass under their feet and are happily pecking away. The soil tray is still favourite entertainment though. I've topped up their mencore bed with straw - I do worry if it's a bit chilly. A further five have gone to a friend, leaving us with eight, as we had a dead one this week. I think it may have been trampled by the others as they have all been very healthy.
Update w/e 13th June
Sunday 14 June, 2009
We've had the most fabulous growing week - warm and sunny, with some decent showers of rain. Dan's been busy in the garden, potting on and planting out. Weeding should be a daily task at the moment as they seem to grow faster than the plants. Tomatoes, peppers and cumcumber have been potted on and more herbs and salad sown. The purple sprouting broccoli is coming slowly; we don't need many - we haven't got room for many, to be honest. They weren't on "the plan" you see.
Update w/e 6th June
Monday 8 June, 2009
Well, we've sure had the rain I was wishing for last week. The vegetable garden is now growing away nicely. The “plan� has been amended to include purple sprouting broccoli and kale. Normally, we don't grow this because our fleece arrangement doesn't cover it properly but our new hoops should be high enough to accommodate the plants.
The direct sown runner beans are through the ground and all the peas are showing – two more rows to sow this weekend, then we can stand back and wait for the harvest. And the weeds.
Update w/e 31st May
Sunday 31 May, 2009
Well, summer seems to be here at last – even if only for a few days. Actually, I hate to say it, but we could really do with some rain.
In the vegetable garden, we've been mostly weeding. The broad beans are doing well and the peas are coming away. The runner beans that were started in the greenhouse are already shimmying up the canes but the direct sown ones have yet to make an appearance. Our gooseberries and redcurrant have fallen victim to sawfly and had a spray of derris. The redcurrant has almost no leaves left – and that happened almost overnight. Still, it has set plenty fruit, as have the gooseberries.
Update w/e 24th May
Sunday 24 May, 2009
Deep joy! I've been collecting poo samples from the sheep so that we can have worm egg counts done. I'm just a glorified toilet attendant and there's some debate about the "glorified" bit.
We don't have a lot of land and four ewes will be about our maximum. It also means we have to manage what grazing we have. It was stressing me a bit but I now have a grazing plan that, if it works in practice, should allow each parcel of land to rest and recover for 6 months of the year.
I had to buy sheep tags for the first time this week. Not looking forward to the application - I remember what it was like getting my ears pierced.
Update w/e 17th May
Sunday 17 May, 2009
Well, the changeable weather has persisted this week but in the garden, things are growing – especially the weeds. Dan's dad has put new nets over the brassica bed so we'll be able to get our cabbages out this week. I've gone mad with about 4 varieties plus calabrese and three varieties of purple sprouting broccoli. The broad beans look well but I've sown some poached egg plant to help deter black fly. In the greenhouse, the sweetcorn is almost ready to go out as are the runner beans “White Lady�. The runner beans Czar have failed completely so I've resown them, as a second batch.
