First harvest - The Accidental Smallholder

Posted: Monday 5 August, 2024

by Rosemary at 11:45am in Smallholding No comments Add your own

Monday 29^th July

Dan and I measured Mickey’s feet today, took lots of photos, in preparation for ordering his boots.

I started muck tea; I’ll let it soak until tomorrow. Then I weeded the polytunnel; with so much planting, t’s impossible to get to the outside edges, but I pulled the worst I could see. I’m loving having the calendula and basil – loads of insects.

Dan cut comfrey in the fruit garden and I put some weedkiller on the path; we bought pebbles to resurface it years ago, but the brick edges now need reset, so that will have to happen first before we put in the pebbles. The cut comfrey will make next year's comfrey tea.

Next year's comfrey tea.

We had a home grown dinner tonight, apart from the smoked mackerel. I love the cucumber pickle.

Homegrown tea.

Tuesday 30^th July

Hot again, but breezy.

The farrier was here early doors; I think Mickey might be a bit less tender?=

Wednesday 31^st July

Hot, no breeze and one heavy shower of rain early in the morning. Gwenna got us all up at 4.30am, for some inexplicable reason. Bryn’s knackered now.

I ordered some plants – and that’s the last for now. Mostly ground cover – Rosmarinus prostrate, creeping phlox, aubretia. And I ordered Mickey’s boots. Oh, and finished the muck tea and gave the leeks a feed. And another load of peas for the freezer. Eat your heart out, Captain Birdseye - this was an hour from picking to frozen.

Peas, ready for the freezer.

Cooper helps with the hens. He sits on top of the post – he’d just moved when I took the photo. He’s not allowed in as he really upsets the Princesses.

Cooper, my helper.

Thursday 1^st August

So we have the festival of Lughsandh, celebrating the start of the harvest. And ours has started. Love this time of year.

Tomatoes almost ready.

We had a good bit of rain overnight, which is welcome. The grass on the back lawn was pretty crispy.

Two months ago, I decided I had to change the way I eat and cut out a lot of the rubbish and UPF (not that we ate a LOT of UPF); weighed myself today and I’ve lost 3.5kg.  Then I tried to put it back on at The Wee Cook, where we went for lunch. We try, not always successfully, to have the four quarter days and four Fire festivals as holidays.

 

Friday 2^nd August

Cool and overcast at 6am but warm and sunny by 11am.

 

After my day of rest, sort of, yesterday, I was up and at ‘em. I started by cleaning the outside WC and vacuuming the plant room. Dan did a comfrey order then RAN to the postbox. Why? He’s running a 10k in four weeks.

 

The Blush Noisette seems to be doing well. Love this rose.

Rose "Blush Noisette".

I helped him score three things off HIS list by “helping” him move the meat bird pen, move Smokey’s brush and put a line of electric wire in the barn. The wire means that Smokey and Mickey can now use the barn, because Smokey won’t be able to rub his bum on the wall. He almost demolished it years ago, and we’d rather NOT have a repeat.

Today’s harvest was beetroot, peas, tomatoes, blueberries. Best crop of blueberries we've had for years - netting them works! Who'd have thunk!

Blueberries.

First beetroot, with peas underneath

And we have our first tomatoes.

Tomatoes Sungold and Sweet Millions.

And Dan made brocolli and stiilton soup. Sadly, our second (and last) caulliflower has blown.

Calabrese.

Mickey’s boots arrived. They’re miles too big.

 

Saturday 3^rd August

Another glorious day. Dan topped Near Ditch before it got hot. Our tractor doesn’t like hot. Dan’s started to cut back the haulms on the tatties.

Tattie haulms cut back.

The ponies spent the day in the barn by choice. The gates were open.

We both did some weeding, Dan in the front garden, me in the vegetable garden. Dan spread manure on the areas I cleared. Our soil is sandy, and if left bare and dry, it simply blows aaway.

Topdressing with manure.

I have a problem with the courgettes. Not sure what’s going on.

Prolem courgettes.

But the cucumbers are doing well; Dan put out 22 cucumbers in the box. Hopefully raise a bit more money for the hedgehogs.

Sunday 4^th August

Bit cooler and cloudier today. I did some weeding in the new front beds. And we had friends for dinner – all homegrown, mutton, carrots, peas, potatoes and cabbage. Very satisfying. The cherry pie was by Mr Sainsbury though.

The bee mix is starting to flower.

Bee mix flowering.

The brambles in the orchard are doing well.

Brambles.