[plumseverywhere]

As we approach Autumn 2012, I was just thinking back over the 'summer' months. Its been a strange smallholding summer for us and I think I'll remember it for -


Parasites! - a durge of fleas that were nigh impossible to shift but we are on top of now thank goodness, goat lice and red mite. All presented challenges and brought about a lot of extra but necessary work.


Rotten hooves - goats and sheep had scald, shelly hoof and generally rotten feet that were hard to treat.


NO blinkin plums (must change name to plumsnowhere) - usually by now we've finished our harvest and are looking forward to a quick holiday before schools back on. This year we've made ONE batch of wine and one of jam as opposed to at least 40 wine batches and 5 chutney/jam loads  [size=78%] [/size]



Rhubarb was rubbish, raspberries we had about 2.


Falling over. Living on a hill means any heavy rain results on me slipping over, covering myself in goats milk. fab. great for the skin 


On the plus side runner beans, onions and garlic were brilliant.


How about you? what did 'summer' 2012 mean for your smallholding? and are we in line for a scorching autumn?!
 

[tizaala]

MUD, in short, Mud. after 3 months strugling to keep things together with the leg problems, the only thing we've managed to grow is a fine crop of nettles. The only strawberry we saw got eaten by the slugs, the courgette only threw male flowers, the best slow tree blew over when the ground got so wet the roots couldn't hold . the bottom bend of our drive is 6inches of mud for a hundred yards, abject missery this summer(sic)
Now as I type it is pissing down again.

[suziequeue]

Hugely disappointing - mainly because we had got through the winter in the caravan whilst the house was being rebuilt - thinking that once summer arrived we could be outside a bit more (house not due to be finished until October) and it wouldn't be so bad. So - rain drumming down on the caravan roof five nights out of seven, mud everywhere, filthy dog under the table etc etc, OH getting despondent etc etc
 
Repositioned raspberries tanked. Blackcurrant cuttings have taken really well but no fruit this year. Lots of runners on the strawberries but very little fruit as they got ravaged by rabbits three times    (my fault)..... but all good for the new strawberry bed next year. Apples - well - we weren't expecting much as they had quite a cut back last winter but we have got some small apples - don't look up to much though so I don't think we will be wheeling out the large press this year. Eight out of the nine new espalier cider apple trees have survived but haven't put much growth on.
 
Has been nigh on impossible to get the veg allotments going due to the mud and rain and getting the rabbit proof fencing done but have planted four rows of brassicas and a row of taytos last weekend. Two out of three courgette plants got totally wiped out by slugs but one has survived and is producing a few courgettes now.
 
Polytunnel has been more successful. Tomatoes, aubergines and peppers all producing but whether they will ripen in the remaining time is open to speculation. Cucumbers have been great with lots of support/advice from TAS.
 
Sheep - feet    ugh!! Lambing was 140% and no intervention which we were very satisfied with but I don't think their condition has bounced back after lambing as fast as last year. We have been advised to fluke them next month. We are much better at managing the pasture in the new paddocks and we have bought two new ewes so we will be sending nine to the tup this year. Fingers crossed that we will be able to get on VSS's practical sheep course in 2013. Hoping to register our existing ewes as foundation stock this year.
 
We hatched six chicks under a broody and they have all grown into fine birds - three boys and three girls. Still unsure how I am going to dispatch the cockerels. We have found a home for one, will keep one so only one needs to go......
 
So - all in all - quite a busy year but I feel we have spent most of our time "getting ready to get started" if that makes sense. I feel we haven't even approached the starting line on our smallholding even though we've been here for three years now 

[Ina]

Considering how horrible the weather has been, I'm amazed at what I did get, and am still getting out of my tiny garden... Strawberries - well, maybe half a dozen. Gooseberries and red currants (I have one bush each) I had a few - what I could rescue from the birds! Broad beans and courgettes are still going strong. Onions were pretty good, too. Runner beans are flowering - nasturtiums are full of cabbage white  , so I don't have much hope for the few brassicas I planted far too late... There's a few lettuces coming on (in a container - helps with the slugs). There will be brambles, I hope. (They might get rained off, of course.) Oh, and the rhubarb was ok, too. And I planted some chard, which should be alright, if I can keep the slugs at bay.

[suziequeue]

Oh - and I got whooping cough and fell off my bike 

[Carl f k]

Rain rain and u guessed it rain

[bloomer]

Rain rain and u guessed it rain

Ditto!!!

[escapedtothecountry]

Our bungalow finally converted to our dream house even if we had the roof off in the wettest April on record. But we are now so pleased we have escaped to the country we have started to blog it www.escapedtothecountry.com


Dahlias have been great. Garlic we grew was pleasing as was the runner beans. The rain actually helped the 500 willow rods I planted stay healthy - so musn't complain.

[NormandyMary]

Like plums, no fruit at all. Not a Bramley, even the Calvados tree is bare and its normally so full,the branches touch the floor. Not a cherry, nor a raspberry, blackcurrant and only one lot of rhubarb. I think the blackberries are going to be good this year after a very poor crop last summer. Trouble is, Ive no apple to put with them for my pies!
Its been a terrible summer for mice. Ive never seen so many, dead or alive. Its also been bad for barbeques. We havent had one yet, its either been too hot or raining!

[northfifeduckling]

  rain, mud, escaping chickens, egg eating chickens, nest hiding chickens, weeds taller than ever!

  Some great courgettes in polytunnel, a home-grown new duck (girl), quite a good crop of garlic and berries and a handful of cherries!

Thanks for making me think of the successes, too, they are easy to forget....

[little blue]

lots of rain & mud ...  but some very hot days too, very tanned o/h!


Lots of new babies - chicks, turkeys, ducklings, guinea pigs & goats
  Most of which needed some DIY housing, so done a fair bit of that... as well as in the house (new window, shower, bedrooms decorated, stairs & hall in progress)


Not alot in the garden, if I'm honest.
But you can't do everything!
  Plenty of weeds for the animals,


Not been away but some fab nights camping.. in the garden!


  Husband has made huge improvements in his health  [size=78%]  [/size]
And a new addition to our household, our friend has moved in from up north to start a new job.

[Lesley Silvester]

  Husband has made huge improvements in his health  [size=78%]  [/size]

That's good news.   
 
For me, spindly rhubarb,  pear trees covered with blossom, then tiny pears which all fell off bar two, lots of apples and plums.  Newest apple tree has produced one apple this year.  No cherries despite the blossom.  New raspberry canes are not much bigger than when they went in.
 
Two lots of climbing French beans planted but only a few actually grew.  The biggest is still about a foot high.  No crops.  Same with the squashes.  Slugs had five of the nine plants and the rest have hardly produced any flowers and those all male.  I did have two boxes of salad leaves which were lovely and grew well.  Yesterday I ate the first of the tomatoes.
 
Weeds, weeds, weeds, weeds and more weeds.  Not helped by the fact that a bad flare up of arthritis has meant I can do very little in the way of gardening.  Nor with the goats.  thank goodness for lovely friends who have helped with milking and done the cleaning up/mucking out.
 
 

[Small Farmer]

Cuts, grazes, scratches and bruises.  Too much fencing.

[bangbang]

Wet grass, uncut grass, longer grass, more rain, soggy grass, now wet,long,mushy,muddy, grass 
but the weeds are happy...so that makes up for it all 

[Sylvia]

I would say, grief, grief and more grief but, in fact, apart from the animal upsets, peace