I have resigned from a job that I used to love but has been making me miserable for a year. From Easter, I will either be working elsewhere or doing supply work until the right place comes up.
Meanwhile, we have a bit more flexibility when looking for a suitable property.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
what's in the allotment
I moved the kale and PSB from its closely-planted "holding area" up to the ex-potato bed. This area has been weeded, dug over with compost from the garden and bonfire ash, covered with a cardboard mulch and left alone for a month or so.
The cabbage collars I used did keep cabbage root fly away but provided a nice home for slugs. There was quite a lot of slug damage so overall I'm not convinced that collars are worth using.
Something has broken this kale off at the stem. Slugs or pigeons?
Some of the leeks are big enough to use.
Kohlrabi
Slugs got some of the swede and some swedes just vanished. Rotted away or eaten? The ones I get to first were nice though.
I'll try again next season with better slug-defences!
The cabbage collars I used did keep cabbage root fly away but provided a nice home for slugs. There was quite a lot of slug damage so overall I'm not convinced that collars are worth using.
Something has broken this kale off at the stem. Slugs or pigeons?
Some of the leeks are big enough to use.
Kohlrabi
Slugs got some of the swede and some swedes just vanished. Rotted away or eaten? The ones I get to first were nice though.
I'll try again next season with better slug-defences!
Back to project 1...
Since the chickens are keen to remove all traces of vegetation from their vicinity and I actually want to keep the lawn, we have made them a permanent home behind the pond. This is the area I cleared ready for re-planting in the spring. Change of plan!
They have a bigger area now.
Scratching about
Garden cat no.2's reaction to flapping wings.
So what's in here then?
Garden cat no.1 supervising the digging up of insects and worms - the compost bin lived here until Friday.
I think garden cat no.2 may be deciding to change species.
They have a bigger area now.
Scratching about
Garden cat no.2's reaction to flapping wings.
So what's in here then?
Garden cat no.1 supervising the digging up of insects and worms - the compost bin lived here until Friday.
I think garden cat no.2 may be deciding to change species.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
free(ish) ranging
They're out! ScratchscratchPECK ScratchscratchPECK ScratchscratchPECK Do they never get bored?
Here's a patch of lawn they've not been on yet...
And here's a patch they have scratched over.
They have done a great job of removing the moss and they seem quite partial to dandelions too - even grubbing up roots. I've reseeded in places but the rest will have to wait until spring. We need to choose which part of the garden to sacrifice as their permanent home. The bare area behind the pond is looking likely! I just need to level it off a bit first.
Mathilda's baldy neck. The feathers are starting to come through. Mathilda lays the biggest eggs - wish I'd photographed the last one! Massive!
Laying - Mathilda: big eggs, nearly every day. Esmerelda: nice shaped eggs, thick shells, nearly every day. Clarabell and Henrietta: one is laying well-formed eggs sporadically and the other lays soft-shelled eggs almost daily but I don't know which is laying which. I'm giving them oyster shell grit and the empty eggshells get washed, baked, ground up and mixed with their feed as a calcium supplement.
Jealous? Moi?
Here's a patch of lawn they've not been on yet...
And here's a patch they have scratched over.
They have done a great job of removing the moss and they seem quite partial to dandelions too - even grubbing up roots. I've reseeded in places but the rest will have to wait until spring. We need to choose which part of the garden to sacrifice as their permanent home. The bare area behind the pond is looking likely! I just need to level it off a bit first.
Mathilda's baldy neck. The feathers are starting to come through. Mathilda lays the biggest eggs - wish I'd photographed the last one! Massive!
Laying - Mathilda: big eggs, nearly every day. Esmerelda: nice shaped eggs, thick shells, nearly every day. Clarabell and Henrietta: one is laying well-formed eggs sporadically and the other lays soft-shelled eggs almost daily but I don't know which is laying which. I'm giving them oyster shell grit and the empty eggshells get washed, baked, ground up and mixed with their feed as a calcium supplement.
Jealous? Moi?
Sunday, October 14, 2007
A week later...
They're a lot more confident, come over for some attention when we go out to see them and definitely like their food best made up with olive oil and honey. They had one short session of free-ranging yesterday and seemed to want more so I'll get some netting and poles that can be moved around the grass and let them out during the day.
Found this on my washing - I've seen a few different species of ladybird in the garden but don't generally have the camera with me!
Found this on my washing - I've seen a few different species of ladybird in the garden but don't generally have the camera with me!
Saturday, October 06, 2007
chookchookchook...
Look what we got today! 4 ex-battery hens from the Battery Hen Welfare Trust.
In their new home - not free ranging yet!
A bit baldy in places.
They've had a traumatic time but after half an hour or so they had started to peck around the grass, preen and one of them found the coop and went in.
In their new home - not free ranging yet!
A bit baldy in places.
They've had a traumatic time but after half an hour or so they had started to peck around the grass, preen and one of them found the coop and went in.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Photos (in wrong order)
I can't believe I have strawberries ripening now!
The square foot bed (well, the 121 sq inch bed really) with kohlrabi, lettuce and spring cabbage.
The "hedge" of leylandii behind the pond and the start of the chickenwire to cover the gaps. I'm sure the chickens will be right over that and into the precious brassicas...
A bit more clearing done - mainly the leylandii bits that were growing through the fence and a dead tree.
Garden Cat on the chicken run. I had better fix the roof panel on securely!
The ex-potato bed, compost and ash dug in, mulched with cardboard. I'll plant the kale through the cardboard once it has been rained on and softened a bit.
Borlotti beans. Gorgeous.
The chicken coop. It's a swiss chalet mini ark from Jim Vyse. Sturdy and easy to build.
The 6ft run (minus roof panel since I want it to be hinged on one side and fixed on the other and need a trip to the hardware store to get the bitsnpieces)
Staghorn Sumac hasn't quite got its full autumn coat on, but it'll be all red in a day or two.
Aha! They're purple and yellow!
The "that'll do for now" fence behind the pond. It will keep the chickens in and I'll hide it with climbers.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
alright, petal?
Miscellaneous photos of things in the garden.
Plumbago (Thanks to grapevine forumites for helping with identification!)
Weigela florida "Verweig" (minor black) being invaded by Carex buchananii
The grasses are- Pennisetum "red bunny tails", Carex Buchananii and the variegated one is Phalaris arundinacea picta
The plastic planthouse: top shelf - a dozen cuttings of cistus purpurea, below that - violas intended as bedding plants for when I get the other planters ready.
Hebe - don't know variety
Maybe a spiraea ("bridal wreath"? Grapevine forum again!) - usually get masses of these flowers in early spring. I think the shearing it got a couple of weeks ago might have persuaded this cluster to appear.
Dahlia "Suffolk Punch"
Aster novae angliae "Alma Potschke" & visitor
Dahlia "Passion"
Dahlia - don't know variety. It's a small, bushy one.
Caryopteris "summer sorbet"
Plumbago (Thanks to grapevine forumites for helping with identification!)
Weigela florida "Verweig" (minor black) being invaded by Carex buchananii
The grasses are- Pennisetum "red bunny tails", Carex Buchananii and the variegated one is Phalaris arundinacea picta
The plastic planthouse: top shelf - a dozen cuttings of cistus purpurea, below that - violas intended as bedding plants for when I get the other planters ready.
Hebe - don't know variety
Maybe a spiraea ("bridal wreath"? Grapevine forum again!) - usually get masses of these flowers in early spring. I think the shearing it got a couple of weeks ago might have persuaded this cluster to appear.
Dahlia "Suffolk Punch"
Aster novae angliae "Alma Potschke" & visitor
Dahlia "Passion"
Dahlia - don't know variety. It's a small, bushy one.
Caryopteris "summer sorbet"
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Woodwork
I was in the first year at my secondary school where girls were allowed to do woodwork. I wasn't great at it. But then I wasn't great at cooking then either and now I can do a 3-course meal for 24 with just a bit of stress.
So having turned pallets into a raised bed, I thought I'd have a go at turning floorboards into planters. Attempt no. 1 is shown:
It'll look better once the plants (zinnia at the back, geraniums in the middle, sweet william at the front) have grown a bit.
I need 2 more like this (or one longer one) to fill the gap:
It's a bit rough around the edges but it sits straight and square and will "do". For the next one I'm going to play with making the corners a bit neater.
So having turned pallets into a raised bed, I thought I'd have a go at turning floorboards into planters. Attempt no. 1 is shown:
It'll look better once the plants (zinnia at the back, geraniums in the middle, sweet william at the front) have grown a bit.
I need 2 more like this (or one longer one) to fill the gap:
It's a bit rough around the edges but it sits straight and square and will "do". For the next one I'm going to play with making the corners a bit neater.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Back to Project 1. Umm... Day 5?
Just a reminder of some of the "before" snaps:
Yesterday I spent another 3 hours and stuffed 2 wheelie bins full of ivy, sumac suckers, prunings from the holly, rose, buddleia and Brachyglottis Dunedin Group 'Sunshine' (which are now stumps) and bits of dead shrub that I found hiding in the wilderness.
The view from the side - the brachyglottis will sprout back and hopefully sprawl less. I might have killed off the buddleia but the base of the plant was in an unhealthy state so it might have been dying anyway. I pulled up and binned about 4 sumac suckers before checking their worth on ebay - I'll pot up any others I find and advertise them! The hebe got a trim.
Found this hiding under the brachyglottis and sumac suckers. I think it's euonymus.
The view from the bench.
So far: 14.5 hours, 6 wheelie bins and 2 "bonfire-in-a-bins"
Yesterday I spent another 3 hours and stuffed 2 wheelie bins full of ivy, sumac suckers, prunings from the holly, rose, buddleia and Brachyglottis Dunedin Group 'Sunshine' (which are now stumps) and bits of dead shrub that I found hiding in the wilderness.
The view from the side - the brachyglottis will sprout back and hopefully sprawl less. I might have killed off the buddleia but the base of the plant was in an unhealthy state so it might have been dying anyway. I pulled up and binned about 4 sumac suckers before checking their worth on ebay - I'll pot up any others I find and advertise them! The hebe got a trim.
Found this hiding under the brachyglottis and sumac suckers. I think it's euonymus.
The view from the bench.
So far: 14.5 hours, 6 wheelie bins and 2 "bonfire-in-a-bins"
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