Back To Basics

Good morning.

The weather has changed quite dramatically over the last couple of days. We were having monsoon-type rain ie. wet and warm but this weekend it has turned decidedly chilly and we succumbed to lighting the woodburner in the living room on Saturday evening. This morning is a might chilly also but a glorious morning all the same.

The shifting of the seasons brings most gardeners and growers of their own around to planning for the next growing season, and that includes me.

I have some overwintering plans in place which I'll update another time but just now I have a few other bits and bobs to share. To this end I have just received some new seeds. 

The first of which are Nantes 2 early carrots. I plan on sowing these in either the greenhouse or poly house, maybe in containers or one of the raised beds in the greenhouse once the sweet potatoes have been harvested which should be some time within the next four weeks or so.

I also have plans for dwarf pea Meteor; these are very hardy and only grow around 16-18" tall so don't really require any support. I can put these outside or in but probably the latter space willing.

I admit to getting into a bit of a panic recently as my harvests have not been the best this year so....

I'm going back to basics for the next growing season. My aim is to grow plenty of what we all eat as I really want to see how much we can avoid spending money, on vegetables at least, examples being spinach beet and chard. I am the only person who eats either of these so I'm keeping these to a minimum as I had already sown some but these can be grown in the houses without taking up a lot of space. I have never done too well with spring onions so these are on the back burner for now.

So, along with the above new additions, this year I will mostly be growing - 

carrots, cabbages, broccoli, potatoes, onions, garlic (though not masses), cucumbers
NO gherkins this year, aubergines, tomatoes (hopefully a MUCH better result) peppers 
salad leaves, courgettes but probably just the one plant, dwarf beans as they were great this year so more of those, leeks, swede, turnips (not huge this year due to spacing I think but very tasty) and probably NOT climbing peas this year as for a really good harvest I think I need more space than I can allow.

More to the point with all of this I do need more space to grow enough of what we eat for it to make a real difference.

Currently I have the following space to use:
19 x 6 ft veg patch 
4.5 x 10 ft veg patch
3 x 3 ft veg patches, 3 of these including the one in the poly house
1.5 x 6 ft approx. raised beds in the greenhouse, 2 of these...

and this weekend Jon has built me one of three new raised beds which are 1.5 x 4 ft each; there will be three in total.

I like raised beds because at times I struggle with my back and the size of them may look a bit overkill but they are solidly built to last and hopefully make my back last a bit longer, too!

I've been thinking, but not overthinking as Jon thinks that is half my problem, I should be able to make a good go of it next year. I have literally just measured the new beds so really don't know what will go where but they are about a foot and a half deep so would be good for carrots, turnips, garlic, onions but not the brassicas as they will need more planting out space than that.

I look forward to using this new space in the coming months and sharing with you how I get on. I'd be interested in plans others have for the next season of sowing and growing.

Along with all of this I don't think I've yet shared the photos of our new ducks; 1 Khaki Campbell called Crispy and 2 Muscovy and the other are Duck-chess and L'Orange, as in duck a L'orange! They are not laying right now but the entertainment value more than makes up for them being freeloaders when it comes to feeding!

Oh and O M G, major excitement in the house is that we FINALLY have a quad bike.

Everybody in the family are extremely excited about this. It means we can get our pigs next year as Jon can get in the field to prepare things, we can get the trailer in the field to cut down trees for logs to store and the boys are just excited about getting to drive it! Get in!!!

I've just had to stop to put a match to the fire - really quite chilly and it is my birthday so I think I deserve to be warm!

That's all from me for today.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx

Foody Fest!

Good morning.

I thought I'd just do a catch up with a few food things.

I've finally got round to some preserving, two jars of the gherkins which have done so well this year, sold a few and given away a couple. The pickled ones are now in the cellar store room, adding to the goodies in there!

I quite frequently make apple turnovers but decided to do cheese and ham ones this time and the boys found them very delicious, so after them trying them I still have a couple in the freezer for another day.

It was our local flower and produce show on Saturday. I managed to make the long journey to the Canolfan (for those of you who don't know I live directly opposite our community hall!) in the rain that was teeming down and had a go at entering one of the baking classes and a veg category with some success.

Camp fire cup cakes...

salted caramel and chocolate

and most surprisingly 3rd place for my cucumbers! They were huge and thought I stood no chance due to them looking more like marrows!

Still working my way through the gifted apples and so far have cored, peeled, sliced and frozen 9lbs! Still as many, and more, to get through. Hope to bottle more in syrup like last year and make cakes and puddings, too.

Ooh, a very exciting thing has occurred recently. I have been asked to contribute to the Thompson & Morgan website as a blogger. Amazed, chuffed, honoured and all that so watch our for my first ramblings! 

Right, better get on as the washer is calling.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx

Two Have Become Three.... Somehow!

This morning Jon and I talked about how today it is three years since we arrived at our little patch of paradise. We've achieved so much in that small amount of time but we've also enjoyed becoming part of the community, making the life we had dreamed for ourselves, even before the boys were born, and just loving our life. We still have more to do and more plans but let's see what happened this year.

We have managed to make our Airbnb rooms work - I say rooms as this morning I received the FIRST booking for the new room which is soooooo very exciting, our boys have grown up learning their Welsh and this week Harry has started senior school and Alfie is in his last year at primary.

If you can stick with this fairly long post I'd appreciate you sharing this part of our journey. It
is also a record for me so.... snce we moved here, as with most people I follow, share with etc, change is a massive thing - sometimes by choice and at others times by necessity. We have reached plan A B and C and may even now be on X Y or Z! I look at it as things evolving....

In no particular order but I'll start with what I think are the biggest changes - the outbuildings along with other structures in the garden.

Thanks to friends we now have a fab greenhouse. They weren't able to use it so we jumped at the chance as I've wanted one for soooo long - we decided the best and only place to site it was at the far end of the main veg patch.

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It took a few days in total to get a base put in, actually put the thing together, source and fit the glass, have raised beds built and a lovely bench added. This year it is housing some, hopefully, successful sweet potatoes, cucumber plant and some not so good tomato plants.

I have plans for it over winter, something I haven't really concentrated on before (all advice welcome) but, of course, I also have plans for it into next Spring, always have a plan!

We acquired from the same friends a summer house; it looked more like a beech hut so it had a re-paint and a re-fit and is now the Snug to be used by guests, visitors and us! 

The work Jon has undertaken on the second Airbnb room has been fab. It has been a fairly long process, finalising the layout along with time and finances required, and then I get to dress them for the expected guests after that!

I just love how the outside looks now. Jon built a lovely planter to divide the rooms, too.

It is now listed on Airbnb along with the first room and we hope for our first booking soon!

Inside the house we had visitors after the snow which arrived at the beginning of March.



We loved being able to take care of a couple of orphan lambs from our neighbours flock. Happy to report they are both well grown and healthy now; it was a fantastic experience for the boys to be a part of.

In July we finally managed to re-cover the polyhouse which was damaged by the storms the previous September. Because I wasn't able to use the polyhouse in the way I would have wished due to the weather, sowing and growing was started a little late but you just have to go with it and make the best - this may have had a detrimental effect on things but there is always net year!

We visited the Spring Festival at Builth Wells for the first time this year. We enjoyed the journey there and had a great day.

We had snow in December, too.



In sowing and growing harvests have been fairly good. From my early spuds I managed to get over 15lbs which I was really pleased with - maincrop yet to come...

These round courgettes will definitely be on my list for sowing next year. Love them.



Tomatoes have been a dis-aaaster dharling. Enough said,

....but the gherkins have been fab; however, note to self just one plant next year.




I don't tend to grow flowers but these came on a treat this year! Love it.



We, unfortunately, had our first animal attack but happily now have ten new Leghorn Ladies who are settling in very nicely and giving us a goodly amount of white eggs each day.

Well, as usual I could go on and on, maybe that's why my followers have fallen off.... I hope you enjoyed a little snap shot of some of the things we've got up to during our third year on our little homestead and maybe you'll take a look at some of my other posts. 

And my aim is still the same....


                                           

Bye for now.

Lou.xx