Wondering what to do

Tomorrow im going to, hopefully, earth up the early carrots to keep them safe from the frost, and go on a hunt for horse muck, or at the very least for some fertiliser bags!

I want to start with converting the hedge into a fruit and berry hedgerow, so will be planning how to do that, with mublerries, tayberries, loganberries, hazel, dog roses and plenty of others. It will be done only bit by bit, but should eventually be a low hedgerow about 5-6ft tall, packed with fruit, berries, nuts, and wild creatures.

Something else im now considering, which will be a long term idea, is growing a hazel tree in a large pot. Not too surprising, whats to consider? Well, it wouldnt be just any hazel, but a hazel that has been impregnated with spores of summer truffle. These seedlings are available for just under £20 and take around 4years to start bearing truffles, but what a crop to barter with! Ive asked the company that supplies them for more info and advice.

I need to finish the hen-house roofing and start on the pop-hole door and the broodboxes. I think i might get it into position down the garden before adding the boxes on!

Herbs

The update for the allotment campaign went out by email on monday. The paper versions are printed and ready to be hand delivered when i get around to it this weekend.

Whilst in the garden center with Julie, Sam and my mum, I bought a herb pot. The herbs are now starting to grow, and little seedlings are poking their way out




The mushroom tub, after being restocked with new compost, seems to be establishing itself again, the mycellium are growing through the compost nicely, and im keeping it moist with a spray and watching the temperature closely.

Well, all the turf is off the potato patch and the first spit deep trench dug. Where most people discover roman coins or pottery, i find discarded spark plugs a foot below my soil. I intend to double dig, but at this depth the soil becomes very solid. Im holding out further digging until i can hopefully get some horse manure in there. I know someone who can let me have some, but ive got to find a way of getting it back here. Without a trailer im stuck with the idea of bagging it and putting it on the car roof. Just need some sturdy bags.

Im wondering about fruit bushes now. I want to eventually be able to remove the conifers that divide the garden from nextdoors, and plant a fruit and wild berry hedgerow, something that will provide food for me and the birds.

Rain

It absolutely chucked it down all night. I didnt sleep. All i could think about was that the roof on the hen-house would warp.

This morning, we moved the hen-house into the garage to allow it to dry out ready for the roof to be felted. It took two of us, dragging and twisting it. Its impossible to lift. I'll have to put some kind of handles on it, but even then, i think its going to needs Julies big bruvver to help move it down the garden when its finished.

Visited Julies grandma today as well, and along with the usual jars of coffee and the like (my contribution to the control rooms beverages) she also gave me a couple more energy saving lightbulbs. By an amazing coincedence, exactly the number i needed! So now apart from the light in the porch, which is hardly every used, all the bulbs are low energy ones.

Im going to issue an update tomorrow for the Allotment Campaign, stating our current position and specifying a plan of actions to carry out. I'll be looking for people willing to be pressganged into doing posters and stuff (well volunteered that man!)

The Sprouts Of Evil!

" Oh naughty one, raise up from down there, unless someone else has called you up already, in which case come across from that other place..."

-secret devil incantation, ladybird book of witches

perhaps my sprouts are not quite as bad as Eddie and Richies 'sprouts mexicane' but there not too bad either way, its the first time ive ever tried sprouts, and ive learnt a few lessons about how much space they need

My bashed finger finally stopped hurting as much about 3am, after keeping me awake most of the night. You wouldnt believe that it would do that, but whatever i did it either ached or throbbed. Tried to fix the little fridge this morning, and it turns out the power supply is duff, not the cooler, this is after ive spent £10 on a new peltier module from Germany.

I got some melamine shelves off Freecycle as well this morning, from a chap in Selby, whos got a garden big enough to grow a million rows of spuds in. Trouble is what i really need now is a couple of tarpaulins, the animals roof is leaking again and poor old Dylan is not happy with his house being dripped on.

Ive managed to get half of the new potato patch de-turfed now, before the light began to fade

Hopefully i will get that finished over the weekend and started with double digging. Its only when removing turf you realise that a 2cm pebble or a root a few mil thick can stop a spade! I got this far using little targets, like 'at the end of this row you can have a coffee'

If any of my Allotment Campaign members read this, sorry for the delay in getting an update out. Im waiting on the next parish newsletter to be issued. I think we are at a point where we need to be more 'in yer face' with the council, perhaps with a poster campaign around the village. The councils response so far has been pretty much as expected, a sort of 'it'l go away if we quote money at them', well it wont! The council exist to do what the community requires. I will get an update out shortly.

Nothing more done on the hen-house today, but hopefully when the rain eases i can get the plywood cut and build the brood-boxes. Anyway, time now for a tune around on the HF radio, and maybe a relaxing bath

If I Had A Hammer...

... I'd whack myself on the fingers again!

Well, much pain, blood, swearing, getting drenched in the rain later, and the hen-house is actually looking like one


The walls are built, the roof is on, and the door is on. The ventilation grille is actually two layers of wire interleaved, and it was whilst clipping that on that i impacted my index finger rather than the nail. What fingers i have without black nails, or holes in them, have had the nails split off.

So, whats to do now? well, the brood-boxes need building and attaching, the ventilation grille needs a wind baffle fitting, the roof needs felting, the pop-hole needs a door and runners, the door needs bolts, the legs need fitting, the ramp needs building, and the whole lot needs sealing and painting. So, just a couple of little jobs then.

Its very cosy inside though, i had a sit in it. If i were homeless i'd find some pallets, scrounge a hammer and nails and build one of these to live in.


I have no idea how im going to get it down the garden though, its become very heavy. I might have to put wheels on it!

Onto more normal things. The mushrooms didnt turn out as planned


but the one i have had so far was very tasty. Ive started digging off the turf for the potato patch, and the sprouts, broadbeans and garlic are coming along nicely. Ive added some more compost to the mushes to see if i can coax a better crop out of them. Ive also planted six acorns, which hopefully will fulfill my wish to grow an oak tree. The acorns have come from the old oak tree i used to play in as a kid behind my mums house, that tree has survived several generations of treehouses and climbing, so should be good stock.

Wood work

Plenty going on but little getting done. The henhouse is coming along, and is going to be very heavy and sturdy. This photo shows it as was last week with the broodbox side built

After sorting out some warped boards and buying a shed load more nails, structural timbers could then be added from the broodbox side to start building the rest against.

As promised, heres a photo of Freddy

or rather, the original Freddy. The new Freddy hasn't stayed still long enough to have his portrait taken yet.