Frost

The last two nights have been extremely foggy, and a very hard frost. I had intended improvising cloches and polytunnels to keep the frost off of the young plants, but i was called into work. So today was the first i could get onto it.

Everything was white, caked in frost. All the bean plants were over. I tried to make a poly tunnel from an old poly bag but it wasnt high enough, so i ended up going out and buying a proper one, along with some fleece and bark chips, and mistletoe. The bark chips are to go around the young fruit bushes, and im sure i dont need to say what the mistletoe is for.

So now, the beans are under their nice new polytunnel, the spring cabbage and the early carrots are under layers of fleece, held in place with the bigger of the stones dug out of the plot recently. Sams bean plant, which this morning looked like the frost had finished it off, is now encased in a fleece tube held up with canes and tied on with garden twine. Some of the spring onions have improvised cloches made from plastic milk bottles, but i need more.

I managed to get another couple of feet of the 1st spits depth dug on the new plot, and about a sixth of the muck heap thrown onto the other side. Theres still lots to do there.

The two fruit bushes i put in today are the Loganberry and the Blackcurrent. The other two are positioned where i intend to plant them. I pulled a couple of raspberry suckers out, i think a barrier will be needed to keep the raspberries in their own space.

At one with nature

Normally, when someone says that, they are refering to being surrounded by natures beauty, not the viscious hand to hand fighting i find myself engaged in with tree roots and stones, armed with only a spade and a grim determination. Saddam Hussein said they would fight 'the mother of all battles', hes obviously never tried double digging.

I was up, maybe not quite at first light, but still around 8 this morning, and worked on the plot right through to last light. The mound of earth has reached epic proportions, but at last i have been able to start digging in an ordered sequence - first spades depth, thrown onto previously double dug area with leaves in; middle section cleared of earth; next section double dug and leaves incorporated. The patch looks like a scale model of an open cast mine, but its a third of the way complete.

My arms, legs, body, head all ache, and i just know tomorrow im going to be moving like a knackered old man.

Sam and me have planted some cress, here it is just starting to sprout

the herbs in the pot are doing nicely, all except one, which has failed to germinate. Trouble is, i didnt mark which was which so i dont know which one it is

Sams cress is coming along nicely, a few more days and we can start cropping it for sandwiches. Must get some eggs...

and the mushrooms are doing well, three of them growing up and several more 'pinheads' waiting

We had the first sprouts out of the garden for dinner today, picked and cooked in half an hour, now thats fresh! I ate a ton of them, and very tasty they were, even though im of the 'eurgh! Sprouts!' school of thought,

everything else is doing alright. Ive still to plant the fruit bushes, once i decide exactly where. Im going to build a poly tunnel for the spring cabbages. Julie ordered a rug and then decided she didnt like it so its gone back, but there was some poly packaging left over, a long poly tube that will make a great little tunnel.

Emma

Sadly, Emma the canary, Marlons mate, died this morning. She'd started two days ago sleeping on the cage floor, and then yesterday had one wing unfolded and a leg out, as if she'd hurt her leg. Marlon was fussing over her and stayed near her. We put some water and seed on the floor of the cage where she could reach and she started to eat, but it seems whatever was wrong had already taken hold. Marlon is a bit disorientated now without her.

Me and Sam last night, just before bed, got two plastic trays, a load of cotton wool, and started off our cress seeds. Well, there actually mustard, but it makes no odds. Sam watched as i did them, showing him and explaining what i was doing. The trays are marked 'Sams Cress' and 'Daddies Cress', to see which grows best. Theres no difference between them of course. Once Sam had gone to bed i put them in plastic bags in the airing cupboard.

This evening, i took them out again to show Sam, each seed now has a tiny little sprout curving out of it. They've gon on the window sill now.

It seems the OU's materials despatch have excelled this year, delivering my course books not only well before the course starts, but a month before they were even due to be despatched. That means i can crack on and get ahead with the study already.

New recruits

Been out to the garden center near Wakefield today. Ive bought some bushes for my 'fruit and nut' hedgerow - one of each of Loganberry, Tayberry, Red current and Black current. These will be planted along the boundary next to the plot, from the rowan to the laburnam, and interspersed with Hazel, Dog rose and others. The idea being that the whole thing will yield fruit for us and the wildlife.

Work on the hen-house has progressed well. Its all painted save for the bottoms of the legs, the ventillation weatherboard is on, and the broodbox is built and fitted. The box has been made from the nice timber found on pallets for stationary

and nice new plywood for the base. It was designed to fit snugley to the opening in the house, and indeed it did so. All the upright timbers have been neatly bevelled with my trusty gents saw. I did contemplate leaving all the tips of the nails sticking out as a fox deterent, then i caught my hand on one so out came the grinder and off came the nails.

The whole box, any gaps, seams or joints, were liberally sealed with caulk. Oh, and i planed the door as well.

The roof of the broodbox is built, save for painting and felting. Once attached by its hinges a flap of felt will be fitted to cover the pivot and the hinges. Sam spent lots of time helping me, passing me tools, and climbing inside the house and the box.

On a sad note, Dylan the guinea pig passed away earlier this week. I had noticed he was slowing down, keeping himself snuggled away instead of out and about, but showed no sign of any pain. He went off his food and just faded away. Hes now in the 'big field' with Molly and Zak and Daniel, under the apple tree.

We went to Selby Livestock Auction yesterday, just to take a look. Sam loved the little piggies and the calves, which he thinks were horsies. Lots of nice chickens, and several Freddy type rabbits. Even some ferrets looking cute and mischeivous. Bit muddy though! The miscellanious sections had all sorts of junk, wood, tools etc, if i'd had any money i would have bought tons of stuff. Perhaps at the next one i'll go with the car ready, wellies on, and cash on the hip.

And finally, the mushrooms are making a comeback! the fresh layer of compost seems to have done the trick, with a whole host of pinheads showing, ready to bloom into nice mushrooms over the next week or so. A pic will be posted!

Lovelly Legs

she's got lovelly, foot long wooden legs. And ive got a badly bruised finger from trying to pull out a misplaced 6inch nail.



This photo is just before i started painting. Now the legs are on and its been levelled, i find the door doesn't close, so thats another job to plane that down. The pophole door works great, i keep having to play with it!

Hoping to pick up some horse poo tomorrow, be able to get on with the tatty patch once ive go that.

Right now i need to get washed, i look like ive some bizarre disease giving me orange spots. In reality, im just lousy with a paint brush.

Pop 'oles

Got the carrots earthed up yesterday, should keep 'em warm over winter. The beans are doing great, good stout plants.

Not got much done on the plot today, been like trying to garden in a wind tunnel. Just turned the compost a bit.

I have finished roofing the hen-house, and doing the pop-hole. Theres now a solid door for the pop hole, made from two pieces of plywood. Ones a thick chunk of 9 ply, about 3/4 inch, and the other is a wider piece of 5ply. Between them they fit in runners (also created from plywood strips) either side of the hole. Eventually a piece of rope will attach to allow the door to be lifted open in its runners. All the nails have been ground down where they stuck through, so now i have to put bolts on the door, seal the gaps in the wood, and paint it in wood preservative.

Then comes the fun part, getting it down the garden. Im only going to attach the legs and the broodboxes once its down the garden where it needs to be. I think pipe rollers might be the way to move it.