Just a couple of random pictures snapped when I have a minute. I have got more ground reclaimed from the brambles, but the nettles are attempting to stage a coup. The plot is looking very untidy at the moment, and the super hot weather we have had has baked the ground solid. Some rain is due soon, so hopefully will top up my tragically empty waterbutts and give the plants In have in the ground a much needed drink.
So far in the ground I have: Red Duke of York spuds, Pea Kelevdon Wonder, Sweetcorn Ambrosia, Runner Bean Rotbluhende, Alpine Strawberry (front garden at home), Onions Bedfordshire Champion, Turbo and Stuttgarter, garlic, strawberries all flowering like mad, Estima potatoes .
All the fruit bushes have burst intolife and it looks as though I may actually have fruit off them this year. Must get them netted so the pesky pigeons and other birds don't get them first.
Sowed two rows of carrots, but there has been very sparse germination, so going to plug the gaps with some more seeds. As my soil is so heavy, I just sift a fine layer of compost over them so they can push their way through.
Laurens little patch is going well. Her peas are about a foot high, as is her garlic. All her Parmex carrots have come up and are starting to get true leaves. She rescued a parsley plant from somewhere and planted that up too. Going to give her some salad seeds to sow in her last section because then she'll have something that comes up fairly quickly and will keep her interest.
Got loads in pots in the greenhouse that I am starting to harden off prior to planting out. Cucumber Burpless Tasty Green, Courgette All Green Bush, Butternut Sprint F1, Garlic Chives, Tomatoes Sub Arctic Plenty, Marmande, Supersteak, Tigerella. Got leeks sitting in a shady spot outside, Hannibal, Autumn Giant, Musselburgh.
All my brassicas have been fried by the sun and/or munched by slugs so need to restart, calabrese, sprouts, cabbages, romanesco and PSB. May end up cheating slightly and getting some young plants from a local nursery as well as doing more sowings of my own.
Its bloody hard work down there at the moment, especially as I'm still working on clearing it and some patches are still pretty wild, but the enjoyment and stress relief is well worth it. Edible produce coming home is a bit of a bonus too though.
The chooks are doing well. Lost my young Maran to mycoplasma a while back and had to give antibiotics to whole flock. They all went slighly off colour due to worms and lice too, but these have been treated, and my girls have made a nice return to form giving me more eggs than I know what to do with. I'm bringing home anywhere between 8 or 14 a day. Little Light Sussex is now laying, teeny tiny white eggs. Lauren well chuffed.
Got some new girls to add to my little flock today. Thanks to Debbie for letting me collect them from her house and to Carly, who co-ordinated the whole rescue in just 5 days with 4 volunteers which ain't bad considering the farmer brought the slaughter date forward by 5 weeks! As far as I know 1200 hens were rescued today and tonight will be settling down in new homes.
