Storms and chickens

[Valkyrie]

I thought I'd do a slightly different thread from the old one.  Not sure whether to call it a smallholding (which we have a CPA number - but unable to reach the office to change the details) or homestead as a lot of smallholders have started to do on Youtube to cater for the Americans and worldwide audience.  CPA number easy, go on DEFRA, find the phone number - number is not recognised.  Now just in case it's me, I try a few more times.  You'd think they'd sort that out!  So on my retreat to quilting heaven with the North Hampshire ladies, one of which has a holding.  Suggested I get in touch with this section.  As far as I can see the phone number is exactly the same - but ahaaaaaaaa it has an email contact number.  Then again it has so many different subtitles which to choooooose?!

Anyway spring has finally come.  Or it may be summer already.  A guy on a tractor saw OH the other day and asked him what we were doing - there has been a fair few comments on the veg patch!  They have obviously been watching the building work - rabbit proof veggie area - and then the long black lines which could be marked for a heli-pad, but no cross bar (they wouldn't be able to see that unless in a plane or helicopter!) are actually weed (wild flower and grass) suppressants.  

Were invited to a dinner party down the road last night - wow, my first dinner party and my goodness it was fabulous!  They got a little excited at the thought of me doing veggies, and already decided I need to sell it!    On the way down the road I spotted Early Purple Orchids - that was exciting as they were on our bank!  Closer to the gates there are primroses blending with pale violets.  Not much blackthorn as it has been shredded in the hedge trimmings.  That is not going to happen again for a few years - it needs to grow and then be rotated for wildlife.

The wildlife lady came to walk around the property and was delighted we had already started putting in things for the wildlife (although we feel dual-purpose as we want some of the goodies too) and although we couldn't find a single yellow rattle seedling, she has given us a few ideas as a plan B.  The wildlife trust is keen on getting pockets of areas for the greater horseshoe bat as it is in decline.  It would be nice to think that they could use us as a motorway service station as they travel cross-country.

So far in the veg patch we have all the first early potatoes in the ground and a few of the second earlies - well 18 Charlottes, because the pile of compost is now in the way of progression, so I have tried to rake some further up.  Well that'll be enough for another 18!  On the opposite side of the helipad the garlic is growing and the onion sets are filling 3 beds.  This is what happens when you forget you ordered some with one company and then order same and more of a different variety from another company.  Only did that because I'd forgotten I'd already bought seeds.  I have a lot of senior moments lately!

Broad beans are doing nicely and I've filled gaps in with more seeds - no sign yet.

In the greenhouse the tomatoes and peppers have been potted on and no longer in the propagator in the porch.  They are quite leggy but already flowering.  I also have pots of celeriac, sweet peas (purdy for smelly bunches to pick for indoors), leeks - forgot the winter ones but they are now on order!  Tamar Organics - great for big seed packets for those feeding customers. Beetroot, chard and more spinach sown in another section.  Underneath the work bench I have been adding compost and already have spinach ready for picking, rocket, spring onions, yellow purslane, carrots and more salads - all very exciting!  Wildlife is a little sad because the female deer, Juliet, was run over recently.  Something has dragged her through a hedge (prime suspect is the badger) and nothing much left.  Romeo has been visiting on his own and chomping plants.  Obviously confused as one flower bed has been fenced off - not to prevent him nibbling but to prevent poor starving chickens from churning up the plants!  Near and in the veggie patch we have had delightful sightings of half a pheasant, half a rabbit and a leg of rabbit on a fence post along with a picked clean pheasant breast.  The remaining parts (except for the unlucky rabbit feet - both hind leg leftovers, not sure why they call it lucky!) never stay and can only think it's Bertie or Bessie Buzzard feeding their Tim nice but Dim offspring.  Apparently he has been learning to fly as he has been coaxed further out but did a very grand belly flop onto our neighbours lawn.  He then wails for mummy to help him.  I have heard him!  Of course left over remains may have been taken by Mistress Vixen as she must have given birth by now.  We see signs of rabbit fur in large patches around the field but no sign of bodies (which is another reason for thinking the buzzards have shelter inside the veg patch) and she carries the whole thing back to her babes.

Chickens have been separated.  The big ones (well the twins) have decided on a new fun sport - it's let's chew up the curly creature!  So Fudgebutt and Curlywurly have been separated before they kill them!  Both are sporting purple rinses on their heads - Curly was particularly bad with 2 holes in her head.  Obviously fine as she scoffed a fair few raisins while I was patching her up.  All healing well when the 2 little ones escaped and were trounced yet again.  Fortunately I spotted one of the twins calculating her target and flying over the barrier, stopped her before she did any damage apart from chasing.  Both twins have had their wings clipped.  All nice perchy fun bits have also been removed as they discovered clipped wings didn't matter when they could use things as stepping (jumping) stones!  I'm considering naming the big shelter "Jurassic Park" as I seem to have a pair of very intelligent velociraptors! Anti-peck spray is at the ready.  Curlywurly is the only chicken left to lay - probably due to stress - but she has been nest box hogging yesterday and whingeing.  I think perhaps today will be the day!

We have chiffchaffs - wasn't sure if the first one would stay, but they haven't left.  The swallows are here.  The butterflies are on the increase and hairy caterpillars are on the march (believe it is a ruby tiger moth).  All the fruit trees are starting to flower - the cherries are just coming out.  We have palmate and smooth newts and we did have a frog but the chickens ate him and lots of tadpoles.  It must be warm as we have a pond surrounded by feathered paving stones - ah nope - female pheasants drinking in unison.  Very cute.  Poor Dudley Pheasant has hayfever - I sympathised as I also was suffering that day.  But we are both fine now!

Next door's cat seeks me out and accompanies me around the garden.  He is fond of a tummy squiffle.  But he will walk under my feet so (as I have said before) I do The Monkees walking down the sand dunes in their Foreign Legion gear funny stagger walk.

Anyway I think you've all suffered enough and I'll rescue poor Trigger who is yelling "let me ouuuuut!"  Or it could be a response to the other cockerel down the road who is bragging "I've got girls!" and Trigger responds "so have I!"

 

 

[Minnie&Moose]

Great update Valkyrie - I'm impressed at how far on your veg are.  Our swallows arrived yesterday, as did the first of our home-bred chicks - and the remaining 3 (2 eggs failed to hatch) arrived through the day - so 4 little cheepy bumblebees.  Weather's great so I may open the eglu door for them tomorrow and see whether Midge will take her babies on their first outing.

[Valkyrie]

Thank you Minmoosie.  With regard to veg, I think I started them too early as the weather was too cold to put them out.  I think the sets were spot on - we are just late with the compost and weed suppressing.  Held back by a) sheep grazing the field down, b) fencing to be done and c) rubbish weather!  Now it's a race to get things done in the heat!

Curlywurly laid her first egg yesterday - she was whingeing and nest box Jack-in-the-box-ing all day.  Went to bed without laying anything and the following morning repeated the behaviour.  After all that I found her egg on the floor of the run!  Luckily Fudge had already laid and the two eggs are so different, Curly's being quite pointed and fawn coloured.  Fudge's are almost white and you can just about see the pointy end.

Took DD and her partner to our friends and she gave Lamborghini his bottle feed.  He is finally drinking from a bucket so that's the last of the bottle feeding for him.  We had lots of cuddles.  His eyesight is now perfectly fine - they wondered if he had some lack of oxygen to the brain as he is clearly very slow to progress, but progressing he is nevertheless.  He will become a ram companion so he won't be going to freezer camp.  His brother weighs a ton!  

Our friends informed us that it does rain rabbits here - buzzards grab them, fly up and drop.  Not seen it, but I guess that's how the rabbit remains end up in the veg patch!  

Saw more swallows yesterday and finally we've had loads of brimstone and orange tip butterflies.  Some darker ones that might have been tortoiseshells and a few peacocks.  I'm now going down to the veggie patch to move more compost (did a lot yesterday) before it heats up too much!  

[soapdragon]

I am really enjoying your updates, Valkyrie! I guess that it's all a real learning curve as it's your first year but it does sound very labour intensive! 

[Valkyrie]

Definitely at the moment!  The no dig system is all shovelling compost at the moment!  OH managed to damage his shoulder and was told to rest it!  So it was just me but this morning he came and helped so it went much quicker.  Only did 2 more beds - and a little blue butterfly kept landing on the bottom layer of spent mushroom compost right where I wanted to empty the top layer!  I assume it was a holly blue - have no idea.  Eventually it found the pile further up.  I managed to get my finger so close a couple of times - the idea to get it on there to transfer it to a safe place!  Although we did decide we needed 2 wheelbarrows - one filling while the other was emptying!  Then it got so hot we came indoors.  I do enjoy raking it over - it becomes my Zen garden!

Trigger has been yelling his head off all day since 6.30 - with a breather in between.  We also saw the fox heading up to the farm above us - Trigger wasn't yelling for that though - he was quiet!  However the geese up there kicked off big time.  I don't think Trigger likes rooks - they have been doing Alfred Hitchcock film re-enactments along the power lines.  Quite funny listening to them.

OH has suggested we get down the field early while it's cool and we can crack on and finish the potato area.  Now that would be great - we still have up to May to plant them now.  I do need to get the parsnips up and running.  

I've also ordered my leeks (and more bits like seed compost) from Tamar Organics - they have a good reputation even as far as Scotland!  Most seeds I've sown are popping up in the greenhouse.  More potting on soon!

I'm not looking forward to Tuesday - very humid and thunderstorms predicted!  

 

[Valkyrie]

Yes it is a holly blue butterfly - and a male.  It doesn't say anything about them loving poopy compost though.

[soapdragon]

I've been watching the Escape to the Chateau with the Strawbridge family and was amazed at how quickly things seemed to come together outdoors. I looked up their website and they offer 'Garden Days' where you PAY to go and work in their garden doing whatever needs doing at the time and, in return, Dick cooks up a big lunch with wine included!!! They are booked up WAY in advance too! Valkyrie.....just an idea 

[The Dogmother]

Lovely to hear your news Val

I was over at M&M's today, so saw her wee chickies... so cute. Her place is coming on very well and I have veg garden envy!

[Minnie&Moose]

Valkyrie - it's all sounding wonderful.  Sounds like you've got a monster veg garden!  Had a lovely walk with Clare today and then got the last of our fruit trees (for this year) in - they've been heeled in what will be the new strawberry patch for too long because I was waiting for the man with the pick axe to dig some holes!  Chickies were scooting up and down the full length of their 3m run this afternoon - 4 little bumblebees going full tilt while their mother stood guard.  At this rate they're going to be sturdy little birds!

[Valkyrie]

Oh dear Soapy!  Got to hand it to them - they can get people daft enough willing to pay for doing their work!  I don't think dinner and wine is enough for a day's work!   Sounds like they've found another project then.  

LOL! Veg envy!  Well we have diddy tomatoes already!  The biggest is slightly bigger than a marble!  Sounds like DM and M&M had a great day with the chicklets!  

Strawberries will have to wait - we've already run out of compost!  Again!  I've even run out of seed and potting compost so stuck! But did manage to finish popping in the second early spuds and some early maincrops.  Another 2 rows needed for the Violettas but only 25 maincrops left. Instead I carried on clearing stinging nettles under the walnut tree.  We now have a path through and the chooks have been enjoying the ground clearing.

OH is really suffering with his shoulders and I lost count of how many barrowloads I shifted yesterday.  Luckily it wasn't as hot and the breeze helped.  I have caught the sun, but only slightly - I think I'm so weathered that I'm already conditioned to it.  I had been using a small spade, but OH brought out a shovel - it was my dad's!  I really zipped along after that!  I'm definitely getting an upper body workout!  And I feel fine!  Even my back hasn't complained once!

We had two spits of rain and it's been nowhere near as bad as they anticipated.  Definitely feels cooler.  At least we can sleep more comfy tonight!

And after all the money spent on the yellow rattle in the field (and none showing as far as we can see) I have found one!  In the greenhouse alongside my carrots!  I can only think a seed got stuck to my boots and fell off in the greenhouse.  When I've swept compost along for the seed bed it must have been brought to the surface and germinated!  Perhaps the field seedlings will emerge later once they've had the warm weather on them.

Dudley the hayfever pheasant is doing well and it sounds like he is less sneezy today.  Poor little snufflebutt!  He's been running around across the patio stones - bonkers!  He also has 4 ladies to keep him company!

 

[The Dogmother]

Nothing on your scale Val, but I have been reinstating the patio after the works - the random paving looks wonderful and I am re-doing the herb (Belfast) sink amongst other things. Tomatoes are in and look healthy. I will be planting some miniature thyme, mint and chamomile between the stones for scent.

[soapdragon]

Is that the sink that came from Acorn near Little Milton after the the Newington Nurseries meet, DM? If so glad to hear that it's still in use! I think you are very brave to tackle a patio - you do realise that you can't post that without the promise of pictures, in due course  

Valkyrie - it sounds as though you are getting a super workout! I had to smile over the yellow rattle...in the greenhouse! Mother Nature's little joke!

[Valkyrie]

OH has sent an email to the architect today!  Hopefully we will be able to start the ball rolling on the rebuild!  And my quilting studio!  In the wish list is an area to bring on chicks (or perhaps ducks - I have duck envy as well as barn envy) and an area separate for chook equipment and possible dispatch area.  I'm going to be a horrible chicken munching person - or maybe duck munching - at a later date.  I just love the idea of having our plates with our own home grown food, although lamb, pork and beef - and goose will come from our neighbours.  OH has put his foot down with regard to piglets.  Oooh and I've emailed the Animal Health Registration peeps with regard to the smallholding number.  Hopefully we can keep the number going - just in case!

[The Dogmother]

5 hours ago, soapdragon said:

Is that the sink that came from Acorn near Little Milton after the the Newington Nurseries meet, DM? If so glad to hear that it's still in use! I think you are very brave to tackle a patio - you do realise that you can't post that without the promise of pictures, in due course  

Valkyrie - it sounds as though you are getting a super workout! I had to smile over the yellow rattle...in the greenhouse! Mother Nature's little joke!

It is another sink A - I have quite a collection now.. this one came from my parents' place when my dad sold it last year; it is a very heavy white and ochre one. I have to admit to not laying the patio myself - I came up with the design (reclaimed bricks and stuff) and a friend's OH, who is a brickie, laid it for me, with me acting as his labourer.

I will post photos at the weekend

[Valkyrie]

Oooh looking forward to the pics - with sinks too!  I did wonder if you had added a paving saw to your expertise!  There is a Belfast sink round the side of the house, but it has a lot of stonecrop in there - different sorts!  Not mine, but it looks nice enough.

[Valkyrie]

Well progress outside is slow, but coming along - then I panic that I haven't sown this or that, coupled with epic failure of germination rates for the French and runner beans so I sulk for a while, then get a grip and outside I go again.  Last week OH had a steroid injection for his frozen shoulder.  It is improving and I'm really annoyed that he can now use the ride on tractor mower!  Then it broke.  Probably me racing along like a . . . Valkyrie - cutting smiting grass!

Trigger was dispatched for over aggressiveness towards us, the family and his ladies - except Dusty (who wasn't having any more of his nonsense) and he was a pain to dress.  One thing that surprised me was that his test icles were as big as lambs kidneys!  No wonder the testosterone was flying high!  There wasn't much body cavity room left with those!  So he has made a lot of stock and while the meat was chewy, it was frozen and OH made a super soup with him the other day - meat tenderised beautifully.

The piccies are from last month. The parsnips haven't done well - only half a dozen germinated so I've planted a ring of celeriac around the outside of the bed.  Then what happens?  Mrs Pheasant (Pea) decided to have a dust bath right in the middle of them.  Thankfully no parsnips were uprooted that I know of!  I've also set up a frame for mange tout and was in the process of making the frame for the meagre climbing French beans before the heavens opened yesterday - and a pic of the awful weather that we didn't get the day before!  Sungolds - long gone in my tum!

[The Dogmother]

So lovely to hear your progress Kerry, and the photos too.

Trigger will live on in chicken heaven - rogering all the ladies he can find, and generally being grumpy. OH definitely had the last laugh with the soup then!

[Daphne]

Those pictures are so beautiful.  Quintessencial fabulous English countryside!

Your tomatoes are very advanced, my neighbour's don't have colour yet - not that I have any toms this year, my beds are all taken up with spuds as I had a craving for tasty new potatoes, which don't feature much here, and my resident DIYers have not got round to making me a large raised bed which is where I was going to put toms. We have had a couple of potato feeds, though just Charlotte so far.  Strangely, hardly any of my spuds have flowered, not sure if its me not watering enough or the weather just being perhaps hotter than they are used to.  I am trying Lady Christl and Maris Peer as well, but the latter are not very happy, plus something seems to be eating the tubers.  Carrots and beetroot are very slow, I find they put on a bit of growth, sulk in the extreme heat, then are ready to harvest in the autumn, which is too long winded in terms of space and watering really.  I have also acquired some rogue cabbage plants, self seeded from next door!

The broad beans were super good again, its one of my few successes.  We had feeds for about 6 weeks from staggered sowings of Aquadulce Claudia, plus some in the freezer and enough spare seed to sow later in the year.  I don't grow other beans, its too hot and they need too much water. It may be that your bean beds will need a bit of time to build up a bit of fertility, they look like they are newly created?  Is your water far away, its my constant bugbear?  Seeing your beds in a grass field so reminds me of our old back garden, which used to be pasture.  I spent many hours creating the beds, filling them with homemade compost, fighting off the weeds, but loving the results.  I ended up with beds which were very raised mounds, to stop the weeds and grass encroaching so much from the sides.  It looked like I had 3 long and narrow burial sites!

You are doing things on such a scale, I really applaud you and your OH, the amount of effort required must be colossal.

 

[Valkyrie]

We haven't watered the spuds, Red Duke of York is first in the firing line, but not ready.  Casablanca is next in line and they are looking almost ready - decided to leave it another week as the rain is doing it's job (a little too well actually) and yesterday my husband picked off the flower heads.  I must have words as he just threw the bits into the trenches and I need the weeds and the other bits away from the veg beds!  Sarpona is a variety that is new to me because I have never done maincrop - but these are supposed to be blight/disease resistant.  They are also growth resistant, so I'll not bother with those again.  Charlottes we have a lot of - because we like them!

Beds were strimmed to death into the topsoil, a thin layer of spent mushroom compost on top and then cardboard boxes which were accumulated from moving house, my daughter's boxes from moving house plus her furniture purchases and the in-laws raiding the golf club shop when they go for a game for any packaging that they could squeeze in the car.  We have them trained.  Even number one son had a few boxes to spare!  Over that goes a thicker layer of spent mushroom compost and then another layer of nice compost.  We have no depth to the proper topsoil, so it has to be raised up.  We are doing the no dig system and I've not had much of a problem with weeds - a few die hards of dandelions and thistles but the whole lot just takes 10 minutes at the most.  

We have about 6 water butts on the plot - never really got to empty them with this weather!  We have 3 more water butts at the edge of the field in the garden, one in the greenhouse, one at the end of the greenhouse, a huge one in the secret path (we found it in the garden, thought it might be for chemicals, but it was fine - things were living in there and no odour at all, so we wheeled it round and it's taller than me and probably 3ft in diameter - or more!  Then we have the big tank at the side of the garage/workshop - that holds tons of run-off so we have a pump and if necessary we can water with the hose pipe in the veg patch.  Only done that twice!  Other times I just use the watering can - have never fully emptied a butt as OH keeps topping up from the mega tank!

Just managed to finish setting up the French bean frame for all of my 5 germinated varieties.  I think that will be sturdy enough - I'll be sowing more direct.  I also sowed more mange tout but a different variety.  At least the celeriac will be well watered!

Went to Curry Rivel today to check out wood burning stoves.  Very interesting and we thought we'd settled on a particular one.  We had tea (hot chocolate for me) and a slice of cake in the same shop - absolutely delicious!  Then over to Shepton Mallet for another stove shop.  Well we weren't sure at first as the guy just sat us down and talked through what we wanted and the area and whittled the whole shop down to 3 alternatives.  And he asked questions that we hadn't even thought about, advised us on other things that didn't even cross our minds - to say he was thorough is an understatement.  This man clearly knows his stuff!  So we are now thinking long and hard about what we need and want.  Next trip is to the kitchen shops!  Things to do when it rains!  But at least we'll be prepared and a year will go by very quickly!

Did laugh at the burial sites - ours looked like a helipad marker at one stage from the bottom of the hill - as far as they could see anyway.  The wind was so bad the other day that we lost a fair few branches off the ash trees (and annoyingly some tiny walnuts) but OH discovered the wind had blown one of the plastic sheetings with the pallet weighing it down up and over the potatoes!  Pulled out from under other weights and was flapping around!  One pallet landed in the middle of the Sarponas - which narrowly missed those that had broken the surface of the soil!  Ooooh sun is out so all fun and games outside now!

Grumpy Trigger with a little halo DM! 

Well the big water butt is overflowing from the little rivet holes - equally spaced streams of water - all the small containers and buckets - even old dustbins - are full to the brim.  Hmmmm I wonder how much we will need them for the rest of the abysmal summer!!!! 

 

 

 

 

[soapdragon]

Very much enjoying the updates, Valkyrie. It's a cross between The Good Life and Cider with Rosie (considering where you are!) You seem to be in full flow and obviously expecting large crops - are you considering selling on or is it all for your own consumption? Are you keeping notes? Could be the basis for a best seller.....

Are you planning on expanding in to stock animals? We had a friend with a bit of land and she reared a porker each year for the freezer. It had the most wonderful life, was spoiled rotten with lovely scraps and looked after really well. Pat was very balanced about eating the results and said she preferred it that way to eating something from a polystyrene tray from the supermarket!!!! As you put your wicked cockerel to similar good use I'm guessing that you'd not be squeamish about it? I can totally see the welfare issue.

Hope things dry up for you - my few meagre (sp!?) veg (in pots; terrible clay soil) have been battered a bit by the deluge so hope yours are all OK!

[Minnie&Moose]

Lovely pictures!  I have tomato envy!  I've got lots of flowers on my plants but none of them are setting - grrr!  Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?  They're in a greenhouse and I've been tending them lovingly. 

[Valkyrie]

Soapy - not squeamish, but hate killing things.  Then again much better to have eaten something you know where it's been, what it has been fed and the freedom that it had.  I did consider meat birds.  Also sometime down the line I'd like to have a rare breed - OK, I looooove and always wanted Croad Langshans although the Modern Langshans (not German Langshans) are possibly more endangered, but prefer the feather duster strains.  So in that way I help something to exist at the same time be responsible and chomp them when I have to!  Or light Sussex - always wanted them too.  Oh I want them AAAAAALLLLL! 

Also would like ducks at some stage.  OH has put his foot down with regard to piggies, although I would like the whole menagerie!  He doesn't like goat milk, so that's out.  I seem to have developed an intolerance to cows milk so no Irish Moiled hoos coo and friend.  He is considering allowing me to play at alpaca wrangling.  I gather they can also be clicker trained, so I like the idea of having them present me with their feet to trim!  In my dreams!

[Valkyrie]

Oopsie!

With the spuds, I was overenthusiastic with the different types, having a small veg patch before - it's almost like we have the room so we can have - but the downside is that it still needs work done to get it that far!  Never mind, we hope that we will have enough to give the children a couple of sackfuls.  With the onions it was an accident and a senior moment when I'd forgotten I'd already ordered some sets from another company.  But even then the tiny ones will go into OH's balsamic pickled onions which are deeeeelishhhhh!  One of the potatoes DD took home and it's in a pot - and apparently growing well.  It did have canker so I didn't want it in my plot, whereas her little garden won't be growing spuds in the soil for years!

I am also writing a Smallholding Diary - with comments as to the seeds, germination, successes and failures.  Also includes da da daaaaaaaaa weather reports!  Well - I can't help it!  But not strictly day to day - sometimes it's like an update rolled into one.  On the odd occasion I swear in my diary!  Usually with regard to OH when he's being a complete and utter nincompoop and I need to get it off my chest!

He has considered joining a bee keeping club so that'll be nice and he'd be tickled pink to think he's our version of Tom Good - who was his hero and that sowed the seed for self sufficiency!  I've always wanted animals even if they were wild! 

M&M - my tomatoes were done by tickling the flowers with a feather - spreading the pollen does help!  I've done that every few days because the bees aren't really going in there much, so I'm giving them a hand.  I was doing the same with peppers but I don't think they need my help!  This is the first year I've grown them in soil/compost as they've been in grow bags or pots before.  I think some years are better than others.  Some of mine have been cooked in the sun so I've set up an old sheet to shade them until it goes round to the proper shades.  So saying that, an experiment where I'm letting a plant bush out hasn't been stressed out at all but the others in the line seem to have had a period where they struggled a bit!  One I heard say break an egg and stick the whole thing in the hole at planting time (so I've tried that - seems OK) and another said eggshells in the hole (done that too and no difference) but someone baked the eggshells and then ground them in a coffee grinder.  So I've done that and will be sprinkling the dust around to water in.  So all experimenting here.   

Fish and chips tonight so see yers xxx

[Beantree]

I do miss fish and chips, even though they are terribly unhealthy and the fish isn't what it used to be. Tried  a little paintbrush on our beef tomatoes with no effect and I think there is something wrong with the plants; the cherry tomatoes are fine.

Just lifted the first of the salad potatoes and they are great. Important here to get stuff in and out quickly as Summer will burn everything to a crisp, so potatoes in for just 10 weeks. It's staggering how fast things grow here: we mow the lawns twice a week.

[soapdragon]

We had 3 light sussex bantams (hence my precence here) and they were lovely tho I hear that Welsummers are good eating chickens. If we move house and have some more land then I'd plan to have eggy chickens and meaty chickens!

I have three tubs of pink fir apple potatoes which seem to be doing OK and also need to get a couple of growbags  for my tomato seedlings to expire in. Gardening for me is a triumph of hope over experience! I don't give up, though, and cherish the few veggies that I manage to grow even though the compost , time and watering far outweigh the cost of buying the bloomin' stuff. Valkyrie, I take my hat off to you!!!!