In the Polytunnel ... and a Gardeners Friend

It's almost the end of September and our weather has been a strange mix of chilly nights, warm days, some dreary non-stop wet days and some days with quite a bit of sunshine between heavy and prolonged or short and sharp showers.  The dogs and Ginger started to get their Winter coats then the weather turned mild, so now they are moulting them right off again meaning the hoover is seeing lots of action at the moment.

When I'm not hoovering up enough fur to knit a whole new pet with I'm out in the tunnels, tidying, weeding and picking things for our meals.  We still have lots and I mean LOTS of Kale, lots of Spinach and as you can see from this photo the last few tomatoes are still clinging onto the plants. 

Normally I would have stripped the plants of their last few green fruits and used them for chutney but with the warm weather they are slowly and surely turning red on the plants so I am leaving them in situ as we munch our way through cabbages from the veggie patch and broccoli from the polytunnel.

As well as all the veggies mentioned above we have the last of the salad leaves, lots of beetroot waiting to be harvested from both tunnels and large spring onions that I am using in soups.,  The last of the cucumbers have been affected by the colder nights and gone over a bit, so they are being fed to the chickens as a daily treat along with all the trimmings and outer leaves from things I harvest for us. 

Today saw me planning ahead and planting for next year, with 80 red and 80 white onion sets being planted in the net tunnel.  I was going to get the Garlic cloves planted in there too but the rain came and I retired to the house instead.

In other news ... I came across this little chap in the bottom of an empty bucket the other day.  I had no idea how long the poor thing had been there so once tipped out I gave him a drink of rainwater on a leaf.

He seemed to enjoy it.

Black beetles are a gardeners friend eating all the little bugs and critters that would damage our vegetables and plants, so it was nice to do one a favour for once.

Sue xx

Shopping From the Freezer

It's been a busy few days.  On Friday we drove up to Scotland ready for a family wedding on the Saturday, Sunday saw us hitting the road for home after having a brilliant time celebrating with the happy couple and lots of our other family members from North of the border.

  Yesterday we dashed round like blue arsed flies catching up with things at home, before taking the hire kilt back into Llandudno, doing lots of other  little errands and arranging to donate one of our sofas to the British Heart Foundation in readiness for redecorating the living room later this month (or early next if we run out of time ....which is more than likely).  On our way home we picked the dogs up from the kennels.  So now it's all back to normal at home ... well as normal as it ever gets here that is  😉

One thing I'm determined not to do much of for the rest of this month is shop.   After the last couple of weeks spent filling the chest freezer with homegrown vegetables, fruit and sauces,  and filling the cupboards with jams and marmalades, trailing round supermarkets or shops is the last thing on my agenda.  So to help with this, as you can see from the top photo, I have decided to get back to weekly menu planning.

Fifteen or so minutes spent with pencil and paper on Monday morning means that our evening meals for the whole week are sorted out, so no more standing staring into the fridge hoping desperately for inspiration to strike after a hard couple of hours in the polytunnel.

It also means that after a couple of weeks I should be able to 'shop' once a week from the chest freezer in the workshop and put everything we are going to be using jnto the smaller freezer in the house saving me dashing backwards and forwards looking for things .... well that's the plan anyway 😊

To make space, this week and for however long supplies last, we are eating down the contents of this freezer.   It's a bit like the Challenges I used to do really, and I'm already enjoying myself!!

Sue xx

Tidying Up My Act

I posted HERE back in early August about tidying up the polytunnel work areas ... and then never came back with the 'after' photos, so I thought before we got too far into September I should put them on the blog.

As you can see the main difference, apart from things being cleaner and tidier is that there is a long length of the workbench now missing, this lets an astonishing amount of extra light into this end of the tunnel.

Doing this gave me the chance to have a bit of a declutter in here too and a few items went to the last car boot sale, and home with people who might find them more useful than I did.

The above photo shows the storage end of the polytunnel, with my new(ish) Ikea three tier storage trays.  They are holding all the planting and drainage trays, the smaller plant pots and plant pot saucers and my current open bottle of tomato food.  It keeps everything nice and neat and to hand.

This end of my workbench had started small and neat and then quickly turned into a dumping ground for everything I used.

Now it's just things for immediate use that are here and I've claimed back almost as much workbench space as we chopped off the other end. 

It only took a few hours over two days, and no doubt has already saved me that in the time I usually spent searching for things.

For the record and for any of you who are still interested .... we are still WITHOUT running water :-(

Sue xx

Green Corners, Work Corners

This is a bit of a post of two halves, firstly this little green corner of our land that I love ...

... it's literally just a tidying up of a corner, to the left of this photo, that we tidied up a couple of weeks ago. 

A few large stones neatening the edge in front of the of the tree, back filled with compost from an old planter and planted with some wild flowers and daffodil bulbs.  We neatened up the archway into the woods and moved the 'little shed' as it's called from it's old position by the oak store to the left of the arched entrance..

I couldn't resist a little curtain at the window after cleaning the glass.  It's only an old tea towel cut almost in half and then drawing pinned into place, but it gives it enough of a cute look to satisfy my occasional girly cravings  ;-)

Another corner we've been tackling is this 'storage corner' in the polytunnel.

Once you start a corner like this it grows under it's own steam and you actually forget what's in the boxes at the back so it was time to do something about it.

Another corner bugging me was the other end of the workbench where I do my seed sowing and potting on.  The plant pots and trays were taking over the space, gradually getting messier and messier.  So I came up with a plan to sort out both corners in one fell swoop with just a bit of saw action required by my lovely hubby.

I'll be back with photos of the finished result once I remember to take my camera over with me next time I visit the tunnel.

Sue xx

A Tour of the Plot

It is now almost mid-July and I thought as a record for me and as a nice little peek for you it was time to do a tour of the plot, the plot on our hillside that provides the majority of our food.

So today, in the first of a little mini series (there would be too many photos for a single post) it is the turn of the polytunnel.  So grab your mug of coffee and lets go for a little wander to see what is growing where.

As you approach the front doors (top photo) to your right you can see the Belfast sink next to the tap so I can wash the vegetables before they come into the house, this isn't plumbed in at all but there is a bucket to catch the water under the plughole, this way the soily water gets thrown back onto the other growing vegetables and doesn't end up in our septic tank ... what a waste of good soil that would be!!  It also means that all trimmings can legally be given to the chickens as they haven't been brought into our house for washing.

To the left of the doors are the tyres containing the Blackberry bush that I bought on special offer a couple of years ago ... not many of the fruits make it into the house but it's nice for a hungry worker to enjoy a sweet snack every now and then  ;-)

At the right side of the doors the tyres contain a few onion bulbs that I discovered forgotten about in the polytunnel so they got planted very late ... but they should get big enough to give us a meal or two, so I'm glad they didn't get wasted.  In the zinc planter are some Jerusalem Artichokes, only just breaking through the soil as they must have been right at the bottom of the planter when I harvested last years crop.

Stepping into the polytunnel we enter a world of green lushness that makes me smile each time I go in.  The first bed to the left has Spring Onions at the front and a row of Tomato Plants at the back.

The next bed has three Cucumber plants, now giving us at least one fruit each day ... oh and a French Marigold that should be giving us a splash of colour any day now.

Stepping further along and you come to the next bed which has Curly Kale at the front and once again a row of Tomato plants at the back.

The final bed on the left hand side, as you can see right at the back of this photo has yet another row of Tomato plants, this time fronted with two Courgette plants and in the centre a large bottomless pot of Potatoes.   That is a plant pot with no bottom, so the roots can make their way down into the raised bed and give us more spuds ... not a never ending pot of potatoes  ;-)

Looking to the centre bed in the photo above there is Spinach at the far end, then a large pot of Carrots, a couple of Spring Onions from last years planting that I am letting set seed and then nearest to us a plant pot with some more Tomatoes and a tray of potted Chives that I have grown for us and to sell at the next car boot sale.

The next bed in the centre currently just has all the potted on plants for us and for selling.  Two trays of Ox Eye Daisies and one of St John's Wort.

The last centre bed is currently the Lettuce bed with two types of Lettuce and some tasty Mizuna.

The right side of the polytunnel is home to shallower beds than the left as they are under my work and seedling bench.  The first section has another crop of Spring Onions ... we like Spring Onions!! 

The middle section is currently waiting to be planted.

And the end section under the working area is now home to two Butternut Squash plants and a cheerful French Marigold.

Turning round and looking the other way you can see the hanging baskets of Cherry Tomatoes and above them all the pots and tray covers on the hanging shelf.  This just hangs from the polytunnel frame with chains and clips,  and makes good use of what would be wasted space.

If we spin around and step out of the back doors we can see the raised bed made from old sleepers that now contains four Marrow plants, three Tomato plants and two small rows of Beetroot.

And that concludes the tour of the polytunnel.

If you would like to have a peek into the Net Tunnel come back tomorrow armed with another cup of coffee ... oh and a bowl to pick yourself some Blueberries, they're pretty prolific this year.

Sue xx

Loving My Cucumbers

I love cucumber plants.  From the minute the seedling bursts forth from the compost, sturdy and self reliant looking with the two leaves still encased in the split open seed casing, there is something very satisfying about them

Strong healthy plants that drink water like it is going out of fashion.

They even tie themselves up for you their strong almost elasticated tendrils reaching out for any signs of support that you have placed near them ... it saves on string  :-)

In front of mine this year I have planted a few clumps of Rocket ...

...and to one side a French Marigold.

The burst of orange colour and the strong scent that the flowers will bring makes the polytunnel a lovely place to be and they attract beneficial insects to the plants that need them.

This year I have planted just three Cucumber plants in the polytunnel bed as last year I had four on the go at once and we just couldn't keep up with the numbers of cucumbers that we got.  Although hopefully next year when the farm gate shop is in full swing I will be able to sell any excess, so I will be able to have more of one of my favourite plants growing away.

Sue xx

After the Weekend ... Polytunnel Progress

Of course after a weekend away there's the inevitable catch up needed back at home ... mostly in the polytunnel.  

(This picture was taken from the back doors of the tunnel .... the opposite way to how I usually take photos of the tunnel.)

For the last few weeks the polytunnel has had it's doors open during the heat of the day to make the temperatures bearable for both plants and gardener, so although I wanted dry, sunny weather for our little jaunt down south, the grower in me had her fingers firmly crossed for cool overcast weather knowing that the doors would be shut and the temperature inside would rise.

I think I just about got away with it. 

Although the small tomato plants in the hanging baskets were decidedly droopy they, and indeed everything else was quickly revived with a cooling drink of water.

I set to yesterday potting on all the seedlings that had grown large and strong in my absence.  These trays have the Cosmos seedlings and the Sweet Peppers.

In the bed to the left of them I have four yellow marrows and a small run of beetroot seedlings.  I totally forgot to sow any pumpkin seeds this year, so I am officially declaring 2017 the Year of the Marrow  :-)

The three pots in the green tray have Cucumber plants in them ready for the next car boot sale, or for sale at the farm gate. I held them back in case my three planted cucumbers failed but mine are well established so someone else will be able to benefit from these.

On the workbench I have a few pots of mixed 'edible flowers', just potted up and looking pretty healthy.  I could have put them into the beds but I think there is more chance of them being used in the kitchen if I have a pot or two at the back door.  They'll brighten the patio up and be handy for picking to add to salads etc.

Also on the bench, still in their pots are the smaller Kale plants, they will be added to this years kale polytunnel bed tomorrow when my back has recovered from todays hard labour.

The salad leaves obviously had a good weekend!! 

I gave everything a real over-watering before I left and they obviously enjoyed having their feet in water for a few days.  These too will be planted into a polytunnel bed tomorrow.

In this photo are (clockwise from the left) Sweet Basil, Mizuna, Cos Lettuce and Rocket.  Just in shot at the back is a tray of Broccoli rescued from the 'dead plant section' of Wyevale last week when I was there with my Mum.  Well you can't say no to a tray of veggies for 50p can you?

I better get on with a few housey post holiday chores now before I nip up the road to cast my vote.

Sue xx

Spring Onions

I had a very out of date packet of Spring Onion seeds in my large seed drawer, so I decided to go mad and sprinkle them all into a tray of compost.  As you can see they virtually all came up!!

And as you can barely see ..... a third of the tray took up the front of this bed in the polytunnel. 

The pots at the back have been put in place ready for the tomato plants which are now coming on in leaps and bounds ... phew!!  It's the time of year when you go to the garden centre for a look round and see all their plants looking HUGE and healthy and think wonderingly back to your sad tiny specimens at home and go and drown your sorrows in the coffee shop, well I do :-)

You have to force yourself to remember that theirs are all brought on in heated light filled greenhouses, while ours put up with the conditions we grow them in, whatever they are.  In the case of my plants it's an unheated polytunnel, by a busy main road at the bottom of a windy Welsh hill.

Eventually the weather will warm up (and hopefully stay warm) and we'll all be fine.  Now it's back to planting the rest of the spring onions for me.

Sue xx

Potting On ... and Cups of Coffee

It's been a busy week this week, potting on vegetable seedlings in the polytunnel. 

This little beauty is one of my many courgettes, I also have marrows and cucumbers who look almost identical, all now nestled in their own first little plant pots, but it won't be long until they are in their final positions in the raised beds at the rate they are growing.

Who knew so many of my tomato seeds would do so well, I used some of my oldest seeds to get them used up and they were such healthy little seedlings that I have potted them all on.  So after I have planted enough for us in the polytunnel and net tunnel next month I will sell the surplus plants at the next car boot sale we do or at the farm gate just to make a bit of vegetable profit and fund any purchases we need to make.

The workbench is filling up nicely, this was it at the start of the week, now there's no bench space to be seen it's all covered with trays and pots, as is the bed down the centre of the tunnel.

More potting on to be done tomorrow ...and the first appearance of a pepper plant or two.  They are very late this year, but it's been cold here, especially at night.

It was my birthday last Wednesday and my Mum bought me a 'cup of coffee' while we were at the garden centre for lunch.  I think it will be a few years until I'm harvesting any coffee beans  ;-)

I also treated myself to a milk free Easter egg as they were reduced to clear ..... but I wasn't that impressed.  I think I'll stick to dark chocolate, which is naturally milk free and which I love anyway.

Sue xx

So .... what's different ?

I snuck back in last week to do a 'comparison' post and although I thought I wouldn't be noticed, it seems lots of you have been looking out for me ... thank you for caring  :-)

So I thought you all deserved an update on what's been happening here on our little bit of Welsh hillside since I vanished from this blog last December.  Although I have been in action in a slightly sporadic fashion over on my other blog 'Polytunnel Vegan' 

Well as you can see from the top photo not much has changed in the kitchen.

Spring has finally come to this cold, wet and windy part of Wales, with blossom on the Almond trees in Nut Wood, and also just this morning appearing on the cherry trees in the fruit orchard.

Ginger has claimed one of the dog beds as his own, usually the small one ...

... as he has found out if he gets in the bigger one the others simply pile on top of him.

I'm still saving the pennies .... in this instance by washing and reusing plant labels from last year.

Suky's diet is working well. 

She's now down from her original 12.2kg to a much healthier and happier 8.2 kg.  She would most likely love this photo, it makes her look even slimmer than she is!!

I still cook homegrown veggies from the poly and net tunnels .... only now I'm no longer a vegetarian.

I'm a vegan :-)

(As you might have guessed from the name of my other blog.)

The polytunnel is just starting to fill up with freshly sown seeds and newly turned beds. But I'm taking it slower this year as the nights have been toe curlingly cold here.

I wore out my old salad spinner and had to invest in a new one.

And Mavis has turned into the most laid back and loving little doggie you can possibly imagine.  Even being allowed off the lead on our property as long as we are close by.

So although there are some changes here, there are lots of things that are ticking over in just the same soul satisfying way.  I still don't really know if I want to come back into daily or even regular blogging, but after all your lovely comments last week, I am considering it, or at the very least popping up from time to time when there is something I feel is worth writing about.

Thank you for reading and for taking the time to send your comments.

Sue xx