One of the huge apples, a bumper crop.
Bramley
Bramley’s
A bumper crop, almost ready for picking.
Greenhouse
The tomato plants are out of control, it seems to happen every year when the tangle of growth outpaces the regular taming of stems and the cutting out of side shoots. The cucumbers are still doing ok and producing lots of tasty fruit. A warm sunny day with the promise of rain tomorrow.
Beach
A scorcher of a day, the beach at Bournemouth was very busy and the air felt fresher and the sea as cold as ever, but must have warmed a little. All the animals were in there shelters from early morning, only coming out to eat and drink. Watered the greenhouse morning and night, picked tomatoes and cucumbers. The runner beans are nearly over, the lack of rain not suiting them.
Damsons
Picked from the tree in the front garden, never had so many, they tasted very nice warm, with Baileys ice cream. A dumpy bag full of sand was delivered, it’ll fill the holes in the mud control mats, the donkeys were curious and William spent a while looking at it. A warm sunny day with light winds.
Peas
Starting to flower in abundance, the pods were starting to get chewy so will leave them to mature. The rhubarb needs pulling, could do with more rain. Painted one side of the stable, the donkeys were shut in the paddock and came up to watch, William always takes time to see if anything is different so will be slow to start eating his mash tonight. A sunny cloudy day with a cool wind.
Sea and Sky
Looking towards the Purbeck Hills from Bournemouth Beach, a windy day before the promised rain. Picked strawberries, raspberries and a cucumber, cos lettuce looking ok, need transplanting as they’re all in a clump. Runner beans have reached the top of the sticks and need to pull more rhubarb. A cloudy end to a sunny day.
Beans
Ready to be planted out, the first of the carrots and radishes are poking through the soil in the raised bed, it rained most of the morning which saved watering. Sowed land cress, spinach and peas, tied up the tomatoes and cucumber in the greenhouse. Stacked wood and sharpened the chainsaw. A sunny end to a wet cloudy day with blustery winds.
Butterflies
Lots about, including this Common Blue and the Orange Tipped, the blackbirds have nested in the hedge and make a real racket when one of the cats walks past, especially if it’s Coby. A pair of Greater Spotted Woodpeckers were in the garden, both had bright red flashes. Fixed more of the runner bean sticks, planted a few rows of Adelaide carrots and put the lemon trees out on the terrace. Lunch in Stur. A warm, sunny, day with a chilly breeze.
Carrot
A little bigger than the average, one that escaped the harvest last year, it’ll keep the donkeys happy for a week or two. The garlic in the raised bed is looking ok but the strawberry beds need tidying up, brown leaves and more runners are spreading everywhere, a job for a sunny day. Moved a load of compost. A cloudy, col, sunny day with light winds.
Sheep
All walking through the gates on their way up to their night shelter, their fleeces offer such good insulation that the frost sits on their backs until it melts in the sun. Moved compost from the heap to one of the raised beds, the level has dropped by half so it’ll take a few barrow loads to top them all up. The only thing left growing is the Cavolo Nero, which is doing quite well despite being eaten by caterpillars earlier in the year. A cold cloudy day with late sunshine.
Giant Leek
The last of the half dozen sown last year, it had a few slugs and snails in the outer leaves, but there was lots left to make tasty leek and potato soup. There are a few carrots left in the same bed, will lift those this week. Part of the hedge laneside has fallen, it was laid a long time ago and it’s roots had rotted, cleared part of the bank so the last of the willow rods can be planted along that stretch. A colder, cloudy day with light winds.
Garlic
Planted a couple of months ago, the elephant garlic was planted a few inches deeper and has made the same thick top growth as last year. Need a few days of frost to make the clove’s split, expect January and February will be cold enough. Still have some bulbs from the last crop, they dried out ok and are hanging in the garage. Moved logs nearer the house to dry out under cover, getting through a basket full every day. A foggy start to a rainy day.
Sloe Gin
None of last year’s concoction is left and there will be more than a few months wait for this brew. The jar on the right is freshly made and contains frozen sloes and neat gin, the latest recipes advise adding the sugar after the sloes have given up their juice as then the sweetness can be well balanced. Hope it works! Peeled the last of the Bramley’s and stewed ready for freezing, not as many apples as last year but still a few pounds. A sunny mild day with light winds.
Carrot Tops
They don’t last long with the donkeys, a few scrunched mouthfuls and they’ve gone. Walked down the lane to cut hazel and beech branches, the paddock was too wet for the donkeys to go out today after last night’s torrential rain, so they needed something to keep them occupied. The courgette plants are finally wilting, the result of cooler nights and mildew, moved the bunches of garlic and onions from the greenhouse into the garage. A breezy, sunny day with the occasional downpour.
Produce
Carrots and a courgette, the carrots had a couple of small holes in them and no carrot fly, which was good. The courgette is more like a marrow, still tasted ok with lamb mince, the donkeys ate the carrot tops. Filled some of the holes in the edges of the mudmats, they’re staying level even with the weight of the donkeys, William likes to stand on them for a few minutes when he comes back up to the stable. A sunny warm day with light winds and the occasional downpour.
Sunset
A wet start to the day, the rain gave way to cloud and a mackerel sky followed by a glorious fireball sunset. Rubble to help widen the driveway arrived on a trailer, a dumpy bagful doesn’t go far, but it helps. The donkeys were curious, running away and then coming back to see what was going on. Harvested the onions and put them in the greenhouse to dry off, left the two leeks growing in the raised bed. The last of the runner beans taste ok but don’t have the flavour of the earlier pickings, and they smell different when being cooked, must have less sugar. No need to light the woodburner.
Mange Tout
The second sowing of the year has done really well, despite little or no rain, replacing the garlic which was harvested from this row of raised beds by the stable. The strawberries are producing lots of runners and the new plants can replace the mange tout in a few weeks time. Walked the donkeys up and down the avenue before letting them out in the paddock. A cool, then warm, sunny, cloudy day.
Poppy
Looking much better, bright eyed and happy to sit in a warm greenhouse on the stool. She ventured onto the hard standing to have a look around before the donkeys came too close and she went back under the fence. The tomatoes are ripening quickly although the plants are looking a bit ragged. Moved the electric fence further down laneside so that the donkeys can graze more of the hedge. Picked runner beans, tomatoes plums and a few mange-tout. A cloudy sunny day with light winds.
Ellison’s Orange
There could be a bumper harvest this year, they’re just about ready to pick with the pips almost turning brown, some of the windfalls are a good size and good enough to eat. The Beauty of Bath apples have all been eaten, and the Conference pear and Bramley apple trees are looking a bit sparse, but maybe the foliage is hiding the harvest. The D’Arcy Spice tree is looking better. Pulled rhubarb, picked runner beans, courgettes, tomatoes, sage and rosemary. A warm sunny day with light winds and a lovely red sunset.
Onions
In the raised bed, the soil level has dropped by six inches in just a few months as the compost continues to rot down, the onions have done well to stay well rooted and not go to seed. The tomatoes in the pots outside have been affected by blight and consigned to the compost heap, the plants in the greenhouse are ok so far. Moved the arcs into fallen oak paddock, the sheep followed, they’re always excited to run through a gate onto fresh grass, Willow will be rested for a while. A cool start to a windy and warm day with a pale pink sunset.
Produce
The courgettes are planted on top of the compost heap and are liking it there, and the Gardeners Delight tomatoes have been fed diluted liquid manure from the wormery to give them a boost. Planted more autumn carrots to replace the seedlings eaten by the snails and moved the cos lettuce to give them more space, they were being overwhelmed by half a dozen Cavalo Nero plants. Had runner beans and fried eggs for tea. A sunny cloudy day with light winds.
Thunderstorm
Cloud rolling towards Hambledon Hill, could hear the thunder and see the lightening, but no rain until much later. Moved the sheep and their arcs into Willow paddock and gave the donkeys a larger area to graze for the next few days. Picked runner beans, carrots, lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes, planted out a few more runner beans to replace those eaten by the snails. Took Poppy to the vet as she’s off her food, blood test results may mean an increase in thyroid medication. A warm, humid day.
Elephant Garlic
Good sized bulbs, and tall stalks with pale purple flowers, possibly harvested them too soon, could have picked off the flowers as soon as they appeared and left them in the ground longer then perhaps the bulbs would have been even bigger, will find out next year! Mange tout are now growing in their place which should produce a good crop before the night time temperature starts to drop. Pulled thistles from the rose bed for the donkeys, they enjoyed spending the afternoon next to the sheep in the laneside paddock. A warm cloudy day with the odd shower and light winds.
Rollover
Moved the hurdles in the paddock to give the donkeys more grass and cut beech and willow branches for them. William walked up the avenue without doing a rollover, Toby didn’t miss his chance, it’s always the same place so there’s a bare patch in the grass. Thunderstorm last night so water butts full, watered the greenhouse, picked tomatoes, cucumbers and a few runner beans. Lunch in the marquee at the Baker Arms, a cloudy day with mist lingering in the vale.
Close
William and Bianca communicating through the hurdles that separate their paddocks, they each lower their heads to the ground and William snuffles quietly. Lovely cycle from Child Okeford to Sturminster Newton and Shillingstone, tasty lunch at The Baker Arms. Seventeen miles in 27* is challenging but the route was relatively flat for North Dorset! Arranged sticks around the new pea plants, tied up the wayward runner beans, watered everything, picked tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and mange tout. A very hot day, cooler at dusk, promise of thunderstorms tomorrow night.
Produce
Picked thirteen Mini Munch cucumbers from a couple of plants in the greenhouse and pulled a helping of Early Nantes carrots which have successfully escaped the carrot fly in the raised bed. Temperatures are soaring so the donkeys stayed in the shade of the stable before being let out onto the grass, the sheep choose to lie in half sun half shade and quietly pant. Wheelbarrow handles and the tops of the metal gates are too hot to handle, watering everything, the strawberry runners are rooting hopefully!
Runner Beans
The first of the year, the plants don’t look strong enough to hold them but they have survived the snails, must use hedgehog friendly deterrents next year, still have a few plants to put in the ground next to empty canes. Cycle ride in 30* from Moreton to Athelhampton House for coffee, coming back across the heath was the hottest part of the ride and a bit dusty, had to walk the sandiest stretch. Everything in the garden needs watering, the mange tout have sprouted so will soon need sticks. A very hot day with occasional cloud and light winds.
Garlic
Hanging in the greenhouse drying out, the bulbs were harvested a couple of weeks ago and stored in a cold frame before plaiting and tying with string. The empty bed will be sown with mizuna lettuce and land cress before being planted with new strawberry plants in the autumn. Planted courgette plants on top of the compost heap, hope it’s not too hot for the roots. Assembled a new raised bed, will take a while to fill with donkey poo and compost. A warm sunny day with heavy rain overnight to fill the water butts.
Catmint
Poppy enjoying the scent and taste after standing on the pot and crushing the leaves, fortunately deer don’t like it so if the cats don’t destroy it the plant should survive. Started a new sheep shelter in laneside, the first arrangement of pallets isn’t quite right so will have to modify. The sheep spent all day in the same paddock and settled in the arcs together when it rained. Picked raspberries, strawberries and blackcurrants. A cool day with sunshine and showers.
Rhubarb
A good harvest from the crowns planted earlier in the year, will make a lovely crumble. The cos lettuce and mange tout peas are crisp and tasty and the first strawberries and raspberries are sweet, the runner beans are still not looking very healthy although there are some flowers on a few of them. Walter spent some time with Ivy and Elton in their paddock before they all ran to the rest of the flock, separated them again after a couple of hours and some bleating. A hot sunny day with the threat of thunderstorms, light until after ten o’clock, with a pale pink sunset.
Oak
Lovely calm spring morning across the vale, may have had a frost, not sure. The sun was up early and shone all day, a breeze at lunchtime cooled the temperature but late afternoon was glorious. Watered the seedlings in the greenhouse, the automatic openers were working so opened the side vents. Dug up two buckets of dandelions and planted three new azaleas, snowdrops and bluebells. The first carrots are showing, sowed land cress and cos lettuce in the raised bed and runner beans in pots. The animals were happy in the paddock. Beer and crisps on the terrace at dusk.
Blackthorn
There are clouds of blossom all over the branches, should be a bumper crop of sloes in the autumn but in the meantime the bees are making the most of the nectar and pollen, the foliage appears later. A lovely sunny afternoon after a cold start, the sheep and donkeys chased about in the paddocks. Herds of cows have been let out onto the grass in adjoining fields, they’ve been kept inside since before Christmas so will be enjoying their freedom. Sowed French Bean and Runner Bean seeds, the tomato plants are doing ok and the cucumbers look good as well. Repotted a few parsley plants, would be good if it self seeded. A warm end to the day.
Seeds
The tomato seeds are an inch or so high, using the mole hill soil mixed with vermiculite didn’t work out very well, the soil had too high a proportion of clay and stayed too wet so the plants have been repotted in compost. the sunflowers are just poking through the compost. Sowed Blue Lake climbing beans and green courgettes, the beans are in the greenhouse, everything else is cluttering up the utility room. The donkeys and sheep spent their day grazing the paddocks. A sunny day with a cold wind and a lovely sunset.
Spring
Vernal equinox, which means the sun is exactly above the equator and day and night are of equal length, this is the start of spring for most, the birds are nesting, the days definitely feel warmer and the wind is less abrasive. A pair of partridges stayed in the garden most of the day and a pheasant has adopted a routine that includes the stable and the paddocks, it takes little notice of sheep, donkeys or humans and walks and scratches about talking to itself. The first rhubarb crown was moved a month or so ago, have dug up the rest and will plant them in large pots, the ground was too dry where they were under the hedge. A cloudy sunny day with light winds.
Garlic
Doing well in the raised beds, the elephant garlic has more space than the softneck, both varieties store well so the harvest in August should last most of the following year. Sowed sunflower, carrots, pumpkin, cucumber and lobelia seeds. Potted on the parsley plants sown six months ago, there’s a big difference between the plants, not sure why some are twice the size of others when they’ve all been treated in the same way. A cloudy start to the day with warm sunshine later, didn’t wear gloves first thing although the poo picker and wheelbarrow handles did feel quite cold.
Seeds
Sorted the numerous packets of seeds, these will probably be the first to be sown. Have collected a few mole hills from the bottom paddock and left the soil in pots in the greenhouse to warm up, it’ll be mixed with some compost for the seed trays. Carrots and outdoor lettuce will be sown in the raised beds which need to have their covers removed and be raked several times to give a fine crumbly surface. The trees and hedging on the other side of the lane have been cut in half to reveal the hills to the north-east, should give an earlier view of the sunrise. A wet start with increasing sunshine and light winds, the end of the day was warm.
Bean Seeds
A mixture of varieties, mostly runner beans with some french beans. These are drying on a couple of sheets of paper towel placed on a tray, they’ll be moved backwards and forwards each day as half the towel dries out and sucks the moisture from the beans. In a month or so they can be stored ready for use next year. Cycled from Moreton along quiet lanes and the rhododendron mile, past the watercress beds. Stopped for courgette fruit cake and a can of coffee. Cloudy with some sunshine and a cool wind.
Tomatoes
These must be the last of the Gardeners Delight, the leaves have lost their green and are almost yellow, some have blight but luckily it hasn’t spread to all the plants. Picked up the windfall Bramleys and stewed them the on top of the woodburner. Lunch at the Baker Arms. Managed to give the donkeys their vitamins and settle them with a little more straw in the fading light, went out to see them at 5.15 and it was dark by 5.45. A cool day with weak sunshine, strong winds and rain at dusk.
Green Logs
A chilly start to the day with the valley bathed in rolling pink mist. Moved the green oak logs to the old stone crate ready for use in a couple of years time, they will be well seasoned by then. The nasturtium on top will give seeds for next year’s plants. Heard the green woodpecker when poo picking in the paddock, he appeared on the lawn early evening to eat the ants but no swallows today, maybe they have moved on. Trimmed the new growth off the rampent pumpkins and cut back some of the larger leaves to encourage ripening of the fruits. The runner beans are not quite as green as last month and the tomatoes are paler as well despite regular feeding, day length is shortening and the nights are cooler, it feels like Autumn is on it’s way.
Thunderstorm
Moved the Ouessants into the square paddock for a change of scenery and greener grass, it was fine until it started raining and then they all ran under the sheep shelter, it’s smaller than the one in their usual paddock so a couple of them moved outside and were dripped on. Before the storm arrived the donkeys moved alongside the shelter and then they all got very wet. Tucked them up for the night during the thunder and lightening downpour and then half an hour later the rain stopped! Picked courgettes, runner beans, blueberries, windfall bramleys and sloes.
Cycle Ride
To Sturminster Newton and back along the trailway, started in a rain shower and ended in sunshine with coffee and a sausage roll at the cafe. Pulled a few more of the Mediterranean Mix carrots from the raised bed, the yellow variety have produced the largest carrots, the small orange dumpy ones need the least preparation for cooking with hardly any gritty creases. Set up the electric fence so that when acorns fall they won’t be within reach of the donkeys; if they eat them the Gallic Acid and Tannic Acid toxins stays in their body and eventually cause liver and kidney failure. The tape ended up in a real tangle so must invest in a winding reel. Over 3000 acorns were removed from under this oak tree last year, it’ll be interesting to see how many fall this year.
Blueberries
Planted six new plants in the freshly weeded border, I hope they do as well as the one in the pot, will need to feed them with an ericaceous mulch, the daisies have been trimmed so there’s enough space for them to stretch. The runner beans are still doing well despite being buffeted by the strong winds, it’s difficult to walk between the rows as the frame has developed a bit of a lean. The all shapes and sizes mediterranean carrots are tasty, they’re being overrun by the courgettes in the adjacent bed but I don’t think it’ll make any difference. The trees in the lane are starting to lose their leaves, the hot weather combined with not enough rain has dried out the tops. A cloudy day with a few showers and late sunshine.
Blueberries
Should have taken a photo before I picked today’s crop, this bush will be full of berries for another month at least if kept watered, probably 30 every day so enough for a fresh topping to deserts and breakfast cereal. The runner beans are also cropping well, lots more flowers, need to keep them well watered. Cucumbers and tomatoes are suffering in the greenhouse and need watering several times a day. The donkeys enjoyed an apple lolly, they made short work of the frozen disc. A very hot day with a few drops of rain at dusk.
Vegetables
The yellow Tumbler tomatoes are growing in the same pot as the sunflower and a few red Outdoor Girl have ripened in the border, all different shapes and sizes. The sun and wind has been so hot today that some tomato plants have shriveled in the greenhouse, I hope they recover, will let a sideshoot develop if not. Picked more runner beans, they’ve been thrashed by the high winds so tied a few back to their poles. There’s been a real variety of weather conditions that the plants have to withstand – both varieties of courgettes are doing OK, the drop in the level of compost in the raised bed means they’re protected. A few drops of rain evaporated as soon as they touched the ground so more watering.
Donkey Dental
The donkeys needed their annual check so this is William getting bored waiting for the vet to arrive. His teeth were fine, no filing required and he didn’t need a sedative unlike Toby who needed something to relax him. He was a bit too staggery once the injection took affect so he needed waking up a little to do the examination. Some teeth had a few sharp edges; donkeys chew side to side so can wear down the inner edges and leave a sharp edge on the outside, the electric grinder did the job quickly. Afterwards they both had to wait to have something to eat as Toby wouldn’t have been able to swallow until fully awake – William stood next to him most of the time giving reassurance and they were both grazing happily a couple of hours later. A hot sunny day with bright blue sky, watered the vegetables, picked runner beans and a few tomatoes, must pick the courgettes tomorrow.
Cucumbers
There are a lot on these two plants, they seem to double in size overnight. The first flowers set really well and the cucumbers continue up the plant, which is still growing, there’s more than we can eat so will give some away. The sheep and donkeys are content, the Texels are beginning to eat down the grass in the lower paddock so we may be able to let the donkeys in there next week. The Ouessants are making little impact on Willow paddock, two more may make a difference. A sunny day with lunch at the pub, promise of thunderstorms tomorrow.
Cycle Ride
Starting above Pimperne we admired the view from the top of the longest Long Barrow in Dorset – 107 meters long and 27 meters wide in places. Full of wild flowers including Orchids, Ladies Bedstraw and Yellow Goatsbeard, also known as Johnny-go-to-bed-at-noon because the flowers open at dawn and close by lunchtime; this seed head was the size of a tennis ball. Stopped for coffee and a sausage roll at Rawston Farm where there was a good display of plants, rawstonfarmbutchery.co.uk. A hot day to ride up the hills, great coming down! Watered the vegetables, the compost in the raised beds is disappearing, the level has dropped by a third.
Produce!
A decent picking of runner beans and one cucumber today, the cucumber tastes very different home grown and one of my favourite meals is well seasoned runner beans with lots of butter and two soft fried eggs on top, absolutely delicious. The new sheep are settling in and like their daily cereal mix, not eating out of my hand yet is Pixie, I’m sure she will in a week or two. They’ve explored Willow paddock and grazed closer to the donkeys who stared at them through the fence. A really warm day at first following overnight rain, it clouded over later and there was a really cold wind.
Greenhouse
Love my new greenhouse, already filling up with young plants, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, beans and marigolds. Warms up really quickly, hope it stands up to the high winds. Have a couple of cold frames to assemble as well, not had those before. Hot yesterday so maximum ventilation.
Runner Beans
Stenner runner bean seeds sown on 7th April, planted out today before they started winding up and around each other. Sticks have been up a month or so, secured with lengths of bailer twine to cope with the strong winds. Poppy was briefly interested in the chives! Good that the deer didn’t eat the young plants, hope that’s true of the flowers as well. Not sure about the rabbits. Ordered more raised beds for the strawberry plants, still chilly in the evening so lit the woodburner, hope we don’t get a late frost.
Carrots
Planted on the 24th March. Doing well in the raised bed which is mostly donkey poo with well rotted compost on top, need to be protected from the deer that visits regularly. Thinnings will be nice in salads in a few weeks.
