Slowing down ... stopped

The plan to slow down on the gardening front approaching Christmas occurred rather abruptly late last Thursday when I pulled some back muscles. Annoyingly, I wasn’t doing anything particularly taxing at the time, just carrying two large trugs with green waste in them. It was seriously painful and the journey from Snowshill to home was very uncomfortable. I had planned working on the Friday but that just didn’t happen.

So, all paid customer work together with my National Trust work for 2013  has finished. Plans to attend to my own garden and allotment haven’t happened due to the back issue plus some bad weather.

Last week I enjoyed the church Christmas lunch at the AppleTree pub in Woodmancote, and this week another Christmas lunch was enjoyed with the colleagues from the National Trust. Venue was the Fleece Inn at Bretforton near Evesham. The place is some 500-600 years old with seriously low doors, but full of character. The village also has some beautiful looking period properties, worthy of a proper visit, combined with a pub lunch perhaps in early 2014.

I am looking forward to recharging my gardening ‘batteries’ over Christmas. I have some plans to overhaul part of our back garden in the New Year. A recent visit to the allotment suggests that the ground is at the point where more mess and damage is likely to occur if any work is attempted on the soil.

Things are getting quiet…

While I was working at Snowshill last week and just about finished for the day, the village fell totally silent. Usually there is some background noise, some of which can carry a significant distance, such as dogs barking, farm machinery, or typically building/renovating work on the ‘chocolate box’ cottages that typify the environment. But, there was nothing – just a few birds, flying around looking for somewhere to bed down for the night.

I took some pictures and looking at them I’m struck by how, with this time of year nature is becoming quieter, settling down and waiting to rest over winter. Snowshill Manor itself, no longer open to the public sits resolutely, to face the next few cold months. The cottages opposite providing a bolt hole for people wishing to ‘escape’ to the country – to briefly sample a simpler life style.

The cottage gardens are now slowing down, as I pay my regular weekly visits to clear the autumn detritus preparing the borders to over winter. My time at these cottages is drawing to a close and early next month I shall leave the gardens to the winter weather and all that this might bring to bear.

Endings and beginnings

Earlier this week between jobs, time for a nice coffee break mid-morning and catching the sun just right.

A couple of pictures of the back garden (with recently revamped patio) with spectacular autumn colours from our Acer trees.

Patio view

Trees of fire

A final flourish of colour as autumn gathers pace, I think the best is yet to come. As we say goodbye to the autumn in a few weeks, when all leaves will have disappeared, we have hope in the future planting of tulip bulbs, poised in their pots and ready to explode with colour in April / May. It’s a long wait, but worth it.

Pots of promise

Allotment alchemy

As the allotment growing season begins to wind down I’ve caught up with some regular but important tasks.

Harvesting the last of the carrots has been fairly productive with plenty of good roots available to put to store – should last a few months in damp compost.

I’ve cleared the last of the broccoli plants – these have been very successful this year. Due mainly to being completed covered over with horticultural fleece from the moment of planting out in late spring. I was snipping off small ‘green trees’ almost every other week with no sign of white or black fly, and no caterpillars either. Also I think being covered with fleece provided additional protection from both strong wind and the very harsh and hot sunshine during July and August.

I’ve recently planted out over wintering onion sets and garlic. In the picture below is just the completed bed with leaf mould incorporated – really pleased with the improving soil condition in this spot. Also after clearly one of my no dig beds of carrots I’ve applied a top dressing of leaf mould in readiness for next season.

Garlic & overwintering onion bed

Talking of leaf mould; I have discovered ‘gold’ … The pictures show before and after (after about a 2 year wait I hasten to add). The resultant transformation from leaf to leaf mould is wonderful stuff. Rich, earthy, pleasant to the touch and smells great. Pure ‘gold’.

Holding pen

Raw ingredients

Plenty of winter digging awaits to prepare for next year.

At home, I’ve been maturing the butternut squashes. As can be seen from the photos quite a variety in sizes, with the largest about 15 inches in length.

I’ve also got some late tomatoes going in the small green house – still picking fresh and very tasty toms. Yumm…

Harvesting

Some things have been growing apace on the allotment.

Just completed harvesting the main crop potatoes today, the variety is Cara. The haulms have been very tall this year compared to other varieties I’ve grown. The photo shows some to be as tall as the fork, the fence and the compost bins. The yield on each plant has also been very high which is surprising given the near lack of rain during July and August. I suspect I’ve harvested the potatoes a little early given that the haulms have not yet stopped growing and turning yellow, but some tubers have already been attacked by slugs so I thought I’d harvest while the soil is just damp and easier to dig - and also to ensure that I get some edible tubers...

Notice also, the maturing butternut squash. The plants have really grown well this year and some of the squashes are fairly long this year – somewhere in the region of 15 inches or longer!

Is that the time?

I have been thinking about updating this blog for ages, but not seemingly having the time to do so.

June & July have passed by, and mid-way through August hurtling towards September – just can’t remember a time like it for the speed at which the months come and go.

During June we had a lovely holiday amounting to almost 3 weeks away in France. We picked a remote gite surrounded by vineyards in the south about 20 miles north of Montpelier. The property is ‘off-grid’; that is, it has no connection to any mains services. Water is supplied from large tanks, solar panels provide battery/inverter mains power, ‘fosse septic’ and bottled gas for water heating and cooking. It was lovely and warm most days, with a strong and uncharacteristic north wind which helped keep the temperatures down a bit. We explored loads of places and areas, and also spent a little time on beaches – even braving the sea for swimming. We also stayed with a friend en-route in both directions going to the holiday destination and on return. A lovely peaceful country location.

July was very busy with work – such a contrast with last year which was fraught with wet weather. In fact, July this year was uncomfortably hot to work in – at times in direct sun; temperatures easily above 30C. However, it was a period of stability where jobs could be planned and completed without rescheduling. The allotment has almost taken care of itself, as I’ve had little time to devote to it. 2^nd early potatoes started to fade this month, and were completely harvested in early August. Green broccoli and summer cabbage are very successful as I’ve grown these under fleece. Not a sign of white fly, slug or caterpillar damage/infestation. Also, under cover I think provided some shade from the hot temperatures. Other successes this year are carrots without carrot fly damage, French beans, runner beans, courgettes, strawberries, raspberries, onions, garlic, main crop potatoes and a huge crop of blackcurrants. The espalier apples are coming on nicely; I’ve recently pruned these back and reduced the size of the crop to allow the remainder of the apples to mature to a decent size.

I’ve picked up a couple of new customers during July + August; based on referrals. It’s always encouraging to have work coming in this way, as I’m pleased that the work I do for some people is considered worth recommending to others. It’s good to get such direct and positive feedback in a way.

This week I’ve had a few days off – which took a bit of organising with my regular customers. I’ve had a busman’s holiday – with time spent on sorting out our back garden’s patio. Much of the garden is based on circular themes and the patio has always been a disappointment to us as this was left as a square affair when we purchased the property. It’s just one of those jobs I’d thought about tackling, and now I’ve finally started. I think a few pictures might be available when I’ve finished – there’s still loads to do. This project has really brought home to me that I will not take on any hard landscaping work for any customers – it has been really hard, heavy and exhausting work – and much remains…

Trundling on

It’s been awhile since the last entry.

Not sure I’m going to have much worthwhile to say at this time.

Work figures fairly big in my life presently, and since March I’ve had very little time away from paid employment. A number of new customers with some one-off type work, plus a selection of regular garden rounds and return visits to previous customers.

On the allotment I was very encouraged by the amount of apple tree blossom that appeared in early May, and over the last few weeks, and upon closer examination there appears to be a number of set fruitlets already. I’m slightly surprised at this because during the last few visits to the plot, where the weather has been kind and reasonably mild/warm, there has been no bee activity on or around the trees which is a worrying trend. Overall, though I’m very pleased with the espalier trees now some 8 years old, all grown from single maiden whips and pruned/trained by me – initially as an experiment. If there is one thing I would do differently now, it would be planting the trees a bit further apart.

Loads of blossom, but no bees

I can’t avoid mentioning the weather, and though it isn’t the same as last year, there have been moments recently where the wet trend seems to be returning. Just need some bright/warming days … please …

'March' - ing on..

Towards the back end of February, my business work started to pick up with some regular customers wanting a ‘spring’ clean through various borders – in essence a general tidy-up after the winter months. As the month moved into March, all my regular customers have been in touch, and together with a couple of new jobs my weekly work diary seems remarkably full in a short space of time.

I undertook a digging job that was fairly tough going, clearing old shrubs, roots etc from a couple of borders in preparation for future planting. It certainly tested my staying power!

Early this month I started on some border makeovers. Initially I put together a planting plan which the customer liked, and now the implementation phase has started. On the 20^th, I finally completed the clearing, digging, sorting out and landscaping the borders ready for lawn seeding plus planting. One new experience during this preparation phase was digging during a snow storm! I was well protected with various layers of clothing and as the snow wasn’t sticking I thought what the heck, I’ll carry on. Just as I thought conditions might lend themselves to planting out next week, the weather has other ideas. So, as is usual with gardening, patience is the order of the day. Experience tells me it’s no good rushing, trying to plant out in freezing cold soil, with harsh easterly winds – this is just asking for trouble (and loss of plants + investment money!).

I visited the allotment early in the month and forked over the area where I’m going to plant out onions and shallots. At that time the soil wasn’t too bad, and certainly showed promise in that the soil broke up easily, almost crumbly in places. Not entirely sure what state it’s in now given today’s persistent rain & sleet. My second early potatoes are chitting in a cool spare room, and will need planting out in the next 2 weeks or so. At this rate many of my veg crops are going to be planted / sowed late. I’ve sown some veg seed under glass [unheated] (broccoli, cabbage, various lettuce, leeks). I couldn’t wait any longer and just needed to get things started.

I managed to be successful at the job interview for working at the holiday cottages at Snowshill Manor this year. Decided that today would be a good day to start working through the garden borders, doing a general post winter tidy-up. Unfortunately, given the elevated position of the village, the weather decided to dump snow everywhere – so today’s work was called off. I’m looking forward to working here again, being able to bring some changes to the cottage gardens and enjoying the company of staff and volunteers.

Just a little longer

Paid a visit to the allotment this afternoon, just to see the state of play. Temperature was mild, sun was out with some blue sky too!

Surprisingly, the majority of the plot is intact. What with all the wet we've had, I'd half expected some of the plot to be in the neighbouring field! Under the yellow netting I still have some leeks to harvest, and a little further down the plot I have some over wintering onions and garlic just starting to grow - amazing really after the snow, ice & wet that's hit the plot over the winter months.

The attached photo is a long shot of the whole plot. It is very wet and totally unworkable at the moment. So, I'll have to wait just a little longer.

The (very wet) plot - a long view

It's been quiet

It’s been very quiet the last number of weeks.

Confirmed some new work to start once the weather and soil conditions improve: One new job – a garden border revamp, a new potential recurring garden maintenance job and a pruning job confirmed today – both jobs to start when conditions allow.

I have a customer visit planned this Friday morning – it’ll be interesting to see what that day brings, as today has been foul – cold, snow, sleet, rain, cold easterly wind and dull.

Trying to stay positive, but can prove difficult when the weather so conspires against any activities outside – and I have plenty I could be getting on with.

Still, I have my regular customers to restart with in March, plus an application is pending with the National Trust, so there is plenty of work building, I just have to patiently wait for things to improve & warm up a bit..

I have enjoyed watching a number of television programmes though; Carol Klein cottage gardens, Monty Don’s French gardens, a number of railway journey programmes and the history of the French Riviera (lovely blue skies and hot sun). It’s nice to be whisked away to sunnier places – even though they might be virtual at times..

Winter arrives

Decided to do a blog entry after a period of quietness..

Christmas and New Year was relatively quiet, not helped by an unwelcome dose of flu – spending much of Christmas Day and Boxing Day in bed. Not sure where this was picked up from, but setting up/running the Christmas Carol singing in the Apple Tree pub, followed by the Church Christmas Carol service the night after all probably contributed.

We all enjoyed a visit from Sarah, Mark and very little Freya before Christmas, so that was good.

Still, the New Year is here, Winter is here, snow (very slightly) has also arrived today.

Gardening activities have slowed down with opportunities for weight gain! The first Friday of the month I had one border tidy-up job, I have another session booked for this week, but I suspect the weather might have other ideas.

I had hoped to make a start on revamping some brick work and paving in my back garden this month, but frost and snow has delayed this.

Our resident hedgehog seems to still be resident and alive, with some reworking of the leaf pile within which he (assumed) is sleeping. This has to be a crackingly good idea (to sleep winter off!).

Paid a visit to Dundry’s nursery over by Staverton to purchase this year’s seed potatoes, together with some veg seed. Having checked my existing seed supply, my purchases were few this year. I always try and grow something different; this year fennel is the chosen veg. Not sure how this is going to pan out, but nothing ventured etc. I haven’t been to the allotment since before Christmas, so Lord only knows what state the ground is in.