And Sow it Begins

I came home from hospital last weekend, my body is tired and sore but getting a little stronger every day. I ended up needing more surgery than expected which has set my recovery back with one thing or another but I am getting there, slowly. I miss spending time with the chickens and of course …

What’s Growing on in January

I love writing these monthly catch ups on our kitchen garden, documenting the activities and plans. It's a good excuse to get the camera out and really study the garden changing throughout the year. I use these posts as a reminder to look back on too. January is usually a hard month for a lot …

Blueberries in November

Earlier this year we planted our first blueberry bushes in lovely old bath tubs. I wasn't expecting much from their first growing year to be honest, but was happily proved wrong. Two blueberry bushes provided steady pickings throughout summer right through to autumn, enough to keep the blueberry fans of the family satisfied. It's now …

A Quick Autumn Tidy Up

We did a spot of autumn tidying in the veg garden this afternoon. The weather has been so lovely and mild for the time of year and the garden still looks so green and full of life. I really struggle to pull things out before the first autumn frost has a chance to claim its …

Bringing in the Beans

One of my garden jobs this month has been picking beans and bringing them in to shell. We grew 6 different climbing bean varieties this year, each were chosen for their interesting looks, cropping times and versatility. Us Brits usually pick our beans young and small eating them pod and all while tender, but older tough pods …

Ups and Downs

Flash flooding struck our region last week causing chaos to rail and roads, farmland, homes and gardens. Thankfully our home and the area of garden where the chickens are housed were unaffected by the flood, but our kitchen garden sank under water. A week or so of sunshine and no rain to follow allowed the ground to drain away quicker …