Author Archives: james

Another visit from the roe deer

It seems to be getting quite relaxed here, though prefers to back off to a distance when humans are clearly in sight. But as long as we stay out of the way it appears very happy just to sit around … Continue reading

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Could be time for another greenhouse

My current greenhouse is a 12’x8′ aluminium frame on top of a single block high dwarf wall all on a concrete pad. The wall gives it a bit more height, which makes it more comfortable to work in, and the … Continue reading

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Veg plot 2021: More compost spreading

I thought I’d take advantage of this morning’s sunshine to shift a bit more compost around to the veggie plot and spread it on the beds for next year. I got a little sidetracked by other jobs that had to … Continue reading

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Tasty apples, obviously

I’ve seen footprint in the compost in the veggie plot and even seen the animals themselves at a distance, but it seems that one relatively young roe deer couldn’t resist coming a little closer to the house yesterday afternoon to … Continue reading

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Veg plot 2020: One more sneaky winter salad pick

We ran out of salad and wanted some to go with our veggie lasagne last night, so I scavenged what I could off the plants, though pickings were considerably thinner than has been the case up to now. I managed … Continue reading

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Veg plot 2020: A little more coriander

Having done a bit of research it appears that coriander plants create new shoots from the leaf axils and can therefore be cut back to just above a leaf axil after which they’ll regrow from that new shoot. This is … Continue reading

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Veg plot 2020: Fifth pick of winter salads

Only eight days since my last pick, but we needed salad for dinner this evening so I went out and took pretty much everything I thought I could. The coriander is getting rather leggy. I don’t know if that’s just … Continue reading

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And here’s my turned compost

The cardboard on top is what’s left of the stuff that was stopping everything falling out of the front of each of the bins. I thought I’d just leave it there to break down. I don’t think it looks too … Continue reading

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Turning compost

It seems to be a matter of debate as to whether turning compost is really necessary or not, but this weekend I’ve turned ours just to try to make sure it’s properly mixed up — there were some quite sludgy … Continue reading

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Grow your own loofah

It’s probably been thirty years since I last saw a loofah. Perhaps they’ve fallen out of fashion a bit. Today however I discovered that it is possible to grow your own. (I have to admit that I hadn’t really internalised … Continue reading

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