Category Archives: Smallholding

DIY Demaree board

Posted on January 7, 2026 by james

Very simple this, but Demaree is a method of swarm control that I’d like to try more of in the future. The underside of the board has a rim to allow for a beespace and a 100mm-ish hole in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee-keeping, Smallholding | Tagged | Leave a comment

The accidental vintner

Posted on January 7, 2026 by james

A somewhat unexpected turn of events has led to me being asked if I’d like to look after some (wine) grape vines in a local garden in exchange for the fruit produced. About 550 of them in fact, a mix … Continue reading →

Posted in Smallholding | Tagged | Leave a comment

Experimental PIR five frame nucs

Posted on January 7, 2026 by james

I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, but for quite some time didn’t have a clear plan. Recently however it occurred to me that it would be possible to make a pair of five-frame nucs from PIR insulation … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee-keeping, Smallholding | Tagged | Leave a comment

Are benchtop crown cappers actually any good?

Posted on January 6, 2026 by james

I’ve never been able to get on with them, much preferring a twin-lever capper that I’ve had for years. Sure, it’s not quite as simple to use, but it does seem to do a better job of putting on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Beer-making, Smallholding | Tagged | Leave a comment

Fairy rings!

Posted on January 6, 2026 by james

I have no idea what variety of mushroom these are. I should really find out.

Posted in Smallholding | Tagged | Leave a comment

A long time ago, in a brewery…

Posted on January 6, 2026 by james

well, just down the garden, actually.

Posted in Beer-making, Smallholding | Leave a comment

Happy Birthday to you…

Posted on January 6, 2026 by james

I realised this evening that last apple season was the tenth anniversary of building my own pack press. And sadly the press didn’t get used this year, as I had access to a hydropress that was much quicker and less … Continue reading →

Posted in Orchard, Smallholding | Tagged | Leave a comment

In case you forget…

Posted on January 6, 2026 by james

This is the last instruction in the section of the manual for my Yanmar 1510D that covers replacement of the fuel filter.

Posted in Machinery, Smallholding | Tagged | Leave a comment

My take on the “polycrub”

Posted on January 6, 2026 by james

I came across the polycrub concept a few years back. It’s not hard to find examples on the interwebs, but simply put it’s a very robust and better insulated version of a polytunnel, originally developed for use on Shetland as … Continue reading →

Posted in Smallholding, Veg plot | Tagged | Leave a comment

These are not just logs…

Posted on January 6, 2026 by james

These are freshly-cut logs waiting to be impregnated with mushroom spawn. My first “vegetable”-growing experiment for this year. I have dowel spawn on order for Shiitake and Summer Oyster mushrooms which should arrive later this week. I can’t wait to … Continue reading →

Posted in Smallholding, Veg plot | Tagged | Leave a comment