Category Archives: Smallholding

No dig diary, 26th September 2021

Posted on September 29, 2021 by james

Today I harvested all the remaining sweetcorn and froze the cobs. The stalks I twisted out of the ground and after hacking off the roots with a billhook (they obviously went straight into the compost) I shredded the stalks and … Continue reading →

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Extreme composting?

Posted on September 29, 2021 by james

I saw this piece on the BBC website today. The comments from 2:20 to the end amused me, particularly as it’s something I’ve joked about with my daughter. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/science-environment-58587691

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No dig diary, 21st September 2021

Posted on September 29, 2021 by james

I seem to have spent the last couple of weeks madly doing stuff and not feeling as though I have a huge amount to show for it. Not sure why. On a non-gardening front I do at least have a … Continue reading →

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First fruit leather of the season

Posted on September 29, 2021 by james

Since I can’t progress with extracting honey any further, we have “melted down” some of our pears and plums (separately) and put them in the dehydrator to make fruit leathers. We’ve done apple before, but I feel the need to … Continue reading →

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Honey extraction (part 3)

Posted on September 29, 2021 by james

I think I’ve found the electrical fault — looks like the heater element in the uncapping tray has died — possibly shorting neutral to earth. A quick check shows it to be in its eleventh year, so perhaps I can’t … Continue reading →

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Honey extraction (part 2)

Posted on September 29, 2021 by james

Sometimes life just doesn’t want to do you any favours 🙂 I started extracting the rest of my honey this morning. By lunchtime I only had eleven more frames to process. I shut up the shed and came in for … Continue reading →

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Honey extraction day

Posted on September 29, 2021 by james

Today was intended to be honey extraction day. For once I was hoping that the weather wouldn’t be warm enough for bees and wasps to want to be about, but it didn’t happen and things just went downhill from there, … Continue reading →

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More fruits of my labour

Posted on September 8, 2021 by james

I picked another 1¾lb of blackberries this morning, followed by a washing up bowl full (I have no idea what that weighs — perhaps 14lbs?) of Victoria plums. The blackberries went straight into the freezer and we’ve stoned the plums … Continue reading →

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More blackberries in the freezer

Posted on September 8, 2021 by james

It took a fair while to clear the other side of the “blackberry hedge” of nettles and other obstructions (which have at least ended up in the compost heap). I think in total I’ve put five wheelbarrow loads of stuff … Continue reading →

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No dig diary, 1st September 2021

Posted on September 8, 2021 by james

I’ve planted up quite a few of my winter salads in mushroom trays now. I think I have eight done, so forty-eight plants. Then I had an idea that is so simple I don’t know why I’ve overlooked it until … Continue reading →

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