Category Archives: Smallholding

I think these might be a bit past eating

Posted on January 18, 2026 by james

Not much chance of recovering the potatoes with the shoots intact either. One for the compost heap… I suspect they may need to be kept somewhere colder.

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Flowers for cutting

Posted on January 18, 2026 by james

I’ve played with creating a cutting garden over the last couple of years, but this year I’m definitely committed to it. In part that might mean creating another bed, but that’s probably not a major deal as we have one … Continue reading →

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No dig diary, 18th January 2026

Posted on January 18, 2026 by james

Today was onion sowing day. I sowed six module trays of red onions (Carmen) and five module trays of yellow/brown onions (Yellow Rynsburger), four seeds to a cell, so 880 (or thereabouts) in total. We do eat an awful lot … Continue reading →

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Mushrooms are go!

Posted on January 17, 2026 by james

My plug spawn arrived on Thursday, so today I have drilled out the logs I put to one side and hammered in the plugs. I don’t know if it’s just this willow, but once they were hammered in they became … Continue reading →

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A new beekeeping toy

Posted on January 17, 2026 by james

Recently I had the opportunity to buy a second-hand but barely-used electric 20-frame extractor. As it was being offered a fair bit cheaper than the 12-frame model I was contemplating, it seemed like a no-brainer. The only minor issue was … Continue reading →

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Looks like the polycrub works then

Posted on January 17, 2026 by james

I’ve not even got it finished yet (yeah, I know), but some of last year’s peppers are still looking healthy despite multiple frosts, which is certainly not the case in the polytunnel and even the ones in the greenhouses are … Continue reading →

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New toy for the greenhouse

Posted on January 16, 2026 by james

It’s a Spider Farmer SF2000 Evo grow light. Hopefully it will help get my peppers off to a better start this year. We shall see. As well as looking at this one I also considered similar products by Mars Hydro … Continue reading →

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How strong is my cider vinegar?

Posted on January 16, 2026 by james

Because if you’re going to sell it, you need to know that it’s at least 5% acetic acid. Titration is the way forward and whilst it used to be possible to use a wine titration kit (which is actually intended … Continue reading →

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“Early” Christmas new potatoes

Posted on January 16, 2026 by james

I posted recently about my attempts to grow new potatoes for Christmas. Well, sadly, due to my inattention, that didn’t quite go to plan. I failed to move the plants into the greenhouse before the first frost, which killed the … Continue reading →

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DIY Peppadew peppers

Posted on January 16, 2026 by james

I love Peppadew peppers and for a few years now I’ve been trying to produce my own. It’s not possible to buy their seeds, but the common belief on the interwebs is that they’re actually Malawi Piquante peppers which are … Continue reading →

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