Category Archives: Smallholding

The trouble with module trays

Posted on March 26, 2021 by james

We have plenty of module trays around, but whilst they’re very convenient for sowing seeds in and raising seedlings they can be really awkward when it comes to getting the plants out without damaging either the plant or the plastic … Continue reading →

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DIY hoops for supporting mesh over veg plot beds

Posted on March 26, 2021 by james

My intention is that crops such as radish and carrots should be permanently under protective netting this year, to minimise the damage done by carrot root fly and flea beetle. I also want to try to protect the brassicas from … Continue reading →

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No dig diary, 26th March 2021

Posted on March 26, 2021 by james

The no dig strawberry bed is now complete! I went through all the runners that we rooted last year and picked out the ones that were already showing signs of life, planting them down the left and centre of the … Continue reading →

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Winter salads 2020/21 summary

Posted on March 24, 2021 by james

So the experiment with growing salads for winter in re-used mushroom trays in the greenhouse is now over and I find myself considering how happy I am with the outcome, if I’d do it again and what I would do … Continue reading →

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End of the winter salads

Posted on March 24, 2021 by james

When I went out to pick salad leaves to accompany tonight’s dinner I discovered that more of the mustards are starting to flower, which left only the lettuces of all the plants I started with. The lettuces weren’t looking too … Continue reading →

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No dig diary, 24th March 2021

Posted on March 24, 2021 by james

My wife wanted our strawberry plants to be in a raised bed (which does make them easier to pick), but I’ve struggled to come up with any ideas that weren’t going to cost an arm and a leg to set … Continue reading →

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Not mushroom in the polytunnel?

Posted on March 22, 2021 by james

Then I’ll need to get rid of these little chaps. No idea what they are, but they’re growing all over the place. I’ve not had mushrooms growing in the polytunnel before, so I have to assume they’re from spores that … Continue reading →

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More winter salads bite the dust

Posted on March 22, 2021 by james

When I disposed of some of my greenhouse winter salads a short while ago, I cut the flower stalk off the salad rocket to see if the plants would produce any more leaves worth eating. Not only did they not … Continue reading →

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What do you get if you cross shoes with wellies?

Posted on March 22, 2021 by james

It is my habit whilst out in the veggie plot doing jobs that present no risk to my feet to wear a pair of “rubber” garden clogs (like Crocs I guess, but not, and without the holes). In part this … Continue reading →

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No dig diary, 21st March 2021

Posted on March 22, 2021 by james

Planted out my first sowing of radishes today, sown on 20th February and re-sown two days later after birds raided them (four seeds per cell multisowings): And then covered them with fleece to keep the worst of the cold off … Continue reading →

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