September 2019

It is finally feeling like spring, though it's taken most of the month, and several frosty mornings and miserable chilly days to get here.  The warmer temperatures are very welcome, the spring winds not.  The garden has been quietly just getting on with things in its serene way, gently coaxing the fresh spring growth (with a marked preference for weeds).

Madame Cholet is gradually filling up with seedlings.  Bought grafted tomato plants for early pickings are in place, and last year's beef tomato seeds are happily and numerously germinating.  They're destined to be planted outside when they're big enough.  Lots of pea and bean varieties are also popping up in some re-purposed polystyrene boxes.  Some herb seeds went in a few days ago - hopefully it'll be warm enough in there for them by now.

Heaps of brassica seedlings have been hardening off in the cold frame, and finally transplanted into the garden today.  Far too many obviously, but that should mean plenty to share.  The chitting spuds will also go out.  The vege garden beds are all ready to be planted into, after a 2nd shallow rotovation.  I'll definitely skip the peastraw in favour of green manure in future - the soil is looking absolutely fab and it seems to have been much less of a huge task this year to get the beds ready.  

Wish I could say the same for the horse arena raised beds, that I'm regretting putting on the back burner.  I have managed to make a start on my plan to dig out the herbs and strawberries, temporarily pot them up, improve the soil, apply a biodegradable weedmat, and then re-plant.  It's quite a mammoth project, but should reduce workload in the longer term (blimey - how often have I said that??).  One of the raised beds will be this year's compost pile, but the other 7 are being lined up for the weedmat treatment.  Progress so far - #1 done and lots of pink strawberries potted up for giving away (before and after photos).  At least it's a start.            

The beds that couldn't be rotovated - those with fruit - have been weed-cleared and mulched with sheep poo.  Their blossom is very pretty and abundant.  The stone fruit blossom is stunning and promises to nourish a good crop.  For the first time, the plumcot (white) is blooming.


   

In a pot on the deck, several acorns are germinating, and dead cute they are too.  No baby sweet chestnuts emerging yet, but they could be on their way.  When the bed with the peachcot tree was weeded, there were millions of peach stones on the ground.  They'll make a pretty good mulch, except for the 14 that had actually germinated.  That's a relatively tiny germination rate, but a small part of me hopes that even those won't all take off.  They're potted up (just couldn't get rid of them) and will likely end up in the new woodlot in the long run.  As they're grown from stones, the fruit itself is likely to be different from the parent plant.  Maybe even in a good way.  And fruit wood makes great firewood. 

September is birch sap season, and though last year's birch sap wine was decidedly unimpressive, tapping trees is just too wholesomely self-sufficientish to pass up.  Instead of using the sap straightaway, it was significantly reduced by evaporation (in pans on the woodstove). The idea is to concentrate the natural sugars to make the wine more flavoursome and alcoholic.  Some honey was added to up the sweetness and it's now in a demi-john bubbling its heart out.  It'll maybe taste more like a mead in the end, but I'll be happy if it's an improvement. 

The orchard is bursting into glorious life.  The sheep did a great job of chomping down the grass, and each tree has been treated to a top dressing of horse poo around the drip line.  When we get around to it, we'll also add decomposing hay left over from feeding out the cows.  This hay can't be used anywhere else as mulch because it contains grass seed - happily not a problem in the orchard.

The bees are getting very busy indeed.  The new swarm colony has been a hive of activity, so it was no surprise to find it bursting with bees, brood and even some honey and pollen stores.  The varroa strips have been inserted, and there was no evidence of any disease getting hold.  That queen rocks!  The original hive is also getting on with reproducing and foraging very nicely.  An empty brood box is set up in anticipation of swarm season.  I owe Derryn at least one colony, and Sam and Molly are interested in having their own hive.  And I'm hoping to have a crack at top bar beekeeping sometime soon...  

The developing flower garden is filling out nicely.  New dahlia bulbs (birthday present from Derryn) are in, and daffodils, cyclamen and rhododendrons are already adding some bright colour.  I've sourced some old favourites to add to the mix - pyrancantha, cotoneaster and Chaenomeles Japonica (Japanese Quince).  They'll be in a slightly shady spot so it's not too hot and dry for them.  Hope not famous last words.

Peter has a shiny new toy - an electric log splitter that can even handle the gnarly chunks of wood that are impossible to split with an axe.  It's a nod to his old age and infirmity, and has already proved its worth.  It's not fast, but it does the job.  It won't handle really big log rounds, but we can manage our woodlots so that's not a biggie.

Billy has been in touch from Switzerland, where he plans to work as an au pair and learn German.  Who is that boy?  No new news from the other offspring, so it's peaceful here on the home front.  I'm counting down the weeks of undergraduate work - my contract will end in December.  Then I'll be switching to a clinical secondment in December and January to cover staffing issues at the maternity unit.  Auntie Sally is planning another vist in early 2020.  Lots to look forward to.  Happy days.