By Phil, on March 24th, 2013% Moved Rhubarb from in front of blackberry to bed G, between strawbs and comfrey. Split the one massive plant (huge root) into about 10 smaller ones. Each one was put in with dead leaves, comfrey juice and chicken poo, and the whole lot covered with dead leaves.
Dug over bed E (no compost).
Jules and Katie painted shed.
It has been cold, some snow but not much, not getting much above freezing most days. Still the over-wintered broad beans look OK, even those I moved and so does the garlic I planted. Not surprisingly there is no sign of br. beans I planted on last visit.
Bought potatoes a couple of weeks ago. Sarpo miro, a blight resistant variety and charlotte. V. small due to supply being hit by bad weather last year. They are chitting in the loft.
By Phil, on July 8th, 2012% Started a batch of rhubarb wine, using same recipe as before.
Sun 8 July: 10lb frozen chopped rhubarb and just under 3lb sugar into a covered bucket to steep / thaw. Some of that rhubarb had been in the freezer for a year or two.
Tue 10 July: macerated and pressed rhubarb, got 4.5l juice. Added 1l apple juice and .5tsp tanin. OG 1086. (Prob didn’t squeeze as hard as last time) Added yeast + nutrient.
Thu 12 July: fizzed nicely for a couple of days, froth dies down so siphoned into demijohn + enough for half wine bottle for top-ups.
(sometime in August, racked into new demijohn)
Fri 7 Sept: Racked into new demijohn, added bentonite and pectinase
Sun 9 Sept: Filtered, not as clear as I would hope, but it’ll do
Mon 10 Sept: bottled. 6 bottles.
By Phil, on June 24th, 2012% No, not the first time back since the ‘reset’ post a month ago, but sadly not far off. The weather’s been ‘orrible.
Anyway, the plot was massively over grown, so did a lot of weed-pulling and grass chopping. The sweetcorn in bed B has pretty much all failed and no sign of any drawf beans in bed E. The climbing and runner beans are OK but not great. Broad beans are just flowering but not too impressive. A smattering of beetroot and parsnips in bed D, no perp. spinach. Leeks are holding on, potatoes are OK. Some donated cabbage plants we put in bed A are looking good.
Harvested some mouse-nibbled radish from between bean rows, and some really good looking rhubarb.
Planted sunflowers by the shed which have been struggling in pots at home. Planted squash and courgette plants in Bed B, a mix of bought from Henri’s and grown from seed in pots. Sowed more beetroot and a couple of rows of turnips in bed D. Sowed loads of lettuce and rocket between beans.
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Beans
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Not much by way of parsnip, beetroot etc.
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Potatoes looking OK
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No sweetcorn. Leeks holding on, newly planted squash & courgette
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Four fine cabbages
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More potatoes
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Strawberries
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The pile of weeds and grass we pulled today.
By Phil, on April 18th, 2011% Planted 2 rows red cabbage in bed B with radishes as catch crop; 1 row parsnip and 1 row beetroot in bed C; lettuces between broad beans on bed A.
Harvested purple sprouting broccoli, perpetual spinach, and rhubarb. Rhubarb this year has thrown up a lot of flower stems.
By Phil, on June 13th, 2010% 6 June: took 10lb of frozen chopped rhubarb added 3lb sugar and left to steep/thaw in a covered bucket for two days.
8 June: macerated rhubarb and pressed pulp. Got about 5l of juice, to which added 1l carton of apple juice. OG: 1.096 (quite light). Added white wine yeast, nutrient and 1/2 tsp of tanin, and left in bucket. Fizzed nicely with a light froth for 4 and a bit days.
13 June: syphoned into a 1 gal. demijohn plus half a bottle for topping up.
By Phil, on May 22nd, 2010% Jules planted (111!) Onion seedlings in bed A, harvested purple sprouting broccoli (which is now getting tough and woody in places) and more rhubarb.
By Phil, on May 1st, 2010% Planted potatoes in beds G and H, 3 rows of 9. All potatoes planted in leaf mould with chicken poo.
Sowed two rows of leek (mostly monstero) next to Garlic in bed A
Sowed double row of beetroot in bed D.
Peas, B beans, radish, parsnips sown in March are all showing.
Harvested purple sprouting broccoli and rhubarb. Lots of both.
By Phil, on April 25th, 2010%  What was where in 2009 Bed A & B : potatoes
Bed C: Onions & garlick, plus odds and ends like parsnip and salad later
Bed D: Sweetcorn and courgette at one end, leeks at the other
Bed E: peas and beans, with some lettuce and salad in between
Bed F: comfry (permanent)
Bed G & H: planted various squash, but they failed. Had load of compost buried and was kept covered w/ black plastic.
Bed I: Brassica, incl. purple sprouting broccoli which overwintered to 2010.
Bed J: Globe artichoke + sorrel (permanent), planted black currant off-shoot from Donald in summer .
Fruit: Rhubarb x 2 (one near fence ~1yr old, not cropped) Red currant and Black currant had been over pruned so didn’t bother cropping, Strawberries in containers by currants, Blackberries and raspberries.
In November planted:
Bed A: onion sets (failed, frost) and garlic
Bed B: broad beans (only two survived) peas (failed) and lettuce (did surprisingly well) under fleece.
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