Winter is turning into spring and plants are waking up to the new year, the weather is getting more
clement and the days are now getting longer spurring the plants to vigorous growth.
Getting prepared for the new season as gardeners is just as special as ever! One has an optimistic outlook at this time of the year and the possibilities are numerous. We’re sure there will be obstacles to overcome and events may not work out as we expect but the excitement remains and grows as fast as the plants themselves.
We have much to look forward to this year. Out new Asparagus beds have already cut the first spear of asparagus and we eagerly look for further growth each day. We are allowed to harvest some this year and we are looking forward to it enormously. We shall let you know what they taste like.
Our last post showed a photo of our new hut set in the walled garden on the prior paddocks. Paul has been working on this project as the weather permits and has made good progress.
The foundation has been completed and the building of the frame has begun.
As you can see from the photo above, the completed foundation will support the floor of the hut a foot or so off the ground to avoid any damp problems. The corner posts have been secured and as the frame builds up it will become more sturdy and strong. The box you see through the frame holds the electrics, internet feed, and telephone cable. These will be installed once the hut exterior is complete and services will allow us to keep in touch and even work on our website whilst up in the fields, cool huh!
The piles of blocks you can see in the foreground are for the north wall build. This will begin once the hut has been completed and secured so we can use it for storing our garden implements, etc. We will also be able to make refreshments such as tea, coffee, etc. The wall will complete the Northern part of the walled garden with just the southern connecting wall to the cemetery left to do.
The hut frame is going up fast and three of the sides have been erected.
ALL of the frameworks of the hut has been constructed using reclaimed timber from the fences around the property. As we do not have or intend to keep horses, the fences were not required and would have been left to rot away so by using the timbers for the hut, as with the composting area, not only has it saved on expenses but is earth-friendly too. A win, win situation.
Yes, you are not hallucinating. This is a big hut. 18 feet wide by 22 feet in length, it is no small fry.
There will be windows on each side with double doors at the front that can be fully opened during the summer months. Paul kept the fall of the roof to about 12″ and will be supported by 7.5″ beams spaced at plywood sheet width of 1220mm and noggins will be added for additional strength. The floor will also be supported with the same type of beams. The height inside will be 8 feet at the rear and 9 feet at the front which will give plenty of head clearance internally.
The diagonal timbers you see are called ‘bracing’ timbers to allow for extra strength in high winds and direct the kinetic
energy of the wind into the foundation of the build.
The frame is now nearly finished ready for the external timbers and roof to be put on. The next step will see the roof and floor joists installed and these will be installed on heavy-duty joist holders which should allow a quicker yet solid build. The timbers for the rest of the job will be delivered soon and brought up to the field ready for installation. For the external skin of the hut, we have gone for ‘shiplap’ timber as being both aesthetic and water-tight.
The shiplap timbers will give a rustic look to the build and we may well keep them natural to show off the colour of the wood. Internally the floor will be laid in heavy timbers to form a durable and solid base to the hut. For the roof, we decided to go with rubber as this has a fifty-year lifetime on it and requires little maintenance which is a good thing.
Whilst Paul has been busy with the hut construction, Loraine has been getting our new season of plants germinated in the growing workshop and we are pleased to report that all patients are doing fine and progressing as normal. We are still using soft lettuce that was planted back in Autumn 2020 and very nice it tastes too and already the new season's lettuce are coming through to be planted when ready.
Some of the baby seedlings Loraine has been growing on in the workshop. Many are close to being planted out for
the summer crops.
One rather large snag we hit this year was the problem of getting compost delivered in bulk. Our supplier has been struggling to get any made so far this year due to the weather being rather wet and also the restrictions on movements, etc. Although we ordered 5 tons to be delivered, we had to cancel in the end as it is too late for this year now. We decided to order later this year and replenish the ground during the winter.
On the plus side, our rear neighbors, Jason and Claire who run a small farm behind us have supplied a decent amount from his livestock and horse manures which will suffice for our potato crops. As we put down good amounts last year there should not be a problem with raising good produce. The ground is also very rich as it has only been used as paddocks so is very fertile.
View of the fruit field housing all of our fruit bushes, etc.
Our fruit field is also coming on well and Loraine has just given it the first cut for this year and it is looking fine and orderly. All of the bushes and canes are bursting with life and we are hoping for a bumper crop of fruits this year. Having lost all of our Raspberry canes last year we have now re-planted new ones and they have all started to leaf except for two and it is still early yet. An experiment we are doing is in planting two of our young Blueberry bushes directly into the fruit field and will see if they fruit or not.
If the soil is not right for them then they will bear little in the way of fruits. We think the ground is suitable for them but time will tell.
Our new orchard is starting to actually look like an orchard now.
The orchard has just been cut again and is looking good, although we are having a rather large problem with moles running riot through the fields and the growing area. They are not seeming to kill off any of our plants, but their mole-hills do look unsightly, still, part of life’s rich tapestry as they say. By the way, that large line of earth on the right of the above photo is NOT moles! Any that size would be a problem. It is just an upturned line of grass turf laid to form a small mound around the orchard.
More soon…….