It seems a little hit and miss with the weather over the last month and trying to plan
work out in the fields is difficult. But not impossible.
On the wildlife front Paul saw another large Grass Snake at the back of the Orchard field and once disturbed it slithered into the long grass after sunbathing on a bare spot of grass.
The biggest revelation though was the appearance of a young Hedgehog. This little chap was bold as brass foraging around our fields in broad daylight no less. He did not seem to mind us walking around and concentrated on his slug hunt, yum, yum.
Our most recent resident – Harry the Hedgehog.
He was around for a good few days during daylight but he has not been spotted for a while now so he may be in the long grass and out of sight.
Hopefully, in years ahead we may end up with some Hoglets which would be so exciting as we have never seen one. See the photo below.
A photo of a Hoglet, or baby Hedgehog.
The grass is growing at what seems an exponential rate and needs to be cut often but with the weather changing from one day to the next, it’s hard to catch it when it is dry. Some areas have been left to go out of control due to this problem. Still, we have lots of grass for the composting area, which brings me on to the most recent works that have been done.
Site of the designated composting area.
Running a few acres of vegetables and flowers, not to mention the grass, etc, we felt we needed a good-sized composting area as there would be a fair amount of material to use up, and where better than a purpose-built compost shed.
We decided to use the spot next to the entrance of the third field as this will be within the walled area that is being built around the vegetable areas. With a sturdy wall to the back, it seemed a good place to site it.
Using concrete blocks for the ends and reclaimed fence posts and 4×2 sawn timber from the field fences that Paul is taking down, along with roof sheets from the Stable Block, costs were kept to a minimum and the end result should look rustic.
The concrete block end walls going up.
There will be four 1 meter squared units for the compost and an end shed for tools and other items used in composting. Although it will not provide us with all of our compost needs, it will help go towards the amounts we shall need once we are up to speed.
The composting shed nearing completion.
As you can see from the above photo the project is coming on well and is almost complete. We still have the guttering to put on as we shall have a water butt on the right side which will help with watering during the summer. The slats so far have been made from old pallets and other wood lying around the property.
The tool store will be on the right side in the last section and will have a slim door but will be protected from the elements. Once this is finished, Paul will then move onto the wall that is being built around the growing area. This will take quite a time, but ultimately depends on the weather.