Vegetable garden progress

Almost three-quarters of the mulched no-dig beds now planted. Biodynamic horn manure preparation applied to beds before sowing and planting. 

A productive day in the ‘green gym’. My app tells me I walked 10 miles today - mowing, composting, meshing peas.. Three quarters of the vegetable garden now planted with potatoes, carrots, radish and parsnips, salads, onions, garlic, broad beans, peas and mange tout. 

Currently cropping broccoli, spinach, coriander leaves, asparagus and leeks. Stored potatoes and apples.

Spudsperiments:

Comparing yield and health of tubers planted with the ‘moon in twin’ (before full moon) and on a ‘root day’.

Volunteer* potatoes collected and planted in polytunnel compared with seed potatoes

Volunteer potatoes planted in potato bags compared with seed potatoes grown in the ground (no seed potatoes left for proper spud bag experiment).

*Volunteer potatoes are those left behind in the soil after harvesting that grow again in the spring. Even though I see myself as going through the potato beds in forensic detail, I still find missed tubers big enough to feed a family of four.

Grass from most recent mowing layered with straw and cardboard in compost bay.

Compost layered two weeks ago accelerated in temperature to 60C for three days and now down to a more reasonable 50C. Biodynamic compost preparations added during the layering of the compost bay.

Notable today was to be accompanied by the song of a willow warbler, singing from our Woodland Garden. Formerly common, factors including climate breakdown are seeing this lovely songster driven north, away from its former breeding grounds in the south and midlands. A treat.

This year our garden will be open as part of the National Garden Scheme (NGS) for groups by appointment.

Above: a woman happy in her work..