Welcome back to Bryngwyn. Didn’t blog last week as we went for a break in Yorkshire. Thanks to Melissa, Pete, Victoria and Graeme for house-sitting. It is often one of the problems for smallholders finding someone to hold the fort so thanks again for looking after the patch and livestock so diligently.
PatchCame back to an abundance of produce ready for picking, storing and pickling and of course eating. Pretty much self-sufficient at this time of year. Freezer filling up nicely with beans, peas, carrots and blackberries. Shaping nicely as a good growing season.
Then the winds struck! I am sitting on the patch with high winds battering. The runner beans have blown flat. Worse still they landed on a bed of leeks! Some of the turnips have literally been blown out of the ground. I have stood the beans back up with extra support, but they are not looking good, so I’m not too optimistic that they will fully recover. This is extreme gardening, but I suppose we will have to get used to it as climate change throws up more and more freak weather. Two days ago we had the most torrential downpour that I have ever seen here.
Exciting week on the animal front. We have moved the ducklings out of the bathroom. The smell was getting intolerable. They are now out in one of the old pig-sties with access to the outside world. We have collected our three turkey poults, and they are living in the new turkey shed. As usual with turkeys they are standing around looking astonished at everything around them, but seem happy enough.
Managed to locally source three piglets. We couldn’t get pure Tamworths, but found a Tamworth/ Pietrain cross. Pietrains are a Belgian breed. They are a bit older and bigger than our usual weaners, so we couldn’t fit them in the back of our car. The dealer kindly delivered them for us in a trailer. Unfortunately our track was sodden and we had to push the trailer about 100 metres by brute force. Luckily a friend was gardening nearby and provided much needed extra muscle. After about half an hour of sweating we got them safely into their enclosure, and we only suffered a liberal coating of mud. Thanks Colin, you saved our bacon! Anyway, they are looking good and seem to be settling in well.
The polytunnel toads are up to their tricks again. They swear blind that Boris Johnson has been spotted skulking in a tent in our woods. Seems like a typical looney-lefty tale to me, but we are unable to refute their claim as no-one seems to have any definite info on where he might actually be, and as they convincingly argue, no other serving Prime Minister has ever hidden in a fridge before, so who knows?
On the Wild Side
Saw totally different animal life in Yorkshire, including grouse and our favourites – hares. Back here I saw an owl out hunting in our field at dusk. Beautiful sight as it silently glided along. I think it was a barn owl, but it didn’t hang around for long so not certain. We sat having a glass of wine in our back garden and witnessed a steady stream of bats coming out from our eaves, off for a nights insect gathering.
Tip of the week
I think I smugly suggested in an earlier blog that since I have planted my runner beans in a tepee-like circle I have had no problem with wind blowing them over. Well last night put paid to that theory. I think I may have to adopt the system the old boys used back in the eighties on the allotment in Cardiff. They used to bury two scaffolding poles in concrete and use them to support their canes. I used to think this was a bit extreme but I’m not so sure anymore.
Have a good weeks gardening and may you not get the wind up.