Monthly Archives: July 2016

Red currants

Posted on July 31, 2016 by Helen

Almost two years ago now, I was given a couple of currant canes at Old Sleningford Farm, where I volunteer once a month. I cut the canes into several pieces and put them in pots. Four survived, two were planted … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Permaculture, Wildlife | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Free to a good home

Posted on July 30, 2016 by Helen

We went on a fantastic walk with my French group today. It took us into the Yorkshire Dales, beyond Ilkley, a town northeast of Leeds. Apart the conversation, which included learning about where my daughter might get the chance to … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Good for the environment, Social | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Spicy but woody

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Helen

A note to self: root crops do not, I repeat, do not well in my soil. Last autumn, I was inspired to get some black radish by gaiainaction. The first sowing was too late, so I thought I would try again when … Continue reading →

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Kale moving outside

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Helen

At work today, I was so pleased to see the students coming in with umbrellas. Perhaps they were dismayed but to me it meant: planting…. As it turned out, the rain had hardly penetrated the soil but if only psychologically … Continue reading →

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The trouble with cover crops

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Helen

The other day, I needed to clear a patch of phacelia to make way for the compost bin. I love phacelia as much as the bumblebees but a downside of using it has been confirmed in my mind. One of … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Permaculture | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

More of some and less of another

Posted on July 26, 2016 by Helen

This evening, as I was turning the compost and moving that which was almost ready to the other bin, I noticed I didn’t have as much to put into the finishing off bin as I used to.  At first, I … Continue reading →

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The blueberry hugel bed

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Helen

Over the past week or so, I had been making preparations for the building of a sixth hugel bed. This one was to be different in that it was going to be filled with a big no-no: pine. Pine is … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Permaculture | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

The will to live

Posted on July 24, 2016 by Helen

This morning, when I opened the curtains, I got quite a surprise. The pumpkin flower pictured above is on a plant which had been buried under mangetout plants which refused to stay on their supports. It had also been crowded … Continue reading →

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An unexpected forage (cherries)

Posted on July 23, 2016 by Helen

Today was one of those perfect days when everything seemed to go right and then some! Friends visited us in our village and we showed them around the community orchard, which I have hardly been to myself… It’s that on-your-doorstep … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, In the kitchen, Social | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The north-south divide

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Helen

Before I started the front garden make-over, I had been concerned that nothing would flourish there, since it is on the north side of the house. In truth, it is actually northeast-facing, so in the summer it does get a … Continue reading →

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