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May rainfall: 18mm (average: 45mm)
The veg bed is now all planted out for the summer, and we picked our first broad beans (at least ten of them! There are lots more coming on, though, and the first courgettes, and bean flowers). The kohl rabi is just starting to swell at the base (note to self: check if it wants to be earthed up a little, or have straw put around it to support the bulb).
When I pinched out the tomatoes, I kept a couple of bigger side shoots of the variety that ZuZu’s been at: they are apparently very easy to root, so we’ll see what happens. I’m also having a go with some left-over lemon grass, as apparently that’s quite easy to get going as well. (Also some tarragon from a bag of supermarket cut herbs, but I don’t have any great hopes for it so am still keeping an eye out for some in a pot.)
All that’s left to do veg-wise is some more autumn squash, that are going in the front garden: we took out a bit of overgrown hedge, liberally “underplanted” with ground elder, so I was planning on dumping a load of manure on it, covering it with weed fabric, and seeing how it looks for planting something new later in the year, and if I’m going to do that anyway then I may as well leave the manure in heaps, cut slits in the fabric, and stick the spare squash in there. We’re just waiting for the boys to produce a bit more organic matter and then we can sort that bed out.
I’ve even finished the first big weed of the garden that I’ve managed since September, so now it’s the much easier job of tidying up occasional seedlings: at least the lack of rain is good for something?
I was worried last week about some of my sewing ladies: predictably, all the missing ones got in touch shortly after I sent the newsletter out, and all are doing ok.
We went to check on the orchids, and the monkeys are doing splendidly now. We also saw some fragrant orchids, just coming out, and a fine butterfly orchid, although whether Greater or Lesser is a mystery to us.
Mike finally cracked and had me cut his hair. It’s a bit shorter than he usually has it, but I think it’s ok and he hasn’t shaved it all off in a panic or anything.
The woods seem to have got a bit quieter again, so we think we can risk leaving off Bob’s muzzle, at least during the week.
This afternoon, we went to set up the boys’ summer pasture. Mike did a lot of clearing of brambles and nettles, while I plodded up and down the hill setting up the electric fence to keep the boys away from the barbed wire.
When I pinched out the tomatoes, I kept a couple of bigger side shoots of the variety that ZuZu’s been at: they are apparently very easy to root, so we’ll see what happens. I’m also having a go with some left-over lemon grass, as apparently that’s quite easy to get going as well. (Also some tarragon from a bag of supermarket cut herbs, but I don’t have any great hopes for it so am still keeping an eye out for some in a pot.)
All that’s left to do veg-wise is some more autumn squash, that are going in the front garden: we took out a bit of overgrown hedge, liberally “underplanted” with ground elder, so I was planning on dumping a load of manure on it, covering it with weed fabric, and seeing how it looks for planting something new later in the year, and if I’m going to do that anyway then I may as well leave the manure in heaps, cut slits in the fabric, and stick the spare squash in there. We’re just waiting for the boys to produce a bit more organic matter and then we can sort that bed out.
I’ve even finished the first big weed of the garden that I’ve managed since September, so now it’s the much easier job of tidying up occasional seedlings: at least the lack of rain is good for something?
I was worried last week about some of my sewing ladies: predictably, all the missing ones got in touch shortly after I sent the newsletter out, and all are doing ok.
We went to check on the orchids, and the monkeys are doing splendidly now. We also saw some fragrant orchids, just coming out, and a fine butterfly orchid, although whether Greater or Lesser is a mystery to us.
Mike finally cracked and had me cut his hair. It’s a bit shorter than he usually has it, but I think it’s ok and he hasn’t shaved it all off in a panic or anything.
The woods seem to have got a bit quieter again, so we think we can risk leaving off Bob’s muzzle, at least during the week.
This afternoon, we went to set up the boys’ summer pasture. Mike did a lot of clearing of brambles and nettles, while I plodded up and down the hill setting up the electric fence to keep the boys away from the barbed wire.