A mix of news in this post, some interesting and some not so interesting. Starting with the interesting. We’ve had (what seems like) an increase in the number of Red Admiral butterflies this year and, looking around the web, it seems this is a by-product of global warming (see its not all bad). Red Admiral…… Continue reading Apple Harvest, Wildlife & Raspberry Pi
Category: Blog
2023: A Slower year for tomatoes
Every year, I try to keep a record of how my tomatoes (and other vegetable & fruit) are harvesting. Its interesting how each year is different. 2023 has been slow for tomatoes and, as I’ve said elsewhere, the tomatoes are ripening unevenly with greenback on many cultivars. So far (24th August) we’ve had around 12kg…… Continue reading 2023: A Slower year for tomatoes
How Much is Growing Your Own Worth?
We grow our own. Not on a large scale and certainly not enough to be self sufficient. Its essentially something to keep me occupied and for fun. However, I’ve always kept a record of what we harvest and tried to assign a value to that. My better half (frequently) gets cross because when there’s a…… Continue reading How Much is Growing Your Own Worth?
Tomato Seed Collection (2023)
Every year I collect tomato seeds for a number of reasons. Its simple to do and means that you only have to buy tomato seeds if you want to (my main reason to buy seeds is to increase the number of varieties I’ve grown in my effort to find the “best” range of tomatoes. Summer…… Continue reading Tomato Seed Collection (2023)
2023 – First Tomatoes
We were so excited when we finally harvested our very first batch of tomatoes this week. It was such a rewarding moment. There weren’t that many, just a handful, but it still felt like a significant accomplishment. Surprisingly, they ripened a bit earlier than we anticipated. It’s interesting how nature sometimes works in mysterious ways,…… Continue reading 2023 – First Tomatoes
Apple Blossom Time 2023
This time of year I’m always pleased to see that the trees look like they’ll produce a reasonable harvest (the optimist in me, the weather always makes a difference). Anyway, the eater is showing a good helping of blossom. The cooker is always a couple of weeks later so that is yet to come. Surprisingly,…… Continue reading Apple Blossom Time 2023
The Birds think spring is on the way
Despite the cold weather (heavy frosts for the last few days) the birds seem to think that spring isn’t that far away. The days are starting to get longer and the birds are starting to look for nesting sites with the blue tits and great tits taking a look inside the nestboxes. In the last…… Continue reading The Birds think spring is on the way
Tomatoes for 2023 and other things
I’ve been sorting through my tomato seeds and trying to work out what to grow in 2023. As ever, its a balancing act, trying to select a range of cultivars that meet the conflicting needs of an amateur grower with not a lot of space. I have seeds for around 200 different cultivars and (as…… Continue reading Tomatoes for 2023 and other things
First signs of Spring 2023
Although it’s been a mild winter with only a few days of frost and no snow (as yet), it’s still nice to see the first signs of spring. The evenings are light later, the birds are collecting around the feeders and the snowdrops and aconites are starting to show colour. We’ve managed to protect the…… Continue reading First signs of Spring 2023
2023 Gardening Decisions
At this time of year when everything in the garden is quiet, thoughts turn to deciding what to grow next year. I’ve increased the space in the tunnel dedicated to strawberries which means there won’t be as much space for beans but it will be easier to separate them. There will still be space for…… Continue reading 2023 Gardening Decisions