October 19th: MORE BEDS DUG AND MORE PLANTINGS IN!

Since we were being sociable all weekend, we didn’t get a chance to get up to Holdenby, so we took the afternoon off work today! Working for ourselves has its advantages!

While Kevin dug out bed 6, I planted out loads of garlic and onions into bed 4. Because I was too late sowing brassicas and leeks for overwintering, I bought in 20 each of the following;

MUSSELBOROUGH LEEKS
HUNGRY GAP KALE
JANUARY KING EXTRA LATE
WINTER GREEN SPRING CABBAGE

However, I actually received 27 of the JKELs! Bed 5 received 16 of them! I plan to use beds 6, 7, & 8 for the rest of the plants and to put whatever is left in the dye bed, since it’s not going to be doing much until spring anyway!

It’s really exciting seeing it all coming together and being productive. Once all the planting is done, I want to get some more wattle fencing around the beds. I’m also looking into C 17th pest control because the critters are beginning to be very annoying! On the plus side, they do appear to be quite lazy! When the feverfew was in the dye bed at the back, it was left alone – now it’s in the herb bed at the front, something has had a go at the flowers! We’ve now netted as much of the herb bed as we can at the moment but it looks horrible! As soon as we’ve extended it outwards, I want to get a low fence around it.

In the meantime, I’ve been in touch with Stuart Peachey and Mark Rostron who are responsible for the renovation of Grayhill, a C 17th farm (as featured in BBC’s Tales of the Green Valley). Kevin and I have been invited to visit there so we can see the kitchen garden first hand! I’ve also been looking at pictures of Little Woodham (the project which partially funded the purchase of Grayhill 21 years ago), and from what we can make out, it looks as though there is at least one netted A frame, so maybe we’re on the right track. Just need to get proper net and lose the plastic stuff!

Oh, and the winter lettuces under the fleece in bed 3 have started to come up, as has the mustard in bed 1.

More beds to be dug during this week, and more planting to go in. It’s all go!