Returns

Out in the cold.

Now I don't know if anyone reads any of this, so here's a quick word to reacquaint myself with the process of writing the blog.

It's been a while, n'est-ce-pas?

If you do keep abreast of our movements - and let's be honest, why would you? - you'll know that we're taking the year off growing for the market.  We're not trading in Kinvara and we're not doing any plant fairs.

The idea is to get on with a few projects about the house and garden that we know just wouldn't get done if we were occupied in the production of stock to sell.  The pressure should be off to allow us to achieve some of the things we want to do.

Perhaps I'll let you in on some of the progress, if indeed there is any.

A bientôt.

Earlybird

Blimey! It's the last day of January and here I am typing already.

We've been making preparations for sowing.  This year, we're going to start the chillies earlier than usual and to that end, we've been sweeping out the small tunnel where the propagation takes place.  There's still lots to do, but the strips we sow chillies into have been cleaned at least. 

I had a battle with the old family twin-burner gas unit.  Cleaned it thoroughly, but couldn't get it to light.  Bought a new regulator for it, but still could only muster a weak flame.  Tonight, following a discussion with Pete, I changed the regulator for the variable one I usually use for the propane torch.  We figured that the unit was designed to be used directly from the cylinder.  Not sure about that, but at least now there's a proper flame and the unit is back in service.  It must be 45 years old, if it's a day!

Dinner's ready. More later

Spring in full swing

I suppose it's nearly summer.

Posts have been few and far between recently for a number of reasons.

We started back at Kinvara Farmers' Market two weeks ago.  It was a gorgeous sunny day and I'm glad to say loads of people came.  Last week didn't give us such fine weather all the time, but we had some fantastic music to entertain us.

Last Sunday saw us at the Clare Garden Festival too.  It was the second year it had taken place and Carmen did a good job organizing it again.  More great weather until the thunder shower at 4 o'clock.  We had the best selection of tomatoes and probably the furthest on.  Sold well.

Weekend after next, we go to The Rare & Special Plants Fair at Kilruddery in Wicklow.  We didn't do the last two of these because of the high winds experienced at the previous two venues.  It's discouraging to have all your work trashed by a combination of the elements and a lack of consideration on the part of the organisers.

Anyway, we'll be there on Sunday 11th May.

We're running out of space in our tunnels.  Since the chillies and tomatoes were potted on, space has been hard to find.  Tomatoes everywhere and outside, sweetpeas.  Hopefully, they'll go well at Kilruddery, but until they do, they're taking up space.

This year we have three of the world's hottest chillies: The Carolina Reaper from 2013, The Trinidad Scorpion from the year before and the Naga Viper from 2011.  They're all doing well and we expect good things from them. (Photos to follow)

Up the woad!

Today's inspection of progress showed stirrings in the sweet pea department, with 9 varieties showing their heads above the compost. That's only a week since they were sown and laid out in the middle tunnel. There are about 1300 of them sown this year - in Rootrainers as usual.

Sweet peas in our Rootrainer rack.

Erewhon reaches for the light

There has been a fantastic germination from our broad beans.  The second sowing, that was Crimson Flowered, now almost as full a germination as The Sutton and Monica.

Next to the broad beans on the bench are Mullein from Conques and Lunaria "Corfu Blue".  I was somewhat dismayed today to see that the seedlings coming up in both trays look identical and what's more, like thistles!  What do you think?

Lunaria "Corfu Blue" perhaps

Mullein from Conques perhaps

Down at the back of the small tunnel, the Honesty is already blooming.  This flower never fails to gladden the heart.

Oh, Honesty!

 I watered what was necessary while inspecting the sweet peas, including the potted-up Jalapas. Nothing to see there yet, but the obstacle of a split bag of calcified seaweed, just where you'd want to place a foot, finally got to me.  My mum's old flour tin made a suitable storage box for it and I'm happy to see it being used again.

Down at the back of this tunnel, the fig has little fruits, but no leaves and nearby, the Philadelphus cuttings that were potted up before last spring's thatching took place are springing into growth.  They could be taken outdoors.  Amongst their stems, there are some withered stalks of something...maybe agastache, I'm not sure.  Sitting on one of these withered leaves was a glossy ladybird.  I'd put one in there when I found one last autumn while tidying up after the thatcher had finished the back of the roof.  It's probably the same one.

The crummy title of today's episode was suggested by the fact that the first of the woad sown last week have come up.  There were so many seeds in the packet from Irish Seed Savers, I sowed only 30 seeds at the end of the day.  I'd been sowing sweet peas and arranging the previous day's sowings onto our bespoke rack - pic above - but as it had been a flower day, I'd wanted to get some of these sown.  I'll sow more another flower day.

Of the chillies we sowed, 10 varieties have not germinated.  These need whisked out of the propagator. No joy there.

Tomorrow is a flower day, so the Angelica "Ebony" I've had in the fridge for three weeks can come out into the tunnel, even onto the soil-warming cables.  I hope this treatment has worked.

Drizzle drizzle

It has been one of those boring, unproductive days.  It started badly when I tried to set off for a day's teaching in Ennis, but the van refused to start.  The engine turned over, but there was no ignition.  I tried the usual tricks like moving the van while in gear so that the starter motor would move round a touch.  The cold-start did nothing either. I vainly poked about under the bonnet, removed and reinstated fuses and wiggled relays. All to no avail.

For much of the rest of the day, we had our faces in front of our laptops writing to Galway County Council in support of the Farmers' Market application for a road closure, amongst other things, and trying to find somewhere to stay in the Algarve for a few days next month. This did our head in.

There were a few distractions while this went on...Feeding cats and kittens, a bit of lunch, further attempts at van-starting and texts to and from James, our mechanic.

Better not open a bottle, eh?

To get some air and try to stimulate this distracted orb, I went up onto the roof to tweak the satellite dish and went out to the tunnels to see what new germinations had taken place.

This provided the only good news of the day.

Germination has been slow this year.  Admittedly, we had the fiasco of the faulty soil-warming cables to set us back, but even once that was noticed and dealt with, things seem to be moving slowly.  However, I am able to report that at this stage, some nineteen days after sowing began, there as been some germination in 27 out of the 48 varieties of chilli, eleven tomato varieties, the Round Romanov red cabbage after less than 4 days.  I forgot to mention the carrots.  There is movement there too.  I only hope what I see is real carrot and not the false, carrotty weed that prevails in the middle tunnel.

Yesterday I made a start at rejuvenating the bushes inside the fruit cage.  There were four blackcurrant and three redcurrant bushes inside, taking up too much room.  Brambles had insinuated themselves into the cage as well and convolvulus was doing its best to choke whatever it could.  I took out two of the blackcurrants and one of the redcurrant bushes.  I found a few new plants where the parents' branches had made contact with the leaf  and old reed mulch and rooted.  I intended to do more work there today, opening up the bushes to let more light in, but it was not to be.  Next available fruit days fall next weekend.

A warm spring day...for a while.

Today was a lovely spring day for the most part.  It started off cool, not to say cold, with the pair of us out in the tunnel in lots of layers of clothing.  As the morning progressed, however, we had to remove many those layers as it became quite warm indoors.

Today was a leaf day and the plan was to reinstate the repaired soil-warming cable and continue our sowings.  On top of this, I wanted to check to see if there was any life in the moribund Moringa.  This had continued to sport green shoots throughout the winter, despite not being looked after.

The repaired soil-warming cables were duly switched on.  This makes them more pliable and allows them to be manipulated into the desired pattern.  In places, they had to be pinned down to keep them from springing up out of the sand.  Once the were re-interred, I watered the sand and rolled back the plastic cover.  I set the thermostat for 40 degrees C for starters, just to get the table warmed.  At the end of the day, I turned the dial back round to 23, or so.

First job done, we checked for new germinations in the chilli propagator.  Cajamarca, Numex Vacquero and Orange Habanero are all on their way.

Naga Jolokia germinated from our own seeds.

We spent a while sowing the free Mazur lettuce that DT Brown sent us, broccoli, calabrese, Hispi cabbage and two red varieties. Clary Sage seeds gleaned from healthy-looking plants in a medieval garden in Saint Antonin Noble-Val during our holiday in September were sown, three to a module, in a strip of ten modules.

Once enough sowing had been done, we started on rosemaries.  T had taken cuttings in June which had all produced healthy new plants.  They've now been potted on.

New rosemary plants from eight month old cuttings

Tricia also took fresh cuttings from rosemary and two varieties of lavender.

The Moringa incidentally looks moribund indeed.  I'm not sure I'd right it off altogether, all the same, as it's a remarkable plant.

When the sun went in after lunch, it became quite cold.  The range has been stacked up and the wee stove lit for the evening.  Keeping toasty warm.

Before I clock off, here are a couple more progress pics.

This year's first broad beans

Inside the tomato propagator.

Cable repairs, germination and sowings.

Using the kit shown in the last post, I managed to repair the soil-warming cable.  It might not be the tidiest of repairs and it is certainly not a small thing, I am basking in the satisfaction that fixing something brings.  Here's a picture of our new submarine.

FILO form Jointing Kit

The two parts of the casing are joined together round the new joint and the whole thing is filled with a polyurethane resin compound that has to be mixed in a canny bag arrangement. The filling hole is then capped and an hour later, we have a completely watertight cable joint.

Another Filius Blue has germinated and I'm delighted to see a Bhut Jolokia up as well.  When I say, "up", that's a slight exaggeration. Germinated would be more accurate. No leaves yet.

Sowed some Tagetes "Starfire", Salpiglossis "Blue Peacock", "Black Trumpets" and "Royale Chocolate" and Rudbeckia "Cherry Brandy".

It being a flower day, I also had another attempt at the Angelica "Ebony", by sowing the seeds into a strip of 10 modules and placing in the fridge inside a bag.  I'l take them out again on a flower day. 20th March is suitable as it gives them the best part of three weeks to chill.  Fingers crossed.