Seven From Last Sunday.

Opening View.

A view of the plot from the entrance. Made to look greener than it is by the mesh windbreaks. I have covered some of my raised beds with straw for the winter… read somewhere that it was a good idea.

Tracks.

The ground just above the plot showing signs of wear and tear from passing heavy machinery, working at a nearby cottage.

Storage.

The compost bin doubles up as a storage unit for some tools.

Red Onion.

My overwintering red onions are popping up already.

Fennel.

Still a few fennel plants on the go. Didn’t get around to making candied fennel… maybe next year!

Beetroot.

There’s plenty more beetroot to be picked! I have plans to try beetroot, apple and carrot juice, and beetroot-infused vodka.

Coffee Grounds.

Used coffee grounds to be added to the compost heap and raised beds. Supposedly repels slugs too, but it was way too wet to be effective this year.

Gimme a ‘wind’ break!

Before.

I managed to erect the wind-break before Christmas! As you can see from the pics it turned out ok. Some of the poles are a bit more slanted than others but I don’t think any of them are truly straight anyway. It’s hard to gauge when working on a slope without a spirit level. I invested in a pole driver from Amazon.co.uk and it allowed me to drive the poles into the ground in double-quick time. I bought the wind-break material online also but this time from an Irish company. I got it for a good price – €50 for a 50m x 1m roll – with free delivery to boot! I used a very basic staple gun to attach the mesh to the posts, using strips of plastic cut from old compost bags to give added purchase.

It has been very windy for the last couple of days so I must pop up soon to see how it’s holding up. 

After.

To finish up here’s a study in bamboo. Happy New Year!

Making a bed.

Before.

Spent a half hour at the plot this morning putting in a new bed and doing a bit of digging. When I arrived I scared off a male pheasant from a neighbouring plot and what I think were four grouse from a plot further down the hill. The grouse were happily feeding away until they saw me coming and then flew off to the cover of long grass in a nearby field. I will try to sneak up on them next time and get some photos.

I had just about finished filling the new raised bed with a mixture of manure, compost and soil when it started to rain. That’s why the pic below is so shaky – I was in a hurry to get going after yesterday’s deluge. I have two more beds to lay this week and then I can start planting my garlic and onion sets.

After…  Spot the difference?