March was a busy month on the plot and in the kitchen. We started planting this year’s seeds, introduced three new chickens to our home flock and finally baked some sourdough bread we are happy to eat.
Our home-made cheese is maturing. Read more...
We added three new hens to our flock. Read more...
We're baking sourdough bread. Read more...
We're knitting a woolly blanket.
Read more...
With summer in full swing, the plot was due some mid-season maintenance. We moved the tomatoes outdoors, built a climbing frame for the cucumbers and pulled an impressive number of weeds from the carrot runs.
The harvesting of the leeks marks a far more important passing: they are the last of last year’s vegetables to leave the plot. Adding this to the total harvest for 2007 to date gives a very respectable total of £211.37. I was hoping to break the £200 mark when everything was accounted for, so we’ve exceeded that.
Plant a tree and you get a wonderful sense of achievement. Perhaps it’s because we have it drummed into us from an early age that trees are the world’s lungs and we won’t survive without them, or maybe it’s because when you’re done you can already see the results, and they’re usually four feet high. Here’s how to do it.
Chilis not only taste great – when used appropriately and in moderation – they look good, too. Growing as colourful fruits on small bushes, they make an attractive addition to a windowsill or conservatory or, if you have a suitably sunny spot outside, a pot in the garden. They’re also the perfect crop for the self-sufficientist without a garden of their own.
Onions are a staple in pretty much any country’s cooking. They can be the main part of a meal, as in onion soup, or a constituent part of a salad, risotto or casserole, so it makes sense to grow your own wherever you can. This can be done from either seeds or onion sets and, with little difference in price between the two, which you choose is a matter of personal preference.
With April now upon us, spring is most definitely sprung. The forecast for this weekend – in the UK, at least – may be for snow and ice (again) but as the air generally warms up, it’s time to start planting in earnest. Here are five crops you should have near the top of your list.