Rambling On In Cwmbran

May 2008

2008-06-26T14:38:00.001+01:00

May 2008

May must be one of the busiest times in the allotment year. I virtually planted everything out this month that hasn’t already been planted.

May lulled me into a false sense of security because it was really hot for two weeks then temperatures dived to become rather cold again towards the end of the month. Though there wasn’t any frost to kill little, tender plants off, it simply became too cold for my outdoor cucumbers and they basically stalled then withered. I’ve re-sown some more plants under cover and will get them out next month.

I planted way too many runner beans last year so this year I have settled for an eight cane wigwam which will hopefully supply plenty of beans for my needs. The sprouts, cabbages and other brassicas have gone out, both beds netted against the dreaded Cabbage White butterfly and the pigeons. I’m curious to see how quickly (and effectively) the red cabbage grows compared to the reliable Primo II white variety.

The sweetcorn, courgettes, tomatoes, pumpkins, squashes, spring onion, carrots, beetroot, plus some peas which I decided I had space for, have all been planted. I’m a bit concerned about my spuds though, I have a few gaps in the planting lines, hopefully it won’t be too bad.

The rhubarb that was split and moved last year has spouted but I’m not going to pick much from the plants, hopefully this will allow them to get established for next year. The onions are doing OK and the strawberry plants have, all of a sudden, become bushier and greener. There are signs of white blossom so I’m hoping for some fruit next month.

I have also been given a few autumn fruiting raspberries which I have chucked in the ground – the summer raspberry canes I planted as bare rooted plants early in the year are growing strongly. This month it has been a matter of getting as much into the ground as possible.

I have divided up my leeks and thinned them out in seed trays giving them a bit more space and hopefully they will get established ready for planting out next month. I’ve picked a few lettuce heads already and am sowing some more now to keep the crop growing. My aim is to keep producing crops not only through the summer but far into the autumn this year where possible.

That will do for now – next month in June I hope to be picking some fruit and eating some salad crops at the very least!

April 2008

2008-06-26T13:29:00.000+01:00

April

What a busy month, things have really got underway, especially with the weather getting a little warmer in the last half of the April.

I’ve potted on the brassicas I sowed last month and they are now outside in a cold frame. So too are my tomatoes (Red Alert) which will be planted out when the risk of frost has passed. I have two large pots of leeks that are doing very well indeed, and these will be planted out in the summer. I will miss my leeks when I have used up the last from my plot. What a wonderful vegetable they have been since the Autumn, lasting through the wind and frost of the winter months. They have been so nice, I am wondering whether I have planted enough this year, despite having two varieties! (Is it too late to start some more just in case?). Can’t wait until the new batch begins to mature.

The onion sets have also gone out and many have already started to sprout little green shoots. I’ve been popping up the plot each day to replace those pulled up by the birds. They don’t eat them, just pull them up, the little beggars!. They will be fine once rooted in. I still have a few pound of onions stored away – they have lasted very well indeed. Early this month I sowed a row of salad onions (White Lisbon) under a cloche and they are beginning to show now. Last year they seemed to develop very slowly so I thought the cloche might give them some extra protection and help them get going.

At the end of this month I planted out some early lettuce too. These were sown early March in a cold frame and, after potting them on, I’ve popped them outside under an open-ended cloche. I hope they survive the slugs! I have a row of radish coming up too, always a handy barometer to see if it’s safe to sow direct.

I find that sowing directly into the ground can be a bit precarious and doesn’t give the same results as starting the plants off in modules and pots. I think I’m going to experiment this year with putting some crops, usually sown direct, into seed trays first. I’ll then transfer the plants into the allotment when they are large enough to handle.

Beetroot and carrot a crops are supposed to go straight out but some people say that they have started them off in trays with great success. As my carrots were poor last year, I’m going to try the tray method but the dreaded carrot root fly might be attracted to the smell of the transplants. I might cover them with a light fleece to initially protect them. In addition to the ‘Early Nantes’ I’m going to try ‘Parmax’, a round carrot!

My beetroot was fine last year, the ever reliable ‘Bolthardy’, I still have some pickled in jars, lovely. I’ll give it a go in trays this time to see if I get even better results. Also, I’m going to try another batch of spring onions in trays to see if they end up healthier and larger than those sown straight into the ground.

An experiment that was interesting last year was the sowing of sweetcorn into cardboard tubes (such as kitchen or toilet rolls). Apparently sweetcorn doesn’t like to have their roots disturbed so transplanting them from pots and modules can hamper their growth. To see if this was true I planted some in cardboard rolls and some in plastic modules. The ones in cardboard tubes were planted out still in their sodden cardboard jackets but with minimal root disturbance compared to the module/pot sweetcorn. There is no doubt that the sweetcorn in the tubes grew over a foot higher than the others and produced bigger cobs. This year, all my sweetcorn has gone into degradable tubes so I won’t disturb them when planting out. These little experiments are a very good way to find out what works and what doesn’t, especially if you can compare two different raising methods.

A few days a go I planted cucumber, courgette, squash, pumpkin (3 forms) and runner beans into pots (see January 08 entry for full list of this year’s crops) – they are basically all up already. All these are such vigorous and large plants it’s worth leaving them until a bit later to sow. After all, they can’t really go out until the end of May at the earliest and they develop so fast! Start them off any sooner and they will literally take over. I’ll give them a few more days then will put them out in the cold frame.

My potatoes are already showing and, fearing the odd night frost I’ve tried to cover the tops with earth but they seem determined to push through. Nearly all the garlic is up as well. The gooseberries are forming flower heads which will turn into fruit (fingers crossed), so too the current bushes. The strawberries seem to look less ‘leggy’ and are bushing up. Hopefully I’ll get my first real crop of strawberries this year, though I did get the odd one last year a few months after putting them in. The raspberry canes I planted out as bare roots are shooting well but as they are summer fruiting species ‘Glen Moy’, ‘Malling Jewel’ and ‘Glen Clova’, they won’t fruit until next year. However, I did buy one or two basic plants last year (can’t remember the species) that have produced long canes and I’m hoping for a handful of raspberries this summer at least!

Next month should be equally busy with most of the plants ready to be put out into the plot by the end of May. One thing I haven’t done for a while is get out and about in the local woods and fields with my camera. As there is the odd Bank Holiday coming up I’ll have to make the effort to get out there and see what’s going on. I’ve noticed loads of Dandelions too, always a welcome addition to my wine stocks.

See you in May.

March 2008

2008-04-30T11:29:00.004+01:00

Early March

Signs of spring at last! Well, kind of. It's an exciting time out on the allotment but hard work too. Last year was my first year out on the plot and I managed to dig it all over and set up a 'bed' system.

That decision has proved to be a good one. As I haven't been treading on the beds and compacting the soil, digging was significantly easier. In fact, the plot only took a few hours over two Saturdays to sort out. I've kept covers on most of the plot too, stopping weeds from seeding everywhere.

I've dug all the beds, except the one with my winter veg in which is being cleared slowly as I eat it. I've limed the beds which will receive my brassicas and have added a good top dressing of a general purpose organic fertilizer.

I've sown brassica seeds, Cabbage (red and white), cauli's and broccoli too. My cabbages did very well last year but the 'difficult' cauli's weren't up to much, I'll give them less allotment space this year but will try once more. I've also sown two types of sprouts Evesham and Trafalgar F1 (for a full list see January's entry). Lettuce has also been sown, both an iceberg type 'Webbs Wonderful' and a small variety called 'Tom Thumb' that is ideal for small patches of ground and, for when a whole lettuce isn't required.

Late March

The traditional potato planting day is Good Friday but Easter is early this year. However, as my spuds had 'chitted' so madly, some with green leaves beginning to develop, I thought it best to plant them. Especially as my wife said she would mash them for tea if I didn't get them out of the house! Anyway, in they went in the last week of March along with some garlic that likes the cold to get them underway.

There was typical weird spring weather, seeds sprouting in the modules on the window sills while sleet and snow flurries swirled around outside. That's the trouble with being too eager with vulnerable crops outside, a bit of cold and it's all over.

See you next month when April should see most things at least sown in doors.

February 2008

2008-03-22T17:09:00.005Z

Hi there.

It's late February and it has been fairly dry compared to the wet month of January. Of course, with the clear skies there have been frosts. Still, I prefer this to the dismal, dank days that usually make up Winter.

Not much to see on the allotment at this time of year. The rhubarb I moved in the Autumn is poking through the frozen soil and the leeks and Spring cabbages are often sprinkled with a dusting of ice crystals.

I've included a few images of the allotment on a fine frosty morning. It will be nice to look back especially from a hot summer when the old 'patch' is overflowing with produce.

Hopefully next month will provide opportunities to start planting for the new season.

See you then.

JANUARY 2008

2008-01-21T19:54:00.000Z

It’s late January and I’m tired of the weather! We have had nothing apart from high winds and relentless rain for weeks. The ground is sodden and pools of water seem to be everywhere. My local river was running exceptionally high, almost above the bank in places. Other areas of the UK have been flooded – many places only just recovering from the summer floods. Winter is not so bad when we have those crisp clear blue skies with crunchy frost underfoot, unfortunately though, most of the winter consists of damp, gloomy, overcast days.

I’ve haven’t been out and about at all this month, it’s too horrible outside. I feel ‘brittle’ in winter, I just want to keep warm and dry. I do pop up the allotment, usually every Sunday, to pick some winter veggies and to keep eye on things. My covers have been continually blown about despite some heavy slabs and bricks holding them down. My neighbour has a greenhouse with plastic sheets instead of glass, when I first took my plot last March she was ordering new pieces because of damage. I’m afraid that despite buying extra clips, the pieces are spread all over the site again as the wind has blasted it apart. The winds have been consistently fierce since the middle of the month.

I’m still pulling up tasty leeks but I decided to clear the sprout and winter cabbage bed. I picked a load of sprouts which will last into February, I could have left one or two plants still producing but there was quite a bit of white fly around so I thought it better to give the plot a rest. I have taken up the last of the Savoy and a whole bed has been cleared. There is only one bed in use now containing the leeks and spring cabbage (which are developing nicely). I had two full compost bins in the autumn but they have settled now, I combined them into one bin. I also might be able to acquire some well rotted horse manure from a friend’s stables – I need to arrange lots of bags and a few hours work!

To cheer myself up I’ve been buying seed ready for the growing season. After December’s allotment review I have had a good idea about what I want to grow this season. I’ve bought two bags of seed potatoes, this time I have second earlies ‘Maris Peer’ as last year’s early Pentland Javelin tasted great but were prone to dissolving when boiled. I’ve gone for Desiree again as a maincrop because it did well despite having to be lifted six to eight weeks early due to awful wet weather. I’ve sorted though the spuds and they are merrily chitting away under the windowsill in a shallow box. A joyous sight to behold!

I have gone mad with seed buying, on top of what I had left from last year I’ve bought a load more! In fact I have everything I’m going to plant this year apart from onion sets which don’t seem to be in the shops around my way yet. I’m looking out for ‘Sturon’ again as they did very well last year. It’s hard to rein in my enthusiasm but I mustn’t start planting too early – a mistake a made last season despite only getting the patch in March!

Ok, just so I have a record myself of what I bought and intend to plant, here is the full list of what I propose to plant this season:-

Beetroot – Boltardy

Broccoli - Autumn Calabrese
Brussel Sprouts – Trafalgar F1
Brussel Sprouts – Evesham Special
Cabbage Summer – Primo II
Cabbage Summer (Red) – Ruby Ball F1
Cabbage Winter – Savoy Ormskirk Late
Cabbage Spring - Durham Early
Carrot – Early Nantes
Cauliflower – All Year Round
Courgette – Zucchini
Cucumber – Burpless Tasty Green F1 (Outdoor)
Garlic – Termidrome
Leek - Musselburgh
Leek – Autumn Giant 3
Lettuce – Tom Thumb
Lettuce – All Year Round
Lettuce – Webb’s Wonderful
Onion (Sets) – Sturon
Onion (Salad) – White Lisbon
Potato (Second Early) – Maris Peer
Potato (Main Crop) – Desiree
Pumpkin – Atlantic Giant
Pumpkin – Jack O’Lantern

Pumpkin - Mars F1
Radish – French Breakfast
Runner Bean – Prizewinner Stringless
Salad Leaves Mixed – Spicy Mix
Squash – Harrier F1
Sweet Corn – Incredible F1
Tomatoes – Red Alert (Outdoor)

That's my list. I'm off to have a look at last year's planting plan so I can get some kind of rotation going and to plan this season's plot. See you in February when I hope we get some drier weather! Bye.

DECEMBER 2007

2008-01-21T19:05:00.000Z

Hi, welcome to December’s blog. I want to have a think about what went well and what didn’t on my allotment for my first ever season. So, in an attempt to remember what I grew or, attempted to grow, I think it’s a good time to have an allotment review of the year.

But first, I’ve been picking delicious sprouts, large winter Savoy cabbages and the first of my leeks. I’ve still loads of onions and garlic in store and my pickled beetroot is a winner. Not to mention all the wine maturing in bottles. So far, I’ve picked something from my allotment every week since the first fruits and vegetables ripened in the late spring and early summer. Not bad for my first allotment season.

Well, it’s December so it’s a time to review this first year on my ‘patch’. The potatoes went in at Easter and, because of the very wet weather, blight was a major issue across the country. I lifted by ‘earlies’ Pentland Javelin at the end of June and the beginning of July and had a nice crop. I decided to lift the main crop early because of blight which appeared on the foliage so, up they came in August. I was pleased with the crop of Desiree despite the problems so I will plant them again next season.

My salad onions were slow to develop (White Lisbon) as I probably sowed too early – they did finally develop later in the year. The onions from sets (Sturon) were very good and I will try those again. My garlic (ordinary shop-bought cloves) grew well despite my neighbour accidentally strimming the tops off a few - I’ll buy proper planting garlic next season. The salad crops were successful with three types of lettuce (All Year Round, Webb’s Wonderful and Tom Thumb) providing good crops at differing stages of the season. I was amazed at the outdoor cucumbers (Burpless Tasty Green) – they grew very well though I planted too many – less next season. The best Radish was French Breakfast, though I planted Sparkler and Prinz Rotin as well.

I planted five courgette plants (Black Beauty) and they went mental! We had courgette with everything for months – it became a joke in the end. Next year only three plants and I will probably still have to give courgettes away!. The outdoor tomatoes (Red Alert) were hit by the bad weather and I lost a significant amount of fruit to blight. However, they did produce well, especially when the rain stopped at the end of the summer so I will plant this variety again but will also make sure they get some wet weather protection if required.

My sweet corn grew better than I thought (can’t remember the variety). I did a small experiment as sweet corn apparently doesn’t like root disturbance so I raised half in modules and planted them out while the other half I sowed in toilet rolls and planted them, soaked roll and all. The corn planted out in rolls suffered minimal root disturbance and grew much taller than the corn removed from the modules. So, toilet rolls or peat pots for all the corn next season. Fresh sweet corn straight from the plot with natural sugars – tastes fantastic!

I planted peppers (California Wonder I believe) – the plants grew well but only a few green peppers were produced. Despite what it said on the packet I think it was too cold outside. I won’t try peppers without a greenhouse again. I was also disappointed by the pumpkins (Atlantic Giant), I put out four plants and they all developed pumpkins but unfortunately they all rotted on the vine – perhaps the damp weather again? Next year I’m going to try Atlantic Giant again to use up the seed and another variety too. My cauliflower (All Year Round) was predictably poor given the fact that it is so difficult to grow. Maybe I’ll try a few more next season with seed I have left over.

I put in way too many runner beans (Scarlet Emperor), two rows of 10 canes. I ended up throwing stacks onto the compost heap, they were prolific. Next season I think I will do a smaller wigwam of eight or so canes. Summer cabbage (Primo II) was very good, nice tight heads – will certainly give these allotment space again. Winter cabbage (Ormskirk Savoy) was good too though a small number didn’t develop as well as I would have liked – possibly because they weren’t anchored well enough. Again, I will certainly grow these next season. The spring cabbage (Durham Early) is currently growing well and I’m hopeful for a few decent plants though I’ve lost one or two to slugs. My sprouts grew well and the plants were surprisingly tall (Evesham Special) though some did ‘blow’. These were an older variety but very cheap to buy, next season I will try and get an F1 variety, perhaps smaller in size and less prone to ‘blowing’ too. The leeks (Musselburgh) have come on well despite me not thinning them out and leaving them in crowded modules in late spring. I’m going to try an early leek next season as well as the Musselburgh.

My carrots (Early Nantes 5) were rubbish. I did have some but not really worth a mention. I think they were bad because the soil ‘panned’ due to the heavy rain and they need a finer tilth. My wife is taking charge of the carrots next season she said – I’ll be curious to see how she does. The beetroot (Boltardy) was good, two short rows gave me two double size jars and two ordinary size jars of pickled beets – plenty.

I picked loads of rhubarb and then split the plant up when moving it to a better site in the Autumn. I had a few current bushes which produced very little though I have pruned and moved them this year. I’ve planted three varieties of strawberries and I have a few small Gooseberry bushes that need to be moved to the allotment from the garden. I was given a few raspberry canes and I have a few more to go in too. I should have moved them last month – I’ll try get them in before spring.

Overall, I think I did OK for my first attempt. I made loads of mistakes, mainly growing too much of one thing or planting the odd unsuitable crop. The pumpkins were disappointing as these were probably the only vegetable I had ever previously grown! I did work hard to get the site up and running all in one season and, because of the bed system, the digging promises to be a lot easier from now on.

That’s it – have a good Christmas time. With the nights drawing out from the 21st we can now look forward to longer days (OK it will take a month or so but something to look forward to!). I'll leave you with a view of the valley where I live.

NOVEMBER 2007

2008-01-21T18:45:00.000Z

Welcome to the November entry of my blog. This time of year seems a bit dank and dark. While December has Christmas to cheer us up and the early months of the new year perhaps crisp snow and ice, November has little to offer apart from the increasing lack of daylight. Without a clock, the drizzle, mist and gloom often makes it quite difficult to work out what time of day it is. The 19th Century poet and humorist, Thomas Hood, sums it up quite well in his ‘November’ poem.

No sun, no moon!
No morn, no noon!
No dawn, no dusk, no proper time of day
No sky, no earthly view
No distance looking blue

No road, no street
No "t'other side the way"
No end to any Row
No indications where the Crescents go

No top to any steeple
No recognitions of familiar people
No courtesies for showing 'em
No knowing 'em!

No mail, no post
No news from any foreign coast
No park, no ring, no afternoon gentility
No company, no nobility

No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds,
November!

I have decided that, in my area at least, it’s going to be a poor fungi year. The massive polypore I’m used to seeing in a local beech tree has not put forth its shelf-like structures and I haven’t picked a single field mushroom. Very disappointing.

I’ve had a bit of a tidy up on the allotment and the compost bins are full. I cleared and dug the majority of the beds last month so it’s a matter of weeding and covering over most of the plot with a large sheet of black plastic.

The sprouts are beginning to form well though I noticed that they seem to be ‘blowing’ on one particular plant. Perhaps it’s not anchored in the ground as well as the others? I’ve had my first taste and they are really nice. I’ve become a convert to cabbage and sprouts this year – not something I was overly keen on but now that I grow them and can have them fresh, they taste great.

See you in December.

OCTOBER 2007

2007-11-18T08:50:00.000Z

Late October

Hi, welcome to my monthly 'nature diary blog thingy'. This month however, I haven't been out and about as much as usual mostly because of the shorter days. The only time I get to take photos now is on the weekend as it's dark when I get home from work. I love the seasons in this country but the downside of the Autumn and Winter is the lack of light, it's a bit frustrating. I've also been running a lot more, taking part in a half-marathon, the first race I have entered since the Cardiff Marathon this time last year. I enjoy running but, like the allotment, it all takes up my time and energy.

The allotment has basically been put to sleep for the Winter. I've weeded the fruit section and cut some of the runners off the new strawberries and I've dug up the rhubarb, separated out the best crowns and replanted them in a different location so they are not taking up space in my veg bed. I've also re-located a few current bushes that were not positioned correctly for my planned layout. Two of my veg beds are currently occupied with sprouts, leeks and cabbage but the rest have now been cleared and dug over.

I'm disappointed that I haven't found any field mushrooms in my usual haunts - I'm not sure why, as other fungi I have noted over the years seems to be reappearing in the same places. Sulphur Tuft and Turkey Tail is in my garden, Shaggy Scalycap in profusion at the foot of a local oak and Sheathed Woodtuft on bark chippings.

My local woods are looking very nice at the moment and, even though we are basically through October, the trees are still full of leaves. The local squirrels are very busy too, I didn't notice them so much throughout the Summer months but, as Winter closes in they root around on the ground a lot more. Apparently grey squirrels forage on the woodland floor twice as much as the native red, perhaps this is why the greys put on more body mass. I remember seeing red squirrels around the northern outskirts of the town in the early 1970's but they have all gone now, replaced by the north American grey. Here is a nice shot I took this October.

It's been a quiet kind of month really so I will have to make the effort to get out and about in November. There are a few fungi places I want to check out to see if last year's species have re-appeared in the same places. I've also got to rack off four gallons of rasin wine which has become crystal clear in the cold evenings. So, see you next time.

SEPTEMBER 2007

2007-10-01T20:42:00.001+01:00

Late September

September is almost over and, to be honest, it’s been a little disappointing. The weather has generally been good and perhaps that has contributed to my disappointment. Why? Rain and moisture in the Autumn help fungi grow but so far this year, there hasn’t been too much around. Regular readers will know that I’m a fanatical fungi fan!

According to my entry for last September I was picking field mushrooms nearly everyday from the second week of the month but this year, nothing as yet. There is also a spectacular non-edible giant polypore that grows in a hollowed out beech not far from my home. Last year it was developing its’ shelf like structure from late August but this year, nothing.

I have spotted a few fungi species this month though. A colony of ‘Sheathed Woodtuft’ has grown on a mound of chipped wood and compost that seems to regularly host this fungi. I have also come across a patch of ‘Earth Balls’. Earth Balls can be quite tricky to see, especially when young, as they blend into the undergrowth and woodland floor. They look a little like out of shape golf balls but with pimples rather than dimples, if you know what I mean! If you cut one open you will see a thick skin covering a black ball of spores. The spores are released when the ball breaks down and rots. Though they are an interesting species they shouldn’t be confused with the edible Puffball as Earth Balls are poisonous.

I do love Autumn, the trees with vibrant reds, golds and russet browns. That first chill in the air mornings and evenings telling us that Summer is now a memory, fading away like our suntans. There wasn’t too much of an Autumnal display last year as I recall the weather being quite wet and windy at the start of September 2006. The trees were stripped too quickly by persistent squalls and the wet ground ensured that we didn’t have nice leafy dunes to wade through. I’m hoping that we will see a better display this year. It was probably the wet weather that ensured the great profusion of fungi, it’s all swings and roundabouts!

The allotment is winding down now and I’ve began to pull up the old plants. The runner bean canes are down, the courgette plants have been popped into the compost bin, the onions and garlic hung indoors to dry. There are a few sweet corn cobs to come in, I’d better do that asap before they rot away. I’ve finished up all the summer cabbage and cleared the beds. My Winter Savoy cabbage, with it’s deep crinkly leaves is doing well and I can see sprouts forming too – I hope to have a few for Christmas! My leeks are thickening nicely and I’ve put in a few spring cabbage – both these and the sprouts will have to take the brunt of the Winter weather. I have a week off in October so I’m hoping to spend a bit of time preparing both the allotment and the garden for Winter.

Whenever the days shorten and the temperature begins to drop I always seem to have this sense of urgency to ‘tidy-up’ the garden and, this year, my allotment too. I wonder why? Something hardwired into humans to do with the seasons? Maybe everyone who is interested in nature, gardening, etc, is a little more in touch with the yearly cycle, even if on a basic level. Perhaps it’s ‘in us’ to respond to the seasons.

The dwarf rudbeckia I started off in modules in late February early March are now going over in the garden. I'm defnitely going to plant them next year as they have continued to flower for nearly 5 months. Little suns dotted all around the garden - they have been well worth while. My biggest disappointment this year have been my pumpkins for Halloween, for some reason they developed well then rotted off the vine. I'm going to try a different variety next time. I'm going to have to buy a pumpkin this year! Ouch!

This time of year is sooooo busy for the wine maker. I've brewed and bottled a few gallons of rhubarab and blackberry rosè and apple and blackberry rosè. Thirty bottles have gone into store and I've two gallons ready to fill up my re-usable wine box for immediate drinking. I've just started brewing another four gallons of apple - just got to use those apples up!

Time to wrap-up this month. As I'm writing the rain is falling so perhaps I will be eating wild mushrooms in October, who knows? See you next time. I'll leave you with a shot of the Common European Garden Spider. Bye.

AUGUST 2007

2007-08-22T18:09:00.000+01:00

Early August.

Hi. It's August and at last the weather has got better. We've had a few heavy showers but the sun has made some decent appearances. Well what have I been doing this month? (Pictured right - Evening Primrose).

Last month was very wet, farmers and gardener's alike were having problems with blight in the potatoes caused by the wet weather. I had already lifted my 'earlies' but I wasn't sure what to do with my main crop which was due to stay in the ground until September however, the tops looked blighted and were turning yellow. As a novice potato grower I wasn't sure whether to lift them or leave them.

Anyway, I decided to lift the main crop during the first week of August and the potatoes were a very good size. The variety was Desiree, a red skinned potato with a waxy texture. There was some evidence of scab on some but overall they were in very good condition. Unfortunately potatoes that are blighted rot quickly and a farmer on TV was saying that potatoes that seem unaffected in a blight year don't seem to keep very well.

So far I've had a handful that have turned black and I'm expecting to lose a few more. I'm regularly going through my store checking for rot as I don't want it to spread. At the moment I have enough to see my family supplied well into December but it depends on whether they all begin to degrade or not.

On a more positive note, I've pulled up all the onions now and I'm pleased with my first crop. I planted the variety 'Sturon' from sets in March and there are a large quantity of well sized onions. I took advantage of some hot August weather and laid them out in the sun for a few days to dry. The majority are hanging in mesh bags but I tied a few up on strings for that authentic look! Onions are certainly a crop I'm going to plant a little more of next season, I have a fair few pound but we use onions a lot in my house so I'll be surprised if they last into the new year.

More generally on the allotment this month I have planted out the leeks I started off in trays in late April. I'm really hoping they will do well as I'm looking forward to them over the winter months. The brussel sprouts are looking green and strong, I've tied them into canes and have earthed them to stop them rocking in the autumn and early winter winds. I've popped in a row or two of early peas hoping to get a 'catch' crop in before the first frosts. The runner beans are producing madly and there a three or four pumpkins developing - hopefully we will have something to carve by Halloween!

I've picked most of the beetroot and decided to pickle it - as I'm partial to it that way. I wasn't sure what to do so I went for the easy option and bought a couple of jars of ready made pickling vinegar. I topped and tailed the beetroot, boiled it up and then the skin is easily removed. I sliced the beetroot up put it in the sterilised jars and poured on the vinegar and that was it. I gave it nearly a month and had to give it a taste and, I have to say, it was lovely.

I've been cutting a summer cabbage every week because I have found a lovely cabbage soup recipe. No, I didn't think it sounded too great either but I've been looking for simple and quick meals I can make from allotment veg. Anyway, this soup is surprisingly nice - honest! For a single large serving, chop up small onion and half a tomato and pop them in a saucepan with a little olive oil and fry them off over a medium heat to soften them. As they fry add two crushed and chopped cloves of garlic and mix in well ensuring that it's not too hot as the garlic mustn't become bitter. Once everything has softened up, shred half a cabbage and add it to the mix - it will reduce in bulk as it cooks. With the cabbage add a third of a pint of water with a vegetable stock cube and mix in. Turn the heat up until it boils then reduce the heat and simmer for eight to ten minutes. Add a little more water if you think it is required. Serve up in a large bowl with fresh bread. A tasty, easy, cheap and low calorie meal but you have to like garlic!

The winter Savoy cabbages are really growing well now and I've just sown some spring cabbages which will be planted out in a month or so. These will have to survive the winter and mature ready for March to May next year. I'm trying a variety called 'Durham Early', it's supposed to be reliable.

Late August.

The latter part of August has had nice weather and before I returned to work after a break I thought I'd do some more blackberry picking. I did two stints and picked a fair few pound. I added some to the remains of my allotment rhubarb from the freezer and fermented out three gallons of wine which has now been racked off and is currently clearing. Blackberry and apple goes so well together so when I received a carrier bag full of cooking and eating apples from my mother I decided to get four gallons of blackberry and apple wine on the go.

One thing I have always avoided is any form of vegetable wine, I suppose I'm a bit of a purest and consider wines and perrys should come from fruit. However, as I had a mass of courgettes I thought I'd use them up so I dug out an old wine-making book for a recipe. I'll let you know how it tastes in a year or so!

That's really it for August. I love Autumn and am hoping the mushroom and fungi season will be as good this year as it was last year. Fingers crossed! I'll see you in September.

JULY 2007

2007-07-03T18:20:00.000+01:00

Early July

Happy birthday to my blog - one year old this month! Also, it's the first posting on Blogger after moving my site from elsewhere. Not much to celebrate though. The weather is still miserable. The rain showers have been fairly constant all through June and it looks set to continue into the start of July. One minute the sun is out and it's hot and humid, within five minutes it's hammering down with heavy summer rain. Everything is so wet that it's impossible to cut the lawns and hedges in the garden.

The allotment is doing OK. The courgette plants are getting larger and I can see some baby fruit on them. The bush tomatoes are flowering well despite the blustery winds - I've had to stake them well. I'm pleased with the onions but the salad onions have been very slow. The early potatoes are coming on and the plants are beginning to turn now - so I thought it time to start digging them up. Well, I'm pleased for my first ever early spuds, I just had to make up a batch of fresh potato salad. The early variety I planted was Pentland Javelin, very tasty.

Inbetween the rain showers I've managed to get out and about. When the sun shines it looks like summer and the butterflies make an appearance. Within a small area of pasture and woodland, I spotted five different butterflies in about half an hour. Pictured top left, a Comma; top right a Red Admiral; middle left a Small Tortoise Shell; middle right a White Marbled and, at the bottom, a Meadow Brown. The following day I also saw a Cabbage White (that's why I have netted my brassicas) and a Common Blue. It's really great to see so many butterflies around, hopefully the reduction in pestacides is helping.

I've been doing some general weeding around the brassica bed. The sprout plants are doing very well and most of the summer cabbages look OK. The winter cabbages have been attacked by slugs and I had to replace a few plants. I popped in two squash plants just to see if I can get anything from them.

According to the books it's a good time to plant strawberries so they get established before the cool weather. I've planted three varities in my fruit bed, 'Hapil'; 'Cambridge Favourite' and, 'Honeoye'. I hope to take a few 'runners' from them next year to expand the number of plants.

Late July

Sun - where has it gone? The weather hasn't really improved since the start of the month and heavy rain has been common place. Many people around the UK have suffered flooding on a large scale but thankfully Cwmbran hasn't seen such problems. I just looked back to my first blog entry in July 2006 and it was the hottest July since 1983 and had the most sunshine since 1957 - what a contrast with this year!

Potato blight had been in the news - it develops in wet years. All my early potatoes have been dug now but I still have a main crop due to be lifted around September. To be honest they don't look to be in the best of condition and I don't really know what to do. Should I lift them early or leave them longer and see what happens? If there any experts out there, advice would be appreciated!

Other crops are beginning to be picked now. I didn't think I had many runner beans but then as I was weeding I spotted clumps of the beggers hiding around the back! Some had grown a bit too large - I'm keeping a better watch on them now. Courgettes are developing really well, I've had a few already with loads more sprouting away. My wife makes a lovely vegetable slice with courgettes as part of the stuffing. Slice and dice courgettes, peppers, tomatoes, onions and any other similar veggies you can get your hands on. Make up a very thick cheese sauce with butter, milk, flour and plenty of tasty cheese. Roll out some plain or puff pastry into a rectangle and spoon the mixture down the centre, not going too close to the edge otherwise the sauce will leak out during cooking. Score the two long edges and brush on some milk. Fold the sides of the pastry on top like a sausage roll and seal each short end, again with milk. Cook on a medium heat for about 30 minutes then when cooled cut into slices. Serve hot with a cooked dinner or cold with salads. Very tasty.

I have managed to have a wander around the countryside late this month despite a busy time on the allotment. The most extrordinary thing I came across was a fantastic colony of Sheathed Woodtuft fungi growing over a heap of bark chippings. It was an incredible sight. Perhaps the only upside to this wet and humid weather is the possibility of seeing fungi.

That's it for this month. The weather forecasters are hinting at better weather for August - I hope they are right. I'd hate for the summer of 2007 to be a total washout. I'll see you in August. If you would like to leave a comment please click on the link below. I'll leave you with a picture of the Sheathed Woodtuft. Bye.

JUNE 2007

2007-07-03T15:00:00.000+01:00

June ... and it's wet!

The year seems to be gliding swiftly along. I can't believe it's June already, the month of the longest day. Around the 21st June the sun has reached it's furthest point north as the earth tilts on its axis. From Midsummer's day the earth tilts back and the days begin to wane. I suppose we consider August to be 'high summer' because the heat remains in the earth, stone and sea around the British Isles, making it hot and pleasant to swim in the ocean. However, it's June that boasts Midsummer and the longest day.

Midsummer is one of the key pagan festival waypoints of the year along with Beltane (May day), Samhain (October 31 and the origin of Halloween) and Yule (21 December) incorporated into the Christian Christmas festival (though echoes still exist to modern times with the 'Yule log'). The old pagan festivals are still there under the surface! (Pictured above is a bee on Hemlock Water Dropwort - one of the most poisonous plants in Europe! This was taken by the river close to my house this month).

I've picked a fair amount of rhubarb from the allotment and have been keeping it in the freezer until I had enough for some wine. Instead of using one particular fruit on its own I like to add some sultanas as a 'base' - they give the wine more fruitfulness but keep it light and tasty. (You can use grape concentrate too but sultanas are cheaper). Anyway, I chopped the rhubarb and sultanas and popped them in a sterilized brewing bin and added 4 bags of sugar, a teaspoon of citric acid, yeast nutrient and pectolic enzyme. (A bag of sugar per gallon plus the fruit sugars will give a wine around 12%). A few pints of boiling water and a good stir ensured all the sugar had dissolved. Cold water was added to top-up to the four gallon mark. I tend to make four gallons at a time these days so I can bottle two gallons to keep but have two gallons for quick drinking.

The mix was left four days stirring twice a day as the CO2 bubbles given off makes the pulp rise to the surface. The liquid was then strained off into four sterilized demi-johns and air locks fitted. A hydrometer was used to check the progress of fermentation and when the specific gravity of the wine reached 1000 to 995 the wine was siphoned off the sediment into clean jars (this is called racking). Two crushed Campden tablets were added to each gallon to inhibit further yeast activity. The jars will be left in a cool place for the majority of debris to fall to the bottom and the wine will be racked again leaving the sediment behind. If the wine needs polishing then it can be filtered so its crystal clear.

The last time I described this process was August 2006 when I made some wild damson and blackberry wine. Well, it's been nearly a year so I decided to have a bit of a taste to see what it was like.

I dusted off a bottle and ... wow it was great. I'm not a great fan of red wine preferring white but this was really fruity and fresh. (As I added sultanas I suppose it's a bit lighter than a full blown red).

I've posted a picture here to show that the murky liquid in the jars can become clear with time and/or filtering. I'm really thankful I have another eleven bottles to enjoy. Also, twelve bottles of last year's blackberry and apple, six rhubarb, eight apple and grape, another six ... well you get the picture!

Late June

This month has been very wet indeed with floods in some parts of the UK. Temperatures have also been cool for June but the weather hasn't stopped the wild flowers from blooming. I've come across a fair amount of early summer flowers with the purple Rosebay Willowherb ever prolific at the edge of fields. My favourite this month was a lovely Field Rose clambering through a hedge. 1 Rosebay Willowherb : 2 Field Rose.

The wet weather has caused fungi to appear and I photographed an interesting finger-like fungus called 'Small Stagshorn'. It lives on dead wood and can be bright yellow to orange. This cluster was growing on an old burned trunk.

The allotment is still plodding along with the onions swelling, early potatoes ready for lifting and runner beans clambering up the canes. It could do with some more sunshine though!

Next month will be the first year anniversary - see you in July. Bye for now.

MAY 2007

2007-07-03T14:44:00.000+01:00

Late May

Welcome! Things have really got underway this month with the local woodland looking like a jungle - ferns and undergrowth already waist high. Last month I spent developing my allotment but this month I have had my usual ramble around.

Despite the heavy showers I have managed to get a few pictures of points of interest in my local area. First the Bluebells are just coming to the end of their flowering season. The carpets of nodding bells in our woodland are a fantastic site and should be cherished. There is a bluebell woodland very near to my house and a few years ago it was under threat by a supermarket planning application. Thankfully the plan was rejected.

Regular readers will know my growing fascination with all types of fungi and I was pleased to spot a fine example of a 'Dryad's Saddle' sprouting from a sycamore. This fungi is massive - growing to over a foot wide. Most bracket fungi are hard and woody but the Dryad's Saddle is soft and spongy. Also, its edible, especially when young. Unfortunately this fungi isn't to my taste - I suppose to me it tasted like watermelon rind. I'm looking forward to the coming seasons to hunt down species I haven't seen before. There is always something new if you look carefully. (Below - Dryad's Saddle).

I'm glad to say that my local buzzards are in fine form (see Feb 07 for a picture) - I saw them hovering above their usual hunting patch on the weekend despite some fairly high winds. I'm hoping to get a really decent picture at sometime but for now I'll settle for this cute shot of a Robin I took this month. I had one shot before it flew. I know it's a common bird but still nice to see.

The last thing that caught my eye this month were the Foxgloves (Digitalis Purpurea). Again, it's a common sight but still worth a closer look. Such a substantial plant with a truly stunning flower spike. The Foxglove contains a powerful chemical that both slows and strengthens the heart but it's extremely dangerous because too much can kill. So, a common but toxic species - look but do not eat!

The allotment appears a little battered because of the gusty winds but I've already picked lettuce and radish. The runner beans are winding their way up the canes and the potatoes are firmly established - I've had to earth them up now. The onions are swelling nicely but the spring onions (called 'gibbons' [jibbons] in these parts) have been slow to get established. I'm a bit worried about the other root crops, the carrots and beetroot are still struggling - never mind, it's early days. I have quite a bit of rhubarb in the freezer so I need to get some wine on! It would be nice for the weather to settle a little so I can get up the plot and put the bush toms and cucumbers out.

That's it for this month - see you in June. Thanks for dropping by.

APRIL 2007

2007-07-03T14:29:00.000+01:00

End Of April

I've not been out and about this month as normal even though I know I'm missing the glorious weather and nature bouncing back into life after the winter break. I'm not wandering the woods and fields with my camera because I'm planning, digging and planting my new allotment patch (see last month).

Things have gone quite well so far. I've completed all the major digging and I'm using the 'bed system'. On my plot I have 12 main beds with permanent pathways between them. Why dig what you are going to walk on? The idea is to make looking after my patch relatively easy.
Here is a list of my planned crops:-

Potatoes - Early and Main crop
Beetroot
Carrot
Summer and Winter Cabbage
Cauliflower
Sprouts
Pumpkin (for Halloween carving!!) and Courgettes
Sweet Corn (worth a try)
Outdoor bush Tomato & Cucumber
Runner Beans (got to have those on an allotment!!)
Salad - Lettuce, Radish, Spring Onion, Garlic, Peppers
Leeks

Also fruit bushes - currants, gooseberries, raspberries and rhubarb - good for wine!

It's a bit ambitious for the first year but I've made a start already because of the lovely warm weather this April. On Easter Sunday I planted out my spuds in 4 beds with two rows each. My onion sets have also been planted out with a few cloves of garlic which I planted late last month.

Quote form the BBC weather website "April mean temperatures were the warmest on record across Wales (series back to 1914), with well above average sunshine. It was a largely dry month ..." It's almost been like summer and as a result my fellow allotment holders are taking the chance that we have seen the last of the frosts and are planting out their crops. Taking my cue from them I have also been busy.

So, by the end of this month, my first rows of beetroot, carrots and spring onion are showing;. I have a few rows of early lettuce planted out (both butterhead and cos). My onions and garlic are well established; my potatoes are all up and sprouting nicely; summer cabbage and cauliflower have been established under nets and, my runner beans are beginning to find the framework of canes I've placed above them, I've even popped in a few pumpkins and courgettes. In the garden I still have trays of sprouts and winter cabbage growing, with a few trays of leeks and loads of outdoor cucumbers and tomatoes bursting out of their pots! All in all it's been a busy month.

On the patch I've finished all the beds now and I've tidied up the bank that flanks the southern end of the site. I have ordered a compost bin which should arrive soon and I'm thinking about a small shed of my own even though I have access to a shared secure store at the site.

That's it for this month - it's been so hectic, warm and dry! I'm looking forward to some rain - the patch really needs it. Next month I'm going to try and get out and about and see what's going on in the local countryside and woodland.

See you in May.

MARCH 2007

2007-07-03T14:16:00.000+01:00

Late March

Well, March was a very exciting month for me as I received a phone call telling me I had been allocated an allotment very near my home. I applied last summer and was put on a waiting list. The site is a very small one with only 7 or 8 full 'patches' though a number of them have been divided into half plots. I was offered a half plot which on my site is around 30 by 35 foot. Plenty to start with!

The site had previously been covered in black plastic but this had blown off during the winter and a lot of grass, dandelions and the odd bramble had got established. However, seeing what many other people have had to contend with when starting new plots I consider myself very lucky.

I decided to try and organise the plot for 'ease of use' so instead of digging the entire thing I divided up into 12 beds separated by permanent paths. Each bed is 13 foot long by 4 foot wide. The length isn't particularly important but, according to the theory, the bed must be no more than 4 foot wide because the idea is that a person can reach into the bed and tend the crops without ever having to step on the soil. This is crucial because if the soil is not compacted then it is far easier to turn over after the growing season is complete. In addition to the 12 beds there is a strip of currant bushes and rhubarb.

Most of this month has seen me digging away and clearing the beds. I have cleared away beds 1 to 4 and I plan to plant two beds of Early potatoes and two beds of Main Crop potatoes. Though I have not cleared everything yet I'm quite pleased with progress. In a cold frame in my garden I have trays of salad beginning to sprout, summer cabbages, leeks and cauliflower as well. Also, I have potatoes 'chitting' away in the house and a bag of onion 'sets' ready to be planted out when the weather warms up. I've been buying seed too and have been deciding what else I'm going to try!

I've been so busy that I haven't had too much time to update these pages this month so I'm going to chat about my allotment a bit more next month. See you in April!

FEBRUARY 2007

2007-07-03T14:01:00.000+01:00

Late February

The 8th & 9th of this month saw snow fall across South Wales. It was a fairly significant amount, enough to block roads and bring cities to a standstill, but it was short lived.

It's been so mild this winter that the short blast of snow and ice came as a shock, especially for the plants and wildlife that seemed to be anticipating spring. The local birds were quick to take advantage of the garden bird table, both Great Tits & Finches that tend to stick to the near-by woodland were competing with the usual Sparrows.

There seems to be a bit of a bird theme this month, possibly because I've been able to see more of them due to a better camera and telephoto lens. I got some nice pictures of some local Great Tits, a very common bird in these parts.

I've noted before that there are two Buzzards flying around this area. I see them hovering over farmland and woodland near-by. I managed to get a picture of one as it flew overhead - not a great image but it's a start! I'll keep on trying. My wife had a scare as one of the Buzzards took a Woodpigeon to ground just a few yards away from her.

I tidied up my small garden this month and dug in some organic matter from the compost bin. I've been adding kitchen waste, grass cuttings and small scale garden prunings for a year now and the compost bin never seems to fill up to the top. Anyway, it's basically empty now, ready for a new season. The ground is still fairly wet but the brief digging session seemed to break it up and help drain it a bit.

I've planted out some small soft fruit bushes too, raspberry, black current, red current and both green and red varieties of gooseberries. It will be interesting to see if there is enough fruit produced in the first year for some wine making. I anticipate that the raspberries will produce as I think they are the variety that fruits on new wood - if not I think my basket will be mainly bare!

I've started some bedding plants off in modules indoors and am hoping to produce all my own summer colour this year rather than buying a few trays in May. If it all goes badly wrong I still have two months to pop to the local garden centre to get replacements - nothing really lost. I've been a bit surprised that the majority of seedlings germinated so quickly as 14 to 21 days was suggested on the packet - 4 of the 6 varieties I'm trying popped up within 7 days. This has kind of thrown me because I'm hoping now that the plants won't be too big while the weather is still too cold outside though I've a small cold frame I can make use of. So, they might be a bit early off the mark - despite following the sowing guidelines. I'll have to wait and see.

That's it for now - next month I'll be going through my packets of seed to see what kind of veg I can grow in my small garden and what I can start off indoors.

See you then.

JANUARY 2007

2007-07-03T13:24:00.000+01:00

Late January

Well what a windy month January was! Storms lashed the country on and off for weeks tearing off roofs and flattening trees. During my forays I've noticed masses of fallen timber littering the woods and parkland. A stormy start to the new year.

At first sight January looks sparse when it comes to nature but a closer look reveals some interesting flora and fauna. The first thing I noticed was a lovely flowering plant spreading through the undergrowth of a local woodland. The Winter Heliotrope (pictured above) with it's large round kidney-shaped leaves and lilac-pink flower heads is a welcome sight. The Winter Heliotrope tends to flower from November to February and is well named.

The suggestion is that January, despite the high winds, has been very mild indeed. Perhaps this is borne out by the flowering of a Lesser Celandine near the Winter Heliotrope. There were only a handful of bright yellow Lesser Celandine in flower but they tend bloom from March to May. The dark glossy green leaves are heart-shaped, often mottled with dark purple patches. The yellow of the Lesser Celandine, part of the buttercup family, seems to shine out in the shadows of a low winter sun, a promise of the spring to come.

Fungi still attracts my attention and now the more exotic and strange species are catching my attention. First a close-up shot of a single Milking Bonnet on a tiny twig. It was all alone beneath an oak tree amongst the leaf litter and twigs. A week or so later I came across an elder blown over in the storms. Growing from the rough bark of the tree were a row of 'Jew's Ears', called in some books by the more politically correct name 'Jelly Ears'. The name Jew's Ears may have derived from a corruption if Judas' Ears as it's said that Judas Iscariot hung himself from an Elder tree after the betrayal of Christ. Surprisingly this jelly like fungus is actually edible - the tough stems need to be trimmed off and the remaining 'ear' should be sliced thinly and simmered in water or milk for at least 30 minutes before being served with herbs to taste.

1 Milking Bonnet : 2 Jew's (Jelly) Ear

Another interesting species I came across this month was an 'Oak Apple. This 'apple' is actually a 'gall' caused by a Gallwasp. The wasp larvae causes the oak tree to produce growths which protect the young larvae. It is believed that the wasp causes a genetic change in the growth of the oak.. I believe this gall is the Andricus Kollari species, the 'Marble Gall', you can see the exit points of the larvae appearing like a neatly drilled hole.

That's really it for January except to show you my first garden crocus of the year - perhaps it has been a mild winter so far! See you in February. Bye for now.

DECEMBER 2006

2007-07-03T12:56:00.000+01:00

Mid December

Hello everyone and a Merry Christmas. It's that time of year when nature seems to go into suspended animation - well, the plants anyway. The wildlife seems as varied as ever, perhaps due to the mild temperatures, Yes, we've had the odd cold snap but generally its been warm.

I was out this week picking some seasonal plants, holly and ivy for the traditional wreath and I was surprised by the number of birds and animals around. First a black rabbit ran across the leaf strewn path in front of me - I'm not too knowledgeable about rabbits so I'm guessing it was once domesticated. Then as I approached a mixed conifer and broadleaf woodland I saw two buzzards gliding gently above the tree tops, calling out to each other. I've seen one buzzard in the area for a few years now so it was great to see two circling around. Robins have returned to the garden and it's great to see them mooching around on the ground underneath the bird table. Though I put nuts out the blue-tits seem to remain on the edge of the local woodland, I regularly see a cluster of them chirping their way through the trees and shrubs.

This year we decided to go for a real tree after years of the artificial kind. The main difference is the fantastic pine smell that drifts through the house - lovely. To compliment the tree I decided to make a Christmas wreath - nothing fancy just a wreath of easily obtainable plants.
I started with cutting a straight hazel withy (willow would have been good too) and thinning the thick end then wiring it into a circle. A green base of fir branches was added then ivy wound around. Holly with red berries was inserted into the green base and wired as required. I tied together a bunch of ivy, holly and fir together and wrapped the stalks up in a bit of Christmas ribbon and suspended it into the centre. That's it, a Christmas wreath.

Late December

Just before Christmas we had a really heavy frost, the first of the winter. It's a shame it wasn't on the 25th as it would have been a kind of white Christmas. With temperatures this mild it's difficult to imagine snow this winter. Still, the heaviest snow of recent years, the winter of 81-82 didn't have the snow fall until January and February - there's still time. I took a few images of a fern in the garden, as you can see, a very heavy frost.

Despite the late season fungi seems to be still around. I seem to be getting addicted to collecting fungi images! This month I've spotted some marvellous examples such as 'Common Rustgill' with it's shiny cap; a lovely clump or two of 'Glistening Inkcap'; and a spectacular collection of the aptly named 'Hairy Curtain Crust' with a great example of a 'Yellow Brain' living on top. What is more extraordinary is that all these were living on one dead beech tree with 'Turkey Tail' sprouting on fallen branches near-by.

1 Common Rustgill : 2 Glistening Inkcap : 3 Hairy Curtain Crust : 4 Yellow Brain

That's it for December. It's been an interesting 2006 and I can't believe that six months have passed since my first entry in July. I've seen lots of interesting things in my local area simply because I've taken time to look. Hopefully I'll come across more delights as the months roll by.

I'm off to crack open a bottle of homemade wine (or two) and all that is left is for me to do is to wish you a very Happy New Year for 2007.

NOVEMBER 2006

2007-07-03T12:02:00.000+01:00

Last week of November

It’s funny how there always seems to be an abundance of a particular species every year. Two years ago there were rabbits everywhere in my local town, diving under hedges, amongst the bedding plants on roundabouts and generally hopping around playing fields and open grassland. Last year squirrels were really noticeable, not only in the local woodland but running up and down trees next to busy roads. I also saw a fair number that had been hit by cars, perhaps an indication that pressure on resources due to high numbers had made them inhabit less than ideal areas.

This year it seems to be Magpies (above - stock image). Everywhere I go I see Magpies quarrelling over morsels of food, chattering on branches or generally annoying other local inhabitants, birds and cats alike! Magpies are a curious bird and feature in folklore. Here is a rhyme that most people know:-

One for sorrow. Two for joy. Three for a girl. Four for a boy. Five for silver. Six for gold. Seven for a secret never to be told.

As a lone Magpie means ‘sorrow’, to negate this piece of bad luck they are saluted by some people (including my wife) with a ‘Good Morning Mr Magpie’. I suspect that because Magpies are supposed to mate for life a lone bird may mean a loss of a partner, hence the sorrow.

There are many versions of this rhyme and in North America where Magpies are rarer, crows are the focus of the poem. Apparently a Magpie rhyme has been traced back to the 1600’s and is really based around an augury, a way of predicting the future. Here is another version:-

One for sorrow, Two for mirth, Three for a wedding, Four for birth, Five for rich, Six for poor, Seven for a witch, I can tell you no more.

November has been quite mild compared to some other years especially when I think back to last year when we had snow toward the end of the month. Even with the mild temperatures most of the wild flowers have all but disappeared. However, I found some lovely bramble flowers open in a hedgerow, their whiteness standing out amongst the sparse twigs and faded autumn colours. Also a tiny bright pink flower shone out in the gloom of a local woodland, Herb Robert, a lovely delicate bloom that should have finished its display in September. (Below left - bramble and below right Herb Robert).

Fungi is still very prevalent this month and the many species and forms is truly fascinating. Fungi have been a major star of the autumn months and its been wonderful finding out about them, though sometimes it's tricky to identify the various species. This month I have seen a lovely cluster of Shaggy Scalycap crowded at the foot of a local oak; a group of the painful sounding Cramp Balls on a fallen branch; a nice example of a Birch Polypore and near-by some Silverleaf. I only had to open my backdoor to see some Sulphur Tuft in my own garden along with Turkey Tail growing up a laurel in my hedge.

1 Shaggy Scalycap 2 Cramp Balls
3 Birch Polypore 4 Silverleaf
5 Turkeytail 6 Sulphur Tuft

The picture below was taken at a local lake in mid-November. It was a typical 'sunshine and showers' day and I had a camera on hand as the sun broke through while raindrops splashed on to the water's surface. As you can see there was indeed gold at the end of the rainbow!

That's it for November - next month I'll probably be talking about holly & ivy! See you then.

OCTOBER 2006

2007-07-03T11:32:00.000+01:00

Late October

Autumn is finally getting chilly in the evenings with the first night frosts forecast for the southern areas of the UK. It's been a very mild October so far.

The recent wet weather seems to have dampened the golden hues of the leaf fall but the wonderful colours can still be seen all around. Drifts of leaves are piling up on footpaths and the birds are returning to the garden feed tables.

Unfortunately, for my dinner table anyway, the field mushrooms have all but gone. I picked a few stragglers in the middle of the month but now they seem to have disappeared. Other fungi seem to be sprouting profusely; I saw a great clump of 'Clustered Bonnet' under a hedge growing on old wood (below left - stock image); I also spotted a collection of 'Panther Cap' in a local broadleaf woodland (below right).

I've been busy bottling wine this month too. The surplus of the Autumn has fermented and cleared. I have laid down a dozen bottles of the dark blackberry and damson wine I made at the end of August and six bottles of rhubarb and sultana. I have two gallons of blackberry and apple still clearing which I'll bottle up in the next week or so to join a dozen bottles of a delicate clover wine made in late summer. I've already been supping spring dandelion wine and it's particularly fine this year!

At last, the miniature pumpkins have come to fruition ready for All Hallows Eve. From the small swellings in July (see July pictures) to these great 'Jack-O-Lanterns', carved by my wife (see below). What to do with all the pumpkin flesh? Well, I think I'll try out a tasty and spicy pumpkin soup - just right for the Autumn.

Have a spoooooooky Halloween - see you in November.

SEPTEMBER 2006

2007-07-03T11:06:00.000+01:00

Early September

August seemed positively autumnal compared to the heat of July but now Autumn is approaching for real. Summer is holding the door and Autumn is boldly walking in. The trees are looking a little tired and the plants are a little threadbare. The sun is weakening, slower to rise and quicker to set. I have to say that Autumn is my favourite time of year – the smells and colours, the nip of cold in the air and the natural harvest. (Pictured - early Autumn evening).

Fungi!! I’ve been eating wild field mushrooms aplenty thanks to some local playing fields. I was out doing a spot of running and I noticed the tell-tale ‘fairy-rings’ of deep green in the grass. There they were, those delicious white domes poking their heads up through the sward. No doubt they started to sprout because of the heavy summer rain. After my first little foray I had quickly collected over 2lb of tasty mushrooms. A nice little meal involves some fresh mushrooms fried up with a little oil and bacon (in my case veggie Quorn pretend bacon) placed on toast with a mature cheddar cheese topping. Lovely for lunch or a sneaky snack! Luckily I also had some fresh bread from the bread machine just baked so I was in heaven.

A word of warning here – you must know exactly what you are picking when it comes to fungi as there are some species that are fatal if eaten. If you are in any doubt don’t eat! You have been warned! Anyway, your average field mushroom is found on open grassland growing from the ‘fairy-rings’ – the gills (the ridged section underneath the main cap) are pinkish but turn brown if old and the cap can look a little ragged around the edges in older examples. I know it’s obvious but they look and smell of mushroom where some species of course look and smell otherwise.

I find fungi fascinating because there are so many different types - not all are found on the ground either! I took a picture of a bracket polypore this week (pictured right). Unfortunately many bracket fungi can destroy their host. This specimen was at the foot of the tree but when I looked up it was amongst the higher part of the trunk and branches too. It is likely that the host tree itself won't last too many more summers.

There is a mixed woodland not far from my home with a massive old beech tree in which a profusion of fungi appears every autumn. I say 'in' because the beech has a gigantic split in its old trunk so large an adult can stand inside. The trunk develops tier upon tier of the a polypore fungus as the summer gives way to autumn - an amazing sight. I believe it's the 'Chicken Of The Woods' which is supposed to be bright orange when young. It might also be the 'Giant Polypore - I'll check next year! If you can identify it please let me know. (Picture of the bracket fungus nestled inside the hollow trunk of a giant beech tree).

I saw another splendid example of fungi and luckily I had my camera too. There, all alone, standing proud and majestic was a fine example of a Slender Parasol. It's apparently very tasty but I chose not to try this particular fellow. The Slender Parasol has a large pale cream cap that is dark brown in the centre. On the cap are many bran-like scales and the stem sports a fine double ring. (Pictured - the Slender Parasol with it's 'bran-flakes' on the cap).

Mid September

There seem to be berries everywhere at the moment, not only the lovely Blackberries on the brambles but bright scarlet Hawthorn berries amongst the gnarled branches and the crimson Rowan berries hanging in clusters from the Mountain Ash. I was walking in a near-by field last week and heard a commotion in a hedge-line of Hawthorn, 'seee seee seee' went the cry. There amongst the branches were a group of long-tailed tits, flitting from tree to tree, making their way down the hedgerow in a stream. These lovely little birds pick the insects from the branches and leaves rather than eating the tastier looking berries. (I managed to snap a poor picture of a particularly bold long-tailed tit).

I was surprised to see how many flowers there were still in bloom. While the purple Willow Herb (both Rosebay and the Greater) are now past their best with fluffy seed pods making them look hairy in the dappled sunlight, I discovered a vibrant patch of sky blue Harebells, nodding on a hillside. It's almost like they know that the summer has waned and they are performing a final display before fading for another year.

Another flower, not so lovely, is the simple red clover flower. I found a large patch and decided to give red clover wine a go. I haven't made red clover wine for over 18 years. I know this because my wife and I celebrated the news of our initial impending parenthood by opening a bottle of red clover wine. My eldest child has now left school and is taller than me! The flowers are steeped in two pints of boiling water and left to cool for about twenty minutes. After the petals are strained off, the liquid is added to a pale with the usual mixture of chopped sultanas (or white grape concentrate), 2lb sugar and a touch of citric acid, tannin and yeast nutrient. The mixture is made up to a gallon with cold water and the yeast added. After three to four days, strain off the liquid into a demi-john and fit an airlock to ferment out (around 1000 on a hydrometer or to taste). Rack off the lees and add two campden tablets and leave to settle for a few weeks. Rack off or filter to clear. Keep for a few months or ... drink as the fancy takes you! (In this picture I was fortunate to catch a bee drinking the last of the summer nectar from a red clover flower).

Pumpkin watch continues. There seems to be little growth now (we do have the miniature versions though) but they are beginning to change colour from green to that lovely orange. The leaves on the plants are weary and worn, tattered and spotted but, the pumpkins themselves look splendid. Is it really only next month when they will be carved into Jack-o-lanterns? On that note ...

See you in witching month of October. Bye 'til then.

AUGUST 2006

2007-07-03T10:27:00.000+01:00

Mid August

Luckily I've had some leave from work so I've had a chance to take a look at the scenery in 'high summer'. August has been cooler than July which was a scorcher according to the forecasters with July breaking a few records for sunshine and heat.

August has seen some heavy rain so, ducking out between the showers I've been blackberry picking. Such a versatile fruit, excellent for jams, pies, crumbles and, my favourite, wine! What's more they're free - what could be better?

Armed with an old ice-cream tub and with a smelly Springer Spaniel in tow, off I trotted to a near-by river bank and some rough pasture. I thought it might be a little early for blackberries but I found to my surprise that I picked 3lb of fruit in less than 30 minutes. Given the amount of unripe berries on the brambles there promises to be a lot more in the next few weeks. You don't see people picking blackberries like a few years back, well not around here anyway. If it isn't in a tin or packed in cellophane people don't want to know.

While I was picking the bramble fruit (always leaving lots for the birds) I noticed a wild damson tree in a hedgerow. Luckily I had a bag on hand and after a few gentle shakes of the tree the bag began to fill quickly. The damsons were tart to taste but not unpleasant like crab apples. My dog found them tasty as he was snaffling them up before I could bag them - a spaniel with a taste for fruit?

After adding a few pound of damsons to my blackberry haul I returned home to wash and sort the fruit. I popped the berries in the freezer for safe keeping and boiled up the damsons in a pint or two of water, then pressed them through a sieve to separate out the stones. The liquid was dark purple and thick with a lovely aroma.

A few days later it was time to make some wine - I had enough fruit for two gallons. I put the blackberries and damson juice in a sterilised pale and added some boiling water. When cooled I added some pectolic enzyme and a campden tablet - if this sounds a bit exotic it isn't. Pectolic enzyme is a powder that breaks the fruit down and stops pectin hazes which, if left to develop, will stop the finished wine from clearing. The campden tablet inhibits any undesirable bacteria and wild yeasts. (Both campden tablets and pectolic enzyme are available in homebrew shops, ebay and even in Wilkinson stores, so are the other chemicals for wine-making). After 24 hours I strained off the liquid into a fresh pale, then added chopped sultanas, yeast nutrient, citric acid, tannin and 4lb of sugar which I then dissolved in a few pints of boiling water. The brew was then made up to two gallons with cold water and wine yeast added. After around 4 days the liquid was put into glass demi-johns with air-locks to ferment out.

My wife has also been out picking blackberries and baking some wonderful (but fattening) desserts. She collected enough fruit for an apple and blackberry crumble and an apple and blackberry pie. She assures me that the apple not only adds flavour but helps to bind the filling keeping the fruit together under the pastry. I'll leave the technicalities to her, I'll look after the tasting!

It's good news on the pumpkin front (see July), we have pumpkins! Well, one developing nicely and another two looking like they might be fertilised as they are beginning to swell. We lost one plant so we are down to two - wow don't they grow though, they spread like wild fire. The pumpkin has grown dramatically in just over a month as you can see in the picture compared to July's image. Pumpkin watch continues!

Late August

As I write thunder is cracking and rumbling overhead and the rain is sheeting down like only heavy summer rain can. The garden certainly needs an inch or two of water but the way it looks at the moment I had better start building an ark! Last night I left the bedroom window open - wow what a storm! I have never heard and seen thunder and lightening continue for so long - from early evening to the middle of the following morning the thunder raged and the lightening flashed. I was woken up at least six times in the night.

I have never really seen a buzzard close up but then I saw two in a matter of days! These are fantastic birds, large and majestic. The first one I saw perched on a fence surrounding a football pitch just north of Pontypool. I had a very good view as it stretched out its wings and took off.

The second buzzard I saw was busily ripping up a squashed hedgehog in the middle of the road north of Abergavenny. I had to virtually stop the car until the bird unwillingly gave way.

That's it for now - see you in September if we haven't floated away!

JULY 2006

2007-07-03T10:11:00.000+01:00

The first thing to say in my initial journal entry is what a hot month July turned out to be - a positive heat wave! According to the BBC weather statistics the mean average July temperature was 19.0 degrees C, 3.6 degrees above the 1961-1990 average. It was the warmest month since July 1983 and the sunniest since June 1957!

In the garden this month was a hairy ginger visitor, no not my bad tempered cat but a caterpillar. As it wasn't the usual Cabbage White variety I quickly consulted the internet to track down what it was and, more importantly, what glorious butterfly it would turn into.

I must say my family and I were a little under whelmed when we found out the truth. The caterpillar was the lava of a Sycamore Moth. The caterpillar itself was wonderful, all ginger and hairy with exotic patterns down its back. The moth however is somewhat dull and ordinary looking - I'm sure entomologists would disagree but I think the caterpillar is certainly the one with the 'looks' in the moth's family.

We have a red current bush in the garden and this year it produced a nice crop. Red currents are not very versatile compared to blackcurrants and gooseberries, red currant jelly seems to be the main culinary end product. This year I combined the red currants with some dried fruit and created a 'red currant rosé' wine. I had enough for two gallons and it fermented and cleared quickly. I usually create two gallons of wine in a batch, one gallon is put into bottles for keeping while I temporarily store the second gallon in a demi-john for a couple of months before transferring it to a wine box with a tap for 'quaffing' as I go.

Most wines these days can be drunk fairly quickly after clearing, mainly because of the additives such as tannin and acids that can be bought off the shelf and added to the wine - these take months to develop naturally. That said, a homemade wine that has been bottled and laid down for a while has a far superior taste than a new wine even though the new wine is often fruity and palatable. But hey, it's cheap to make and fun to drink - why wait when you can have the best of both worlds!

My back garden is a small suburban affair, mainly well kept with a few perennials, annuals, shrubs, an ornamental cherry and a small lawn for the kids to play games on. This year I reserved a small patch of flower bed for my youngest child who decided she wanted to grow a pumpkin for Halloween. Having never grown one before its been fascinating.

The flowers, though short-lived are large yellow affairs both male and female appearing on the same plant. The females occur on a shorter stem with a swelling at the base of the flower which, when fertilised, becomes the pumpkin. The most reliable way to fertilise the plant is to gently rub the pollen bearing section of the male flower on to the reproductive centre of the female flower. You need a bit of luck too as the flowers open early morning and tend to close by lunchtime, also you need a male and female flower open at the same time! I'll keep you up-to-date with pumpkin watch as they develop - fingers-crossed. (Pictured is the female flower with, what I hope, is a fertilised pumpkin ready to grow).

That's it for this month - see you in August.