It’s another world. Very warm and somehow comforting; I think because of the smell, which reminds me of my grandfathers’ greenhouses, one in Scotland growing tomatoes and carnations and the other in Yorkshire, growing tomatoes and more tomatoes! Both my … Continue reading
Strange to think back to the waterlogged days of winter, when the cloggy mud made it almost impossible to push the wheelbarrow along the path. That same path is now hard and the grass pale brown straw. Daily watering, at … Continue reading
Time to get out my wonderful Finnish steam juicer… The currants this year have suddenly ripened and are threatening to go over in the heat so I picked them all and will make jelly and jam tomorrow. The gooseberries are … Continue reading
Despite my annual vow never to grow peas again, (fighting the predations of mice before germination and pigeons when growing is a wearisome process – especially as they are so cheap and easy to buy frozen), yet again I succumbed … Continue reading
Arriving at the huerto at 06.30 this morning, the light was magical. As was this beautiful visitor; I was heading for a raspberry snack so had quite a surprise! Flowers now in abundance, the roses especially beautiful in their velvety … Continue reading
Some dismal surprises today on a flying visit to the huerto; pigeons have demolished my beautiful Golden Sweet mange tout, along with most of the chard, lettuces and much of the spinach. Asparagus beetles have been beetling away, and a … Continue reading
The quince tree is appreciating the extra light afforded by the tree felling early in the year, with a more symmetrical form and healthy blossom which I hope will not be blighted by frost as they were last year. Grown … Continue reading
How naive I was, taking so much care when planting and nurturing those first little stachys affinis rhizomes! Now I find that it is in fact a thug of a plant, a member of the mint family and ferociously invasive. … Continue reading
This photo from inside the greenhouse says it all … I was drenched from planting out leeks and spinach. But there were some friendly faces inside: And a nice view of the apple starting to show life. Note my car … Continue reading
Grappling painfully to put together a new steel potting bench (of course I didn’t have the correct size of spanner), I found myself drawn into a frenzy of displacement activity; clearing the back of the shed area. It had become … Continue reading
Not a bad haul for ‘the hungry gap’! But what a lot of mud…
It took me all day to remove a further infestation of willowherb from around the fruit cage. It’s a devil of a job as the little rosettes of green are underpinned by a dense network of tiny fibrous roots which … Continue reading
My Christmas presents happily included the services of a tree surgeon to remove the overhanging tangle of trees, mostly goat willow overgrown with ivy. They have long overshadowed the shed end of the plot and meant the greenhouse was nearly … Continue reading
My old wellington boots, much loved and at least 20 years old, had been leaking for some time, despite bicycle tyre repairs. They were standard old-fashioned Hunter Argylls so simple enough, you would think, to replace. Not if you have … Continue reading
Getting ready for tomorrow’s meal, I was pleasantly surprised how much there was to harvest. The menu will therefore include a fennel, leek, walnut and roquefort soufflé tart, celeriac and parsnip gratin, roast beetroot, sauteed oca and crosnes with buttered flower … Continue reading
After moving the bean tepee from the asparagus bed and weeding the chard & chicory, I continued on with the florence fennel & clearing triffid-like nasturtiums. Curious to see what had happened to the crosnes I planted a couple of … Continue reading
Huerto 
You must be logged in to post a comment.