Hello and welcome to The Compost Bin. I'm Compostwoman and I live with my family in rural Herefordshire. We have nearly four acres of garden and woodland, all managed organically and to Permaculture principles, which we share with Chickens, Cats and assorted wildlife. We also grow a lot of our own food, run courses in all sorts of things and make a lot of compost!

I am a Master Composter and have spent more than a decade as a volunteer Community Compost adviser with Garden Organic and my local Council.
I'm a self employed Environmental Educator so I run workshops and events where I talk about compost, veg growing, chicken keeping, cooking, preserving and sustainable living. I also run crafts workshops and Forest School/outdoor play sessions in our wood.

We try to live a more self sufficient lifestyle here, as best we can, while still having a comfortable life and lots of fun.


To learn more about us click on the About Compostwoman tab and remember to click on the photos to make them full size!


Wednesday 4 July 2012

July?

Hmm. July. Isn't it supposed to be sunny?

Today , as I write this, it is not raining. Dull, yes. Overcast, yes. But not actually raining.

It did, of course , rain all day yesterday and all night - to add to the already sodden ground overburden of water.

I have been out inspecting the veg plot and an not terribly happy with what I can see.

The outside courgettes have gone - smashed into oblivion by the sheer volume of water descending from the skies in recent weeks. I am going to plant a couple of seeds and see if we get an "Indian summer" autumn - we might get a late harvest from them if so. I do have 2 courgette plants inside the polytunnel so we do have some courgettes to eat, but not the huge quantity we normally rely on.

Beans are still alive but a long way behind where they should be at this time of year - we are normally picking the first ones by now.

 

Pumpkins are ...ok. ish.


Potatoes - well I keep expecting to see blight, due to the humid air - so far we have escaped!  But the potatoes are still too small to eat and the yield is poor. The only ones we have been eating are those I planted inside the polytunnel!

Peas. Well. Enough said I think. - have lost 4 separate sowings so far and these are all that struggled through the poor weather. Will try one more sowing 




Carrots. Ditto.  Will re sow fresh carrot seed and try once more.

 


 Onions and Leeks are ok.




  Taking advantage of the sunshine to tidy up a bit

  A very waterlogged wheelbarrow of weeds!


Pears

 Pretty potato blossom


  Parsnips - are doing really well!

5 comments:

  1. I know the feeling. Though we are in the Pacific Northwest, the weather has just turned sunny for awhile. Looking back at last years journal, we are about 3-4 weeks behind. Hope the weather turns for you and you get the Indian Summer you are hoping for.

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  2. How many meals can you make with parsnips, pears, onions and leeks?

    So sorry about the garden woes. We are still begging for rain.

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  3. Your pictures have made me feel better, I have similar views of my allotment this year. It makes me feel a bit better to know I am not the only one struggling this year :-)

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  4. I'm glad it's not just my veg that are behind. Lots of my plants have yellow leaves as well which I'm assuming is from the excessive water. What a rubbish year so far fo growing. On the bright side I've not had to water the fruit trees I've planted this year!

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  5. It's really a washout out there - my strawberries are still green, and some even rotted right where they were before they ever reached maturity. The raspberries and loganberries are all right but the potatoes are straggly looking things, my carrots were long gone in spring, and some of the onions and shallots rotted in the ground. Rather bleak growing season this year, and the price of fruit is going up in the stores. Meh.

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Hello! Thank you for reading my blog and for commenting. I try to reply as quickly as I can and I really appreciate your interest in my life and doings here in The Compost Bin.

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