Newsletter
Our eight hens are laying beautiful brown eggs at last, though some seem to prefer to make their own nests on the compost heaps or under the conifer hedge rather than use their neat wooden nest boxes. I suspect the main reason is the onging henhouse power struggle in which
Newsletter
We've been enjoying a 10 day mild spell, warm enough for t-shirts during the day and with overnight temperatures well above freezing. But it can turn in a few hours at this time of year, so it's time to get the greenhouse insulated and sort out
Newsletter
I closed the gates for the last time in 2008 on Sunday night. The sun was warm, a light breeze cajoled the seedheads of the grasses into mingling with the Rudbeckias in the new borders and all looked wonderful. It seemed strange to be closing. But as if on cue,
Newsletter
The autumnal equinox slipped by a week ago: the days are now shorter than the nights and the sun's arc is a little lower every day. It is officially autumn. But perversely we're enjoying the best spell of weather I can remember this year. Clear, soft
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There is an elderly crab apple tree just outside the conservatory. I've been told by an apple expert that it's the original species form. I don't know that for sure, but I do know that every few minutes a crab apple the size of
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I've been away since Monday, filming the Gardener of the Decade competition at the Eden Project. No more on that of course for now - it's scheduled for broadcast on the 12th December. But while I've been away autumn has sneaked in. A cool
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The year-long chicken project finally reached its zenith today with the arrival of four gorgeous hens. All four are roughly eighteen week old point of lay birds and very pretty they are too. One is a white Sussex and one a brown Jasmine (lays green eggs apparently). I'm
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Friday's all-day downpour came and went, leaving 4" of water in buckets and barrows and the stream in torrent, but otherwise no harm done. And despite pessimistic forecasts, we've had no more since. But the first of the autumn storms and the sense of closure
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No day passes now without some thought towards next year. The new wholesale catalogues are in and I'll be placing orders in a couple of weeks. At least I now have one year of customer feedback to figure out roughly what to get, but it will still be
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I took a bit of time out last week: after a hectic spring, three weeks at Tatton Show and a ten day sprint to our NGS day I was ready for a break. So, high rollers that we are, on Tuesday we went to Marbury Park (about 5 miles away)
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The summer visitor peak has passed, Tatton is over, our final NGS day for the year has come and gone and now it's all about the seed harvest for next year. Every day brings another ripe set of pods to squirrel away with all the optimism that ripe,
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Sunday brings our fourth NGS day since I took over 18 months ago. The meadow is newly mowed and baled so we're not facing a repeat of last year's frantic meadow clearing to create parking space for 80 cars (the farmer's baler broke down