I’ve not blogged in a while but I aim to put that right as I make a concerted effort this coming year to make progress on my diploma. Over the last few years I have been learning the art of grafting fruit trees. One of the first trees I grafted was a Topaz and now […]
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Slug control
A lot of people have been complaining about slug damage this year. We have been very fortunate so far and I’m wondering if this member of my slug control team is the reason!
Planting under fruit trees (2)
So, following on from my previous post, here are some of the plants that my research has come up with for companion planting with fruit trees. I would welcome any comments from anyone who has tried any of these and I will report back on my experiments. – daffodils. These are early flowering and attract […]
Planting under fruit trees (1)
I have recently been researching what is best to plant under fruit trees. Traditionally many people have grass with a clear patch immediately below the trees as most fruit trees are relatively shallow rooted and it is thought that grass, and most other plants, will compete with the tree. Following my Permaculture Design Course (PDC) […]
The wind
All Hallows’ Church is near the top of a hill (in fact, it is opposite Hill Top Street!) and the garden faces mostly south and west. It is very exposed and the garden edge is a wall with a drop of several metres. I had already identified wind as an issue and we have planted […]
Water supply
After I completed my Permaculture Design Course (PDC) I decided to obtain a 1000l IBC (industrial bulk container) to capture and store water in over the winter months ready for the summer. It is a bit ugly so I tucked it away behind one of my sheds (I have two!) and ran a hose pipe […]
Enhancing the greenhouse
Over the winter I have read about a number of greenhouse projects and so I thought I should do something about ours. As readers are aware, much of my garden plot is on an old cinder tennis court and we have found that raised beds on cinder don’t work particularly well. It’s the same with […]
Quince – essential!
This year has seen a bumper crop of quince on our quince tree as predicted. My beloved has been busy processing the quince into quince jelly and membrillo.
Fruitful Apple and Pear?
This year has seen a fantastic glut of fruit – well from most of our plants. There are two particular trees in our garden that have not been too fruitful this year. The first is a cooker/eater apple tree, variety long forgotten, that my parents bought for use when we first acquired the extra land. […]
New path and “Elder” HugelKultur bed
Our new neighbours recently removed a tall conifer hedge which shaded a corner of our garden for about half the day. First thing in the morning it is shaded by a tall birch tree in our hedge. I hadn’t done much planning for this corner, it is next to the compost bins, used to have […]