As I’ve taken over the job of looking after the chickens on a daily basis I’ve been more inspired and motivated to get on and create the Chicken Garden.  Add the enthusiasm of happy helper Theresa and we finally made a start on it yesterday.

We dug out all the couch grass and brambles.  We want to make raised beds alongside a new paved pathway (Lester – who now lives in the village but first helped build the chicken shed when he was here as a wwoof-er about 5yrs ago – just offered today to lay some leftover paving slabs to make the path for us).

I also dug out the foundations for extending the chicken shed “veranda” as the soil has become really badly eroded and I want to put a bigger ramp in so it’s easier to get a wheelbarrow into the pen.   We also want to put a turf roof on the shed, and extend the roof over the veranda so the chickens have some extra shade in summer and cover from rain in winter.

Most of the area is now dug over and levelled!

Beware, the plant is very spiky!

We bought our szechuan pepper bush from the Agroforestry Research Trust.

Good article all about them at http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/dec/13/szechuan-pepper-chinese-five-spice

Meanwhile Matt’s been busy making the shuttering for new steps up to the Mongolian Yurt from the Kitchen Caravan.  We’ve reluctantly decided to make them out of concrete, as the wood and earth ones kept collapsing and so weren’t safe for guests.

After making the steps, Oli and Teresa set to work on a new bed in front of the main house, which will catch rainwater from the roof and provide next-to-the-table herbs and salads for easy picking and the freshest eating! I also want to grow kiwis up the wooden posts and over a new structure out front to shade the dining table.

That’s one wheelbarrow load of manure in the near end of the bed, and we reckon we’ll need a total of 15 loads barrowed up from the muck heap at the bottom of the land – 3 each for the 5 of us!

The article also mentions Madagascar Beans. “They’re a traditional permaculture plant. Two seeds will grow a wall of beans that can be shelled and stored in the cupboard as dried beans.” Never heard of Madagascar Beans so definitely need to check them out!

Another DVD that everyone should watch is “Establishing a Food Forest the Permaculture Way” by Geoff Lawton (preview below) and on our wish list is another by the same guy “Harvesting Water the Permaculture Way“.

O jardim é tão verde em maio, e cada ano mais parece uma selva!

I have not planted a lot of summer crops out yet. Some of the raised beds are still full of broad beans, lupins, poppies and other plants that will be coming out soon to make room for the main crop of summer vegetables.

Eu não tenho plantadas muita culturas de verão para fora, ainda. Algumas das camas levantadas ainda estão cheios de favas, tremoços, papoilas e outras plantas, que será a sair em breve para dar espaço para as principais culturas de verão legumes.

We do already have some courgettes, tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, piri-piri, varied beans and cucumbers planted out – with lots more in trays in the polytunnel to plant out soon.

Fazemos já tem algumas abobrinhas, tomates, pimentos, abóboras, piri-piri, feijão e pepinos na horta – com muito mais em bandejas no polytunnel à planta em breve.

These are okra seedlings.

Estes são quiabo mudas.

Alec gave us some jerusalem artichokes last week.

Alec nos deu algumas Tupinambos semana passada.

I am trying to germinate two avocado stones, and I plan to try to cordon the trees within the polytunnel.

Estou tentando germinar duas pedras de abacate, e eu pretendo tentar cordão de árvores dentro do polytunnel.

And here’s some photos of young trees planted here. The ridge of earth is very clear, and on sloping ground that ridge is higher on the lower side of the tree and almost non-existent above the tree. For most of the year it will catch rain, and hold it in the manure/compost filled earth under the tree. But in dry spells, and definitely July and August we have to water maybe once a week – depending on how hot it is and what type of tree. Our experimental drought tolerant trees need much less water than fruit trees, which may need watering occassionally for their whole lives.

RAINWATER HARVESTING
Author – Pacey and Cullis
Stuff on storing rainwater, building tanks etc., but with the addition of a good section on farming with runoff water in rural areas. Good for developing water strategies.

The plum trees are laden with tiny plums, including the row of plum suckers that we put in a few years ago not expecting them to fruit much if at all.

The two cherries in the gardens have some fruit for the first time, and we planted half a dozen more cherries each of the last 2 winters. Cherries are so good, and easy to sun dry for the winter, we should plant more trees this winter.

The raspberries that we transplanted into a bed in Sophie’s garden are covered in flowers. I wonder if we can take cuttings from them this autumn to make another bed. Raspberries must be one of my favourites.

And of course, the grapes are appearing on the vines now, as they grow, and strawberry flowers are starting to appear.

There are also plenty of other fruits appearing, nectarines, peaches, figs, apple and pear blossom, goji berries, cranberries, russian olives, loquats…. and I am bound to have forgotten some. Each year we get more fruit and more of the new ones come on stream for us. We must get a solar drier made, to make winter stores of all of this abundance.

CIDER
Author – A Proulx
New, revised and updated edition. Lots of information for the cider maker (includes vinegars and brandy).