We are just on the edge of summer abundance, with a basket of veg coming out of the garden every day, but not yet enough to start preserving for the winter.
Tomatoes are starting to reach full size, but not yet ripening. When they do, it looks like we will be awash with them (hopefully).
We have been eating courgettes for a couple of weeks, although most plants are only just fruiting now. On sunday we hope to get an old window from the scrap yard to build a solar drier for the July and August bounty.
Cucumbers will be a while yet, as temperatures have only just reached the heights that they like. It still feels moderate to us, while visitors think it is very hot in the day.
Nasturtium flowers are adding a sweet spiciness to our salads.
Young runner beans are crispy but not stringy – wonderful.
We do not have so many strawberries this year, but still we are eating some every day.
Peppers and aubergines have some way to go. They like it HOT. The plants are growing quickly, and will fruit when temperatures go over 30 degrees consistently. We have 160 pepper plants in the gardens!
The wild leeks are flowering, attracting some weird and wonderful insects.
Several of my pumpkins are larger than footballs now – I hope to show them off in the village if they get big enough.
And the 3 sisters bed, with Trail of Tears beans, Hopi blue corn, and a few butternut squashes are looking really good.
Posted in: Gardens & Produce.
Jun 17th, 2010
by Kirsten.
Inga has made some new beds for herbs outside the pixie yurt which are looking lovely. Plus there is a new hammock on the terrace which makes it a perfect spot for a person who wants to get away from it all (and there are 11 of us on the quinta at that moment!)
Inga outside the Pixie Yurt with its new beds
A perfect spot
Posted in: Eco Camping & Yurt Rental, Gardens & Produce.
Jun 17th, 2010
by Kirsten.
Matt and Andy have been busy with this today, making sure that the water will drain into the new beds dug by Hedvig and Andrea. Our eco-friendly ionising capsules have arrived to help keep the pool clean. So it’s had a good clean and we should be back in it splashing around very soon.
New Shower Area
Posted in: Eco Camping & Yurt Rental.
Jun 14th, 2010
by Sophie.
Really want to make one of these for the yurt / camping area!
http://www.appropedia.org/HSU_Bike_powered_washing_machine
We’ve got the bike and the washing machine, just need some help to put them together! Any offers?
More pedal-powered technology at http://bikesnotbombs.org/app_tech
Posted in: Alternative Energy.
Jun 14th, 2010
by wwoofer.
Next to the “Kitchen Caravan” was an old, feral herbage bed. Originally intended to be used by passionated cookers, it was overgrown with weeds, wild flowers and grass.
For a herbs fancier like me an absolute no-go. Herbs need to have space to grow, a lot of sun, water und abundant manure.
No sooner said than done. After digging lots of weed roots out, dunging with rotten horseshit (a great manure!), watering the plants and renewing the border the herbage bed is totally revitalised.
Marjoram, mint, thyme and apple mint do grow now in a new glory. What a pleasure!
Inga
Posted in: WWOOF / Volunteers.
Jun 11th, 2010
by Sophie.
Anyone know what this beautiful beastie is (click on photo to enlarge) ?
Posted in: Bees, Animals & Wildlife.
Its in full bloom, simply spectacular:
Posted in: Gardens & Produce.
Just a few photos of the baby tomatoes and courgettes. We have loads of tomato plants in this year, of many different colours and varieties. Its exciting to see what shaped and coloured fruits appear.
We also have about 25 courgette plants, at various stages of development, hopefully giving us plenty over a long period of abundance.
Posted in: Gardens & Produce.
This pumpkin is already the size of a melon, and visibly growing with each day. I think it is a Big Max variety, that can grow to 500 kilos!
Posted in: Gardens & Produce.
