Forward planning

Its been great here tonight, I managed to get a load of gardening done, watering all the plants takes about an hour with the hosepipe. Good job we collect hundreds of gallons from the stream everyday. I have been known to leave the tap on accidentally overnight to discover over 500 gallons of water has drained into the potato beds. That and the liberal helpings of Williams pooh might explain why my potato plants are now over three feet high.

I also managed to weed most of the beds, this aspect of gardening is made much easier by planting the crops a hoe width apart. Its great to see so many of our plants doing so well, the peas, sweetcorn, sprouts, squash, spuds, pumpkin, courgette and onions are flourishing. The cucumbers and cauliflowers are OK, but just like my school report often said, could do better. For some reason the cucumbers look like they are dying and the cauliflowers don't seem to want to grow. I suspect club root. I of course have no real idea and the book only mentions club root as something you should avoid, but doesn't really tell me much more. Apparently burying a chunk of rhubarb under the plant deters it. Failing that rhubarb water might solve it. I have yet to discover how to make aforesaid water but I do know clubroot hates the smell of it which doesn't bode well given my capacity for accidents.

The green houses are being productive, one has salad planted and we have enough for several meals this weekend, the tomatoes are flowering so hopefully will start fruiting. Even the grape vine is producing grapes. OK I lie, its gone out of control again and you need a machete to clear a path if you try to get past the doorway. I have given up trying to get in, there are too many other jobs to do without engaging in battle with an out of control vine. For all I know there are wild animals lurking in the greenery. The grape to foliage ratio is not very impressive anyway so struggling to retrieve the two grapes we have so far discovered requires too much effort and will not yield a very successful vintage.

It was very relaxing in the garden, listening to the heavy breathing of the Bernese Mountain Dogs waiting patiently by the garden gate, the melodic sounds of the birds singing in the trees and the deep rumbling sound which initially I mistook for an earthquake but turned out to be four Berkshire Pigs snoring their snouts off by the trough after a particularly large dinner. I have not gardened before, other than a few cress seeds scattered on cotton wool on the windowsill I have never grown anything before. Faced with a vegetable plot the size of Rock HQs was a daunting prospect but it can be managed provided you never ever let your mind think about how big the job ahead actually is. If you do that you are doomed, frozen into inaction by the enormity of the task. So I break it down into small bits, one bed at a time, and now all the beds are either full of plants or ready for whats in the greenhouse to be put out.

One thing I did allow myself to day dream about while out manfully tilling the soil was the little calf pictured above. Our plan to get some Dexters is gathering pace, more sales of my toy soldiers on ebay have yielded enough cash for the back half of the little cutie, I mean beef calf which as you can see the calf is only knee high.

How sweet is that, a miniature cow!

I mean great potential for steak.

After all it wont be a pet.