We sow the seed, nature grows the seed…

Welcome back to Hen Corner!

Featured in Country Living Magazine

And, as Neil from The Young Ones says, ‘We eat the seed’, I guess this is showing my age… But as a food lover, my mouth was watering as I was working in the garden this afternoon, although the fruits of my labour won’t be ready to eat for many months yet…

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Pruning the Almond Tree

All back to work…

I can’t believe it’s been just five days since the children went back to school and I went back to work; the holidays seem so long ago already! Well, this afternoon brought a real treat; bright sunshine, albeit a bit chilly, and the opportunity to get ahead of the game with some gardening jobs. We have already pruned most of the fruit trees and bushes, but today was the turn of the almond, the loganberries and the grapevine. The almond tree is only a few years old and last years pruning resulted in around 80 perfect nuts, but, sadly, the London squirrels helped themselves to the lot before we got a look in. I do need to have a think about the squirrels but at the moment my priority is definitely trying to keep the chickens safe from the foxes. Last weekend we spent quite a bit of time repairing the fence between us and next door, the preferred route of the fox, but seeing him back in the garden this morning revealed that he has another easy access point under the fence closer to the house. Vigilance is key and, at the moment, we are only letting the girls out for a roam when we can see the whole garden clearly…

Sowing the Solanaceae

Come alive, sprout and thrive…

Today I brushed off my seed box and sorted out the Solanaceae; the family of plants that we often associate with the Mediterranean. Aubergines, Peppers, Chillies and Tomatoes (it sounds like a recipe for Ratatouille doesn’t it?) are quite simple to grow and the fruits shine out their bright colours through green foliage in high summer. These are always the first seeds sown here at Hen Corner and once established, in heated propagators or above radiators, make space for melons, squashes, and cucumbers.

I need to plan when and where to sow the Honey Bee Wild Flower Mix as I want to make sure that I’m doing all I can to help our bees this year. I wasn’t the best bee keeper in 2012  (although it was only my first year) and I’m keen to support them multiplying into two colonies and making lots of yummy honey!

Book of the Blog Post

RHS Allotment Journal: The Expert Guide to a Productive Plot

After a good start on the garden at the beginning of the year I’m going to dig out my RHS Allotment Journal that my little sister, Emma, bought me last year. It’s a great little book that outlines the top fruit and veg jobs, a seasonal recipe and general allotment reminders for each month. I’ve been using the notes pages throughout the year and can use it to learn what went well and how we can improve in 2013. Hopefully we’ll get some better weather which would be a starter to see improvements all round!

Other News:

• We we thrilled to receive Country Living Magazine through the door featuring Hen Corner as Country in the City.
• Sara was pleased to share her first year Bee Keeping stories with the delegates on the Introduction to Bee Keeping Course run by the Ealing Association
• There seems to be quite a bit of interest in our courses this year; some are nearly fully booked!

Jobs for next week:

• Start making new frames for the Beehaus ready for the Shook Swarm that we’ll do again in March
• Order some new jam jars from the team at French Flint
• Track down some Seville Oranges as it’s nearly Marmalade time!

Have a good week yourself…

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