I’ve never grown winter veg, so this is going to be an experiment.
I’ve gone for the scatter-gun approach and bought a pack of anything that can be sown in September or October. Including some vegetables I’m famous for hating – though I’m trying to work through my food issues as best I can.
It was also a good way to learn the French names for some of the less common vegetables.
And I must start work on that field soon, or I’ll have no-where to sow these.
Gifts from a neighbour
:: Many congratulations to Lucy who is now, officially, a professional pâtissière! The exam sounds terrifying…
:: I love seeing London through the eyes of tourists 
Lovely photos from a lovely blog.
:: This is so true! The chocolate aisles are amazing but far too tempting. I just have to skip them altogether 
Instead we go to see the cheese…
:: An amazing kitchen makeover! Not to everyone’s taste, but I think it’s FAB. Especially love how so much of it has been recycled from other people – one person’s trash is another’s treasure, right?
:: Fig, Apricot and Marscapone Tart -yes please! I’m sure there’s a fig tree in the village that would give us a hand with this.
:: I REALLY want sushi after seeing this review.
:: How to save tomato seeds – helpful next year, I think.
:: This would be perfect for lunch or dinner right now. I love Ottolenghi. It’s just criminal to put the oven on at the moment.
Hope you are all having a great weekend!
Bake
xoxo
So, err, after many years of reading books and growing a few vegetables in the back garden, now it’s time to try and grow a serious amount of food.
This is the field we have been very kindly loaned. It’s the first half of the land you see in this photo. I measured it on Google Maps a while back, and came up with a 3rd of an acre, but I think I need to check that again.
This needs a ‘little’ work
It needs cleaning up, along with the adjacent river/stream. It needs fencing, and a bridge, and water storage, and many other things. But mostly it needs planning.
As the land is only on loan, we’ll be sticking to growing annuals which in some ways is a shame, but for now it’s simpler to plan and easy to adapt.
I will certainly keep you posted.
Don’t panic.
That’s just a note to myself.
Shake out.
While we’re camped out at my parents home getting ready for the big move, I was feeling a bit tetchy that a growing season was underway and I was without seedlings, my greenhouse or any soil to call my own.
So I’ve rounded up a few empty pots, nabbed some space on the patio and bought a few plants from the local garden centre. This isn’t exactly self-sufficiency, but it’s a token effort in the right direction and it makes me feel a whole load better.
We’re looking forward to a few courgettes, tomatoes, peas, chilli, strawberries and leeks.
Shake out.