Polytunnel Repairs

Autumn into winter. This morning was spent sorting out the polytunnel and mending holes before winter winds take hold and destroy the cover. The hole in this picture was actually made by a small rabbit which got stuck in the tunnel and ate his way out! It’s important to make sure the cover is clean and dry, inside and out, on the spot where you are sticking the repair tape, so try and pick a sunny day if possible to wash and dry each bit of damage. I like to stick tape on the outside first, then go inside and reinforce it.

Learnings:

• Give your polytunnel its annual MOT before winter sets in.

Moving Chickens

It’s time to sow seeds and I need the polytunnel back. No alternative but to move the chickens under cover outside. It’s still within the DEFRA rules so we are OK. Luckily the fruit cage netting isn’t in use so we draped it over an old tent frame and weighted it down with bricks. That combined with the lamb hurdles and some old scaffold netting saw the job done. They’re definitely not happy birds though – being able to see the grass and not get to all of it must be really frustrating.
Now to clean up the polytunnel. It took a good day’s work to move all the extra equipment out, put the soil back into the beds and hose it all down before moving all the horticultural gear back in. What a mess...you wouldn’t believe the dust! No slugs though haha!

Avian Flu Lockdown

We had to sort out a temporary home for our chickens because of the avian flu outbreak - DEFRA rules. They had been outside under a small net but it’s just so muddy and the net wasn’t big enough to give them room to live properly. Good job the polytunnel was empty, apart from the odd lettuce or two overwintering – now eaten! Let’s hope the lockdown doesn’t last too long as the heat and humidity which comes with longer and warmer days won’t do them any good.

Winter Lettuce, Oriental Leaves and Lambs

Taking some time outside just to have a look at what’s going on out there on the plot. Lambs are growing well. Is it my imagination or does Brownie always look up when I lean on the gate? 

Meantime in the polytunnel it’s lovely to see new crops growing and the bright green of these Cos lettuces have perked up an overcast morning. These were sown at the end of September but it’s not too late to sow winter leaves in the polytunnel or the greenhouse – seeds can be sown under cover at least a month after the last sowing date on the packet. Look for the packets that say "ready in 3-4 weeks" and try some mixed oriental leaves available from most of seed suppliers. These generally include Mustard, Mizuna and Rocket and have a lovely peppery taste. Don’t cut the whole plant but pick the leaves individually from January onwards (they take around 3-4 weeks) and you might get 2 or 3 pickings from each. Combine them with Cos or Little Gem lettuce leaves and eat with cheeses and pickles for lunch or wilt them down in a little butter as a hot veg with boiled spuds. Delicious!

Learnings & Tips:

*Don’t forget to sow winter crops in late Autumn in the Polytunnel: Salad leaves, oriental hot leaves, spring onions amongst others

*Polytunnel sowings can be done 4-6 weeks after the last sowing date on the packet at the end of the season, and 4-6 weeks earlier than the first sowing date at the beginning of the season.

The Quiet of Autumn

Just about had the last of the courgettes and beans and caught this cobweb at the top of the beanpoles this morning. One of those lovely, quiet mornings when you can feel the sun warming everything up. Time to harvest the rest of the tomatoes too. I’ve tried cutting off branches and hanging them upside down to ripen in the polytunnel but I have found it’s better to pick them all, bring them indoors (or into the potting shed) and ripen them off in trays. The red ones will ripen off the green ones eventually as they emit ethylene “the ripening gas”. They don’t give off huge amounts but it’s a naturally occurring process. Bananas on the other hand give off mega quantities of ethylene which is why you need to keep them separate from the rest of your fruit or it will all get squishy very quickly.

Learnings: The early bird catches the best cobweb photos