It's been a while since my last post. Quite a few things have happened since then, the most amazing of which was the arrival of Kalina, in mid-July. Since then the plot has taken a bit of a back seat while we learn how to feed, clean, clothe and entertain a newborn who doesn't sleep! It's a steep learning curve, but we're getting there.
On the spud front, I managed, over a period of a week, so dig what potatoes there were. We ended up with a couple of bags of Annabelle and one of Sante. Disappointing to say the least. The soil doesn't help, as I am sure with deeper soil we would have had more than one or two tubers off each plant. There are parts of the plot I need to leave covered permanently I think, things just don't grow. On a more positive note, the raspberries have been doing really well, the variety 'Polka' that we have yields huge long mulberry-like fruits which are sweet and delicious. The French beans have been dreadful, again, and the celeriac is eaten to pieces. I've put a few cabbages on now, to try and keep the soil busy over the winter, but the weather has been so crap I still have half the plot to get ready before winter.
The bees have been doing odd things too, and getting to see them has proved awkward. So much rain, then a tiny window of opportunity (missed by me) and then rain again. Both hives appear to have superseded their queens, which has scuppered my chances of breeding from the good queen next spring, but both also seem to be laying ok, despite the weather and the lateness of the season. So far I have had around 150lb of honey, with several supers to go. So comparable with last year and a good harvest.
It will be Michaelmas in a few weeks. The end of the year in farming terms, a time to reflect on what grew well, what we did well, what didn't come off and what we might do next year. It's already time to plant the winter onions and think about what varieties of garlic we need. I'd like to cook something special for Michaelmas; not a goose, but something traditional, to celebrate. Anyone any ideas?
