More Peppers

A Mammal's Notebook

"My only nourishment consists of food that is white: eggs, sugar, shredded bones, the fat of dead animals, veal, salt, coco-nuts, chicken cooked in white water, mouldy fruit, rice, turnips, sausages in camphor, pastry, cheese (white varieties), cotton salad, and certain kinds of fish (without their skin).
I breathe carefully (a little at a time) and dance very rarely. When walking I hold my ribs and look steadily behind me.
I sleep with only one eye closed, very profoundly."

Erik Satie 'A Mammal's Notebook'

Slim Pickings

It's a disappointing year for tomatoes in my back yard. They started looking sorry for themselves quite early on and that caused me to get cross with them. So I punished them by cutting short their water rations... Anyway, very few fruited in the greenhouse (yellowhouse) before I removed them completely but some of the outdoor ones are beginning to produce now so all is not lost. It's a mystery because under the same conditions in the same soil the peppers have flourished (and continue to) and yielded bumper harvests. Possibly the pot size?

I Heard an Owl...

Walking back from the pub last night through the remains of the Great North Wood we saw two short-eared owls - about 30 feet above us, mesmerized by M.'s bright torch. The calls that we initially heard were the squawking sounds that follow the hooting on this RSPB webpage. I notice that the Wildlife Trust runs a night time 'nature prowl' there on August 26th. But for great owl watching go HERE.

August

"Sow the principal spring crops this month. Cabbages and endive are best sown early in the month, and cauliflower and lettuce towards the end. Sow giant rocca and tripoli onions (to stand the winter), hardy green-top stone and orange jelly turnip, and a final sowing of winter spinach."
The Horticultural Notebook J.C.Newsham 1914


Outside I've just sown Purple Top Milan, Japanese Hinona Kabu and Golden Ball turnips and Green Meat Daikon radish.

Name That Nutrient Deficiency

Certain of my dwarf beans are looking a bit peak-ed and yellow round the gills. Please lend your help by participating in the poll below so that I can nurse them back to tip-top condition.

Identify the Nutrient Deficiency
	Nitrogen
	Potassium
	Magnesium
	Manganese
pollcode.com free polls

Three Months On

Portraits of the five that have reached adolescence - two elegantly bouffanted Cream Legbars, one Rhode Island Red Soup Rooster, one Barnevelder and one Buff Orpington. They have outgrown their cradle and their three big ugly stepsisters still won't let them roost in the loft so they are sleeping in the nest boxes for now. Click to enlarge.

Sunday Peppers

A - Pasillo Bajio, B - Chinese Five Colour (just like it says on the pack), C - Paradicson Alaky Sarga Szentes, D - Serrano Tampequino, E - Hungarian Hot Wax, F - Anaheim

Bee-clothed

More pictures of China's BeeMan contest here.
Our bees have settled in and are very active foraging right now, but it's a small colony and we will probably have to feed them to get their stores sufficiently built up for the winter.

Stop the Rot

"The decay usually makes it's appearance in the form of a spot on the surface of the fruit. This should be scooped out and the hole filled with plaster of Paris formed into a paste to the consistency of thick cream by the addition of water.This will set quite firm and arrest further decay. The contents of the fruit-room should be examined at least once a week."
The Horticultural Notebook J.C.Newsham 1914

Advice on Pruning

"Ye should prune and train wall-trees like the ribs of a skreen fan or ye fingers of a hand displayed." Anon. c.1700

*A very thorough book on the history and art of Verdant Sculpture can be accessed on-line by following the links at Hooting Yard.

Potato Blossom

Variety of colour in the flowers of potato No.21 - John Tom Kaighin x Negro y Azul.

Image Recognition

In order to track down Jeremy's forgotten cucumber (see comments below) I have employed Google's new image search tool. I just drag and drop my cucumber photo into the search window and - hey presto! Click on image to enlarge.

Cool as a . . .

"In the time of our English George the First , a want of courage was popularly imputed to tailors, insomuch that nine of these pusillanimous worthies were needed to make one man; and, as report went, 'Tis the opinion of our curious virtuosos that their lack of bravery ariseth from the immoderate eating of Cucumbers, which too much refrigirate their blood.' "
Meals Medicinal W.T.Fernie

Mud Poultices

After a full season of beelessness, this evening we housed a nucleus in our chicken-loud glade. And I got stung thrice on the head for my trouble. I remember my first ever sting when I was about five and by way of a remedy my mother pressed a spoonful of mud on it - a sort of poultice to draw the poison out. Unfortunately I didn't remember until a long while after I was set upon - too late to find out whether it's effectiveness wasn't largely dependent upon the presence of mother.

"Restore the Honour of the Cucumber!"

"We need to restore the honour of the cucumber."
Spanish delegate Fransisco Sosa Wagner to the the EU Parliament

Blue Pod Capucijners

Q departed Thursday, and just now the peas that I had hoped we would be eating during her stay are beginning to form. It rained today!

Tonight @ The Horse Hospital

We rescued one (stag beetle) from the water butt Tuesday.

The Drought of 2011

Less than 10% of the average rainfall for April following March with only 20% of the average and now a very dry May has meant that I've spent many an hour watering in my crops. The ground is bone dry everywhere else and much of the landscape around the South East is brown at the edges. Today they promise a shower. On the up side, slugs have not been a problem so far this year.

Six Chicks

They are two weeks old now (this picture was taken 8 days ago) and have their wing feathers. I'm certain that one Rhode Island Red is a male and possibly one Cream Legbar is of that persuasion. I don't like to count my chickens even after they've hatched but it looks like we have at least four future egg layers. Many an hour can be lost watching these little fluffballs. Official portraits soon.