Introducing Harriet the horsebox
We’re into the final stages of readying Harriet the horsebox to welcome visitors, and it is always those last details that take forever to complete. Our truck house was home for so long, and in it’s new incarnation, refitted with reclaimed materials and things that we have collected along the way, it is a really lovely place to spend time in.
Summer harvest
The runner beans are now so tall that we are picking them with a ladder, although they are dwarfed by the winter squash, which still threatens to take over the entire west end of the polytunnel. Courgettes are featuring heavily on the menu too, and we are discovering...
Electric Daisies strike again
The humble Electric Daisy strikes again. John decided to give them a go, and his expression says a lot about the effects that this most enervating little flower can have – Step 1 – Yes, I can feel something is happening…. Step 2 – Yes,...
Small solar PV
One of the most common questions people ask when they see our little PV setup is ‘what will it power?’, and the answer is always a bit vague, because I know people are hoping that those little panels might be what they need to disconnect from the grid and...
Forest Gardens
Martin Crawford’s forest garden is truly an amazing thing, and we hope to visit one day. Enjoy.
GIY gathering
This week we hosted a GIY get together, before which we had to undertake some serious tidying, as nature has been busy in the last few weeks. The sun shone, and some 20 people came and we spent a very pleasant evening swapping plants, stories and cake....
Midsummer
Midsummer is already upon us, and to mark the occasion, we have erected our own standing stone, which looks toward the mountains with which it shares its roots. We will mark important occasions through the year with a circle of stones. The granite here weathers...
Loo with a view (and a living roof)
When we moved in to Lackan Cottage Farm a year ago, we inherited a variety of concrete and tin sheds, none of which were (or are) terribly pretty. Eventually we’ll replace or clad them all in timber, and we decided to make a start with the outside toilet. We...
Horses and permaculture
I’ve been fortunate enough to be around horses for 30 years now, and very early on, decided that horses would be my career. I’m ashamed to say that it is only now that I am getting to grips with pasture management. From a permaculture point of view,...
Life in the tunnel
At long last all the beds in the big polytunnel are filled, and I think we officially have the oddest tunnel layout in the land. The centre beds with a circular path and keyhole beds in the corners are designed to maximise the available edge in the tunnel, and...