THE RETURN!

   Well my apologies for not keeping up with my blog over the last three months. What with computer issues and illness it has been a difficult time for me. I have been receiving treatment for follicular lymphoma and I am nearing the end of the course of treatment. I have been declared in remission and boy do I know that I am well again. Energy and enthusiasm have returned. This type of cancer is slow to develop and I did not realise how much it had taken out of me over the last  year or so. Anyway lets play catch up!

   My last blog was on the 7th October 2016. That means there are a good number of weeks to catch up on but during several of those weeks nothing much had been done. Looking at the back end of October garlic was planted (which I fear has not put down roots and may have rotted), volunteer Violet potatoes dug and the tree onions sorted and planted  (which have suffered with the very cold weather but hopefully will recover as it gets warmer). The 2016 season has seen a wonderful crop of Touchon carrots. Must have done something right. I managed to grow a succession of these carrots and now at the end of January 2017 I am about to dig up the last of them. The picture is but small sample of the beautiful large,

Touchon Carrots

sweet Touchon carrots that have been pulled. At the very end of October I sowed a small quantity of broad beans which now in January 2017 are up and mostly looking good despite the cold weather.
   Moving onto November 2016 I was cutting cauliflower which were ok but not the best I have grown. In the poly tunnel the jalapeno peppers have done well and I will grown them again. The beds were cleared and top dressed. The grass, much to my horror, continued to grown well into November and with the weather being wet it was difficult to cut so the grass got left and during a more dry spell I had to cut it with the bush wacker. So ends 2016.
  Now into January 2017 the weather is cold and frosty. Parsnips, green swede, leeks and cabbage are being harvested along with the Touchon carrots. As the weather permitted beds were cleared and wheel barrows of manure put onto a couple of beds. I have even managed to start weeding in preparation for sowing the onions and shallot sets. In the front of my house an area that had been allowed to get very overgrown with brambles and self seeded plum trees has now been cleared.
   So in brief that brings me up to date. I have purchased seed potatoes (Belle de Fontenay, Anais, Desiree and Cherie. Run Sun shallot sets and Sturon onion sets have also been bought. 

First blast of winter

   I woke up on the morning of the 7th October to see a heavy frost. So that is it then. Winter is knocking on our door. That frost has finished off the squash, courgettes and the noire crimee tomatoes. That pretty much draws this season to a close. It has been a difficult one, certainly the most difficult in the six years I have been growing vegetables in France. The year started out ok but the long spell of dry hot weather just about stymied everything. Looking back to 2015 up to the end of October I was picking tomatoes! Through out this year everything has been two weeks early. Still, despite the frost the sun is shinning albeit on the cooler side.

Frost!

   In the poly tunnel the tomatoes are more or less finished, just a few stragglers.  The chrystal cucumber has been cleared and the tomatoes sorted out with just a few stragglers that may or may not ripen. Japepeno peppers are still  growing and some are going red! The autumn lettuce looks good as does the beetroot.
   Outside the poly tunnel my bantam corn has produced cobs but i fear they will not now have time to ripen. The winter leeks are set as are my small patch of winter cabbage. I have some lettuce that I hope will stand a reasonable frost. Time will tell! The autumn cauliflowers are small but least I will get something. The yellow haricots has been frosted and I do not think I will get anything more from them. Still, I was surprised to get anything considering how late they were sown. Sweet peppers have also been frosted. They have been a disappointment among many this year. Among the courgettes and squashes, now well and truely dead, there are a few volunteer purple potato plants that I hope to get at least a breakfast from! The carrots are standing well as are my few salad type onions that I was determined were going to get to a point that I could eat them. Apples were a bit of a  disappointment despite a good start. The one tree that looks like it may produce a few apples is the late ripening variety but I fear there will be few.
  On the animal from the sheep are now back to eating grass and the rams and ewes are well separated. Unfortunately we lost two Ixworth hens to what we believe was a fox and the remaining two hens and two cockrals are in a secure enclosure. The rest of the flock are not laying well and I obtained two sussex and a cuckoo maran for free with the hope that the egg count can be improved.  A more secure enclosure for them is under construction.

Short tale

   First sorry that there was not a post last week. There was not a lot to say and I was otherwise occupied! So, to catch up.
   On the animal front quite a bit has been going on. We lost two chickens to what we believe was a fox. All that was left was a pile of feathers. This means we are four hens down! As you can realise egg production has fallen right off. Lucky to get two eggs a day! As it happens I was arranging to get some Ixworth hens. Large utility birds with the intention of replacing  our older generics. I have managed to get six birds but at least one is a cockerel and probably a second is too. If there are two then one will go to the pot I am afraid. These Ixworths are true to their breed so we are going to try to bred them next spring. Good layers and also a good meat bird. The coqs can be over four kilos in weight. The two acquired chicks are now integrated into the flock but I fear they are bantam size birds. Our Perdue cockerels will love them no doubt. Man! All the plans of mice and men. All quiet on the sheep front.
   In the poly tunnel all is quiet. Still picking some tomatoes and Chrystal Apple cucumbers but they are coming to an end. Lettuce and beetroot is growing well. Jalapeno peppers are still being produced and I am leaving them to go red. In the outside garden the rain has helped to buck everything up and the grass is growing, darn it! I am picking large juicy Noire Crimee (Crimea) tomatoes and the leeks and cabbage are looking like they will do something. Courgettes are pretty much ended and it is will soon be time to pick the butternut and buttercup squash. There are some poor excuses for a cauliflower and the sweet peppers have been a complete disaster.

Well, it got through the drought!

   So here we are once more at the start of October. The wood for the winter has been delivered and stacked and we have even had a fire or two in the cooler evenings. Days are short and there is, as always, more to do than time to do it.

Ha! It would, wouldn't it!

Giant Squash (yes it is called that!)

       As is the way of things as soon as I post that the drought is starting to cause real concern it rains and the right sort of rain too. Steady and gentle and lots of it! About twenty four hours worth. A few of the water butts filled up so that shows how much rain fell. Everything is the better for it. Mind you it has increased the activity of the feathered fiends.
    On the animal front the rams are now more interested in the ewes than eating! The ewes are as hungry as ever. The chickens are being chickens and egg laying is not so sporadic as it was. Still not as many as I would like. New birds coming in next week so two or three of our current hens will have to go.
   In the poly tunnel somehow the tomatoes are hanging in there and I am still picking Gardeners Delight, Millefleur, Black Crimea and one or two Ethel Watkins best. The crop has been better than I feared although the end is in sight. More beetroot has been planted out along with some autumn/winter lettuce plants bought from the local market. The jalapeno peppers continue to produce well and they are hot I am told.
   In the outside garden I have managed by hook or crook to get some haricot buerre. Two pickings made at least another to go. With this rain maybe more. It will depend on the temperature. The winter cabbage has picked up although the original planting out has been demolished by the chickens. Summer cabbage (what summer cabbage?) is likely to produce enough for one meal. The autumn cauliflowers look sad but who knows! Swedes are swelling and again with the rain the parsnips should be ok. Hope so as they did really look good at one point. I continue to surprise myself with the Touchon carrots. They are large! I do not think  have ever had such a good crop of carrots. The autumn sowing is pathetic with very few germinating. Seed germination has been a real problem this year. The courgettes are coming to an end, both round and straight. They have done well. The aubergines has been a disaster. Butternut and buttercup squash looks good, least there will be some. As you can see from the photo the Giant squash is giant! The apple crop this year despite a lot of promise in the spring is very disappointing. The drought and then insects has destroyed most of the apples that set. I noticed too that the blackbirds are taking an interest in the grapes!
   As I write this there are clouds in the sky and it is cool. Fingers crossed that the average day temperature will remain above ten degrees centigrade. That will give the grass a chance to grow. It should do for a few more weeks.

Desperation is creeping in

   The weather continues to be dry although the temperature has fallen a little and there has been some cloud cover but no rain. I am please about the clouds. They enabled me to shift this years wood delivery without loosing too much bodily fluid! Mind you a pint of shandy afterwards helped to put the balance back!
   On the animal front the sheep are having to be fed hay every day. The chickens are being chickens and the chicks are becoming more independent.

2016 Wood delivery

   Despite the weather I am still picking tomatoes from inside the poly tunnel and of course, jalapeno peppers! Other than that the Black Crimea tomatoes that I have nurtured outside are doing well and I am picking a tomato from the vines most days. All the other outside tomatoes have now died off. A poor year despite a lot of promise at the beginning. The rats have finished off my "animal" sweet corn and I am now looking at the Bantam sweet corn as it comes in flower and cobs start to set. I am determined to get to them before they do! What is the betting that they will not 

Throwing the wood over the fence!

Hen laying her egg

like that sweet corn? I am still digging up carrots of a good size and I have to admit that they have been watered quite regularly.
 The lettuce I bought from the local market a couple of weeks ago, despite being watered, from a growing point of view has just stood still. It seems to be going no where. The squash is maturing well and the giant squash is getting bigger and bigger! Looks more like a pumpkin that a squash. The parsnips look a little tired and they have been watered but not so regularly. Hopefully they will pull through and I will get some. The winter cabbage looks drought struck with very pale almost blue looking coloured leaves a sign of lack of water. One advantage of the drought - no grass cutting!

Drought

Noire (Black) Crimee (Crimea) tomatoes

    In the department of the Creuse the authorities have now declared a drought and that people must restrict their use of fresh water. Not surprising really. My neighbour says that it has been over seventy six days since it rained in any significant amount. The garden and fields reflect this. The picture opposite is an exception. These tomatoes I have been looking after, protecting them from the chickens and regularly watering. They are rewarding me with a good crop of nice sized fruits, deep almost black in colour, hence their name, Black Crimea. The Crimea was were they were found and I think I am right is saying it was not that long ago. Anyway elsewhere in the outside garden I have also been nurturing some haricot buerre and they are showing small yellow beans. I have managed to keep the chickens off these too unlike my poor sweet peppers that have been devastated by the chickens. I have a couple of Giant squash (variety Giant Squash!!) and they are giant! Autumn cauliflower and winter cabbage are hanging in there but really do not look happy as do most of the winter leeks. I continue to harvest round and straight courgettes and it looks like this year there is not going to be an excess. My early sown rows of carrots are being harvested and look very good. I cannot remember ever having so many long fat carrots! 
  In the poly tunnel the jalapeno peppers are cropping well and the report is that they are hot, hot, hot! Chrystal Apple cucumber continue to crop but are coming to an end as are most of the tomatoes. There is a good bed of beetroot growing away and I am hopeful that there will be fresh beetroot later in the autumn. 
  On the animal front the ram lambs have been separated from their mothers as we are now coming into the time of year when the ewes come into season. We do not want lambs this year and are making every effort to make sure they do not happen! Our two chicks have now joined the flock and are roosting with them along with mother hen. They are some eight weeks old and are growing fast. The hens are still laying  outside the coop and only about half of them are laying. A cull is really needed and replacements sought. The poor ducks are molting and look like a moth eaten carpet. Lots of feathers in their enclosure.
   With September upon me it is time to start thinking about next season and what needs to be done in preparation. Only seems like yesterday that I was planning for this season.

   

Brown grass and dry soil

Brown grass

   So where is the rain? No where to be seen. It continues to be dry and the fields are now brown and parched. The sheep are finding it hard to find forage and I am now starting to give them some hay. The ducks are fine and the chickens are trying to find any green stuff they can. They love the sweet pepper leaves and make a real effort to break into the area where they are growing. There are not many leaves left on them now! The chicks are now nearly eight weeks old and being on the small side they are sneaking into places I would rather they did not.
   In the outside garden watering is a priority to keep plants alive let alone trying to get them to grow. The main tomato patch is an area of desert with few tomatoes and no healthy plants at all. Even so I am picking a few tomatoes. I have a little patch of six noire crimee tomatoes that I have been looking after and they have a good crop of good sized tomatoes on them. The chickens, I am sure, are eyeing them up! Courgettes continue to crop well and the squash is looking good. They too are being watered every day. Just a very small patch of potatoes left to dig up and that will be the end of the potato crop. Not the best this year but reasonable. Outside cucumbers are now finished. I have started to pull up carrots and they are really good. A home grown carrot really does taste good. Rats have destroyed my "animal" sweetcorn, not a great loss as far as I am concerned. I have just started to water the Bantam sweet corn in an effort to get something out of it. The haricot buerre are in flower and I am hopeful for a reasonable late crop of yellow haricots. In the poly tunnel Wautoma cucumbers are finished and the Chrystal Apple cucumbers are producing well but are coming to an end. The tomatoes despite blight are managing to produce a reasonable amount of fruit. I picked the first Jalapeno peppers and the feedback is that they are HOT!  Have to laugh. All the melons have now been picked and are being eagerly consumed in this hot weather. There is a growing number of empty beds.
  Autumn and winter crops are looking very sad. Cauliflowers and leeks are stunted. The cabbage is growing but looks like it could do with a good soaking of rain to green up the leaves. No sign of turnips yet. I am hoping for some rain but the forecast is not looking good. It will get cooler but no significant rainfall.