All Quiet on the Vegetable Front

Apparently at this time of year I should be experiencing a glut of veg from my ‘harvest’. But for me, it was more of an experimental year at the Smallest Smallholding. The quality of my soil was so poor, I wasn’t sure anything would be able to grow, and so didn’t really plan the seaon too well at all. And so I find myself in mid-August with one bed completely vacant, one with only Excalibur parsnips growing, and the remaining plot newly planted with Autumn King and Chantennay carrots (sowing was late, but I thought hell, I’ll give it a bash and all seems to be going well so far), some chives and mixed leaf salads to make up the space. So I think I’m going to have to get going with my overwintering crop plan.

So whilst everyone else seems overrun, it’s just a little bit too quiet here at the moment. Well, was a bit quiet – two days ago I picked up my FREE greenhouse. It’s a good size too – 6′ x 8′. There are a couple of panes of glass missing (plus we managed to break a few in transit), but they should be pretty cheap to replace. I managed to get the greenhouse free through an initiative known as Freecycle. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s basically a global organisation with branches all over the joint – there are at least three local to me – where you can post for wanted items or something you no longer need but don’t want to take to the tip. It really is the ultimate in recycling. So when there was a post for a greenhouse, I mailed the guy saying “oh yes please!” and explaining why I could really do with one. Well you can imagine my delight when he emailed back asking when I could come and collect it. It’ll make a big difference next year, as I was previously using with one of those useful (but small) plastic mini-greenhouses, and cramming it to the rafters with my seedlings.

So we spent 4 hours yesterday in the pissing rain putting the frame up and making sure I’d dug out enough room in the corner of the Smallest Smallholding, conveniently next to some existing veg patches (but check out my expansion plan for the next growing season). Luckily Simon, the bloke I got the greenhouse from, also managed to pull up the wooden base it was sited on, so we’ve got to stake that back in the ground, put some sort of base down, whack the glass back in, put some guttering in (have also done a ‘wanted’ post on Freecycle for a waterbutt, currently awaiting replies), and see how I go! Owing to the success with his gate, Rich has offered to make me some greenhouse staging – says it should be ‘easy!’.

Alas, it’s pissing it down with rain again. So I think I ought to get on with those crop plans…