gyo Archives - The Smallest Smallholding

April 15, 2016 by Lucy

I would say that chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) are one of my staple food groups. Yes, it’s almost like a food in itself because I could eat chickpeas every which way quite happily. Whether it’s chana masala (one of my all-time favourite Indian dishes), falafel, that vegan God-send hummus, lemon chickpea cake or just chickpeas thrown into a shepherdess pie, chilli or one-pot meal, I just love them. And they’re so very good for me (and the baby). Win-win.

Although I can buy chickpeas fairly cheaply from the tinned basic range at my local supermarkets, or even cheaper dried (now they only take 40 mins or so from dried in my Instant Pot), I fancied doing something a little different this year and giving chickpeas a go in my mini kitchen garden.

They’re ideally suited to our sandy soil here in Bedfordshire, one of the driest regions of England, as they’re not hugely fussy about nutrient-rich soil and are relatively drought tolerant. And as they’re a legume, they also fix nitrogen into the soil, so another win-win for me. I’ve got some space left in the big plot, but I need to get my skates on and get the next no-dig plot (and polytunnel) ready for more crops!

A little space left for some chickpeas and interplanted ‘catch crops’

They like to be planted where they’re going to grow, so I’ll be sowing directly very soon now that the temperatures have risen and the soil is warmer. Once established, they’ll grow a canopy and help to suppress weeds underneath them… so less work for me, and a great addition to my no-dig methods.

But with our temperature climate, I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to harvest anything that I can dry and keep… we shall see. Chickpeas apparently like hot climates, so I may be left with immature, green but perfectly edible peas that need to be eaten like mange tout or petits pois instead. These can be blanched and frozen for later, but I’d prefer to be able to dry them and store them.

However, my biggest battle will be keeping our feathered and small furry friends at bay. Chickpeas, like any kind of bean or legume, will be an attractive prospect for little nibblers, so I’ll have to keep them under a small fortress to start with. Wish me luck!

Foundations for a bigger, better year

January 5, 2015 by Lucy

I turned 32 years old on New Year’s Eve and the next day, it was a fresh new start as we welcomed in 2015. Last year was so hard in many ways – so much anxiety, stress and the feeling of hopelessness and being out of control. I’m really hoping that 2015 is a different kettle of fish. More proactivity, more progress. And more smiling.

This year I’ve decided to invest more in my Smallest Smallholding, and in myself. Gardening and growing has become a bit of a soul saver for me and with Rich’s growing interest (no pun intended) in our little patch of Bedfordshire, we’ve found our feet a bit more I think. Just generally, in life as well. I feel like we’ve got a bit more direction and a plan and this year, the stalemate that we’ve been in where it’s the same old rubbish day in, day out might finally end. The dark nights have been a trial of sorts, and I’m really looking forward to enjoying spring and being able to feel the sun on my skin again.

Speaking from a completely horticultural point of view, my first big change and investment is in my soil. It’s always been a bit crap. A bit undernourised and struggling to keep up with the strain I put on it by growing plants, fruits and vegetables. I realise now through my reading on permaculture and no-dig approach about just how much strain I’ve been putting on it, whilst expecting great results from my produce. So I’ve really gone back to basics even more this year and brought in lots of compost.

For my birthday, I was lucky enough to receive lots (and lots!) of gardening vouchers, which meant that instead of waiting for my compost heaps to be ready, I could get in early and take advantage of the £2.99 reduction on Horizon organic peat-free compost. I’d done a bit of research and it’s scored really well in a number of growing trials, and with a 3 for 2 promotion on the bags, I used my vouchers to really stock up.

But I won’t dig the compost in. I’ll simply leave it on my veg plots and let the worms and other soil dwellers take care of it for the time being whilst I focus on getting my shit together in other departments, like my greenhouse, polytunnel, pruning, learning, sowing. I am determined to get the polytunnel up and in working order this year. Our biggest problem is time and 2015 has got to be The Year That Lucy Got Her Polytunnel Up and Running.

My vouchers also enabled me to buy my first ever heated propagator. No more late sowing of chillies and peppers for me! All these little steps I’ve been taking signify a change and more proactiveness. Last year I almost lost my balance completely. This year, I’m building deeper, more solid foundations so that I can stand more solidly.