Recycling and renewing
Last year's walnuts are eaten, the slugs have had, I hope, a difficult winter, the manure is all applied and Spring has nearly Sprung.
I am one of those people who finds it impossible to throw away things because they might 'come in useful'. Neither can I pass a skip without wondering what it might contain that could be used again. Fortunately, we have got space to store stuff in a yard and sheds and a reasonably tolerant wife.
After years of hoarding, at last I am harvesting some benefits. As sea salt expands it is time to smugly say 'we won't need to buy one of those - I'll bring one in'
So far I have provided:
- a full size steel shed 10 metres long that we dismantled 4 years ago and is now the cover for our new plant.
- loan of tractor, tools and 3 different trailers, one of which was salvaged from a collapsed trailer tent a few years ago.
- stainless steel fish fridges (from a little business we ran years ago called Mona Seafoods) which have been in store for 14 years in a shed. We needed stainless steel sheeting to go near an area of wall and after drilling out the rivets we have salvaged enough to re-use.
Odd things that have been brought home include:
- Scuffed plastic bins which now hold chicken food,
- Worn salt trays which now make superb oil drip trays under a vintage car and giant saucers for baby vegetable plants
- Old galvanized salt stands which make good apple storage units.
- A reject aquarium stand (from another past business) is now a good saw bench for the superb hardwood firewood that will be added to our web site in due course.
- Old seawater tanks which are used for rainwater harvesting and supply the garden even after a month with no rain.
Finally, we all make mistakes and one of ours was ordering some unsuitable new tubs for storing sea salt in. After a year in a shed they have proved to be ideal for raft building and the results of the trial voyage are on face book! We look forward to paddling to victory at the Menai Raft Race on June 6th
As this blog is about gardening it is fitting to end with a picture of the first lettuce harvest of the year - coming on really well thanks to the well rotted manure from my neighbour at Foel Farm. We're enjoying them served with a glug of fruity olive oil and a sprinkling of Halen Môn and our tortoises are appreciating the outer leaves as a change to dandelions.
Sea salt seaweed and asparagus
The first crop of the year is just coming through and if I hadn’t cut and eaten the asparagus I would take a photo.
The asparagus area was well fertilized with a lovely load of sea weed that was washed onto the seasalt approach road by a gale in the winter. It was spread on the soil and has now mostly broken down.
An interesting side benefit is that we are in a dry spell now and the seaweed that is left has gone ‘crispy’ and this allows the asparagus spears to come up but it deters the slugs. Would you crawl over crispy seaweed?
Talking of slugs it is that time of year where an onslaught is necessary to make sure we get the food and enjoy the flowers and not the slugs . Our slug spray is certainly providing a barrier notably with tender tulips where the tips are very succulent and attract every small slug on a damp evening. A 50% solution sprayed on and they just cant cling on to the plant.
At this time of year beer and fermented apple juice traps are very effective as well.