Willow Cloches

I have  these cloches for sale at The Green Barn Ringshall, well worth a visit for meat ,veg and other goodies, and also at Hadleigh Pet Foods along with the bird feeders. In the spring I will be running  workshops in how to make these and also the plant supports. The cloches are really useful on top of tubs to stop ducks and hens from trying to nest as well as protecting small plants from rabbits and deer, wrapped with fleece they offer some frost protection. They can be made to the dimensions of your container. We also have bark chippings to sell at the moment (see previous blog).

Oak Tree

When the oak trees leaves drop we know its time to start hedging and coppicing again.

Horse Pond

We decided as the water is still so low and the weather just perfect to start clearing around the pond. We need to get more sunlight onto the pond. and remove some of the larger more overgrown ash and willows . Two thirds of the base is solid made up of round flints and chalk. Up until about 60 years ago the horses that worked the farm would have come to drink here. The pond must be hundreds of years old. We are very lucky that Margaret who was born here in the 1930's, likes to visit and tell us some of the history of Bungeons Farm.

Chutney

I had forgotten how satisfying making chutney is , it is another form of alchemy ,all the stirring and bubbling, choosing the spices and grinding them, walking back into the kitchen and it all smells so exotic.Izzy is working on a new design for the labels then I can take the jars of chutney and quince jelly down to the butchers to be sold. They have sold all my honey for me, The first year the bees have paid for themselves.

We have resumed working on preparing the pottery workshop, Hopefully one day soon we can get our hands back into clay and start making pots.

Visits

I had a visit from Adam and we sat in the sun, listening to the combine and talking about the exchange trip he has just returned from in Kenya .http://www.sjlhskenyaexchange.weebi.co.uk  , they will be doing car parking again at Henham steam rally to raise funds to bring some African pupils and teachers to Beccles next summer.
Kathryn also joined us with a gift of willow they had just coppiced. Although not perfect for weaving with there was just enough bend to allow me to practice my basket making and play as well.

The bees do not like the api var 2 hives had covered the first strips completely with propolis and last night the third hive managed to get the strip out from on top of the brood box ,through the super and on to the front step. Bees are amazing .

Plant support day

The day started with a red sky and ended with thunder lightning and a downpour. After a late start due to sheep on the road we all got started . Some used the willow for uprights , others the hazel. After all had mastered the rose knot and got 3 rows of weaving around the base we stopped for lunch in the barn. Back to the garden to carry on weaving, damping the willow down as the sunshine and wind was drying everything out. By the end of the afternoon everyone had completed their support and hopefully learnt the techniques to have a go at home.

Barley Straw

Chris managed to get the barley straw baled, back home and stacked. He is now dodging showers and hoping to get a late cut of hay.This year the wasps are everywhere and spoiling the fruit if it is not picked fast enough. We have dug the potatoes and stored them in hessian sacks. It has been a very dry season. The purple pole beans are prolific and best of all they are stringless.The bush beans Cupidon bought from The Reel seed company also just keep producing I will definitely be saving some seed.
Today is willow weaving day, The sky is a fiery red as the sun is rising so I think we will be rushing into the barn at some point, we seem to have a pattern of wild rain on a Thursday.

Busy Times

We are now starting to prepare the bees for winter. We have finished taking honey and have topped and tailed , and put the feeders in place, We will then treat for varroa , at the moment we have 3 hives and 2 nucli. The wasps are becoming a nuisance and I have put traps out, if necessary we may have to restrict the entrances.

We have managed to get some hay cut and under cover and hope to bring the barley straw home soon. The vegetable garden is providing all our fruit and veg.I have got some summer wines glugging away and am starting to stock up with sugar and fruit in readiness for chutney making, There are already windfall apples to be gleaned.

swarms

It has been a busy time , I entered the honey show and won first prize for our gardeners/farmers handcream that we make and use it works well as a barrier cream and the honey helps to heal nicks and knocks. Our mead also received a highly commended. To celebrate the solstice we took soli to the sea near Southwold. I now have lots of birdfeeders , plant supports and cloches to sell made with the latest batch of willow. Some of the early potatoes have blight ,the more obscure older varieties bought from potato day, so I have cut the tops off in the hope of controlling it. In the garden there is loads of fruit and veg helped by the recent rains all of it needs to be picked for eating, storing or preserving The result of all this activity and unsettled weather meant the bees were overdue a visit and one hive responded by swarming. We housed the swarm in another brood box and when visited yesterday the queen was laying. The abundance of queen cells we found in the swarmed hive we put into the nuc box leaving 2 in the queennless swarmed hive, It is now a waiting game.

photos

Here are 2 photos taken by Julie web designer from clarus creative. The hen we thought the fox had taken , it was a great surprise to see her appear with 11 chicks which she took to the hen run, she flew over the 6 foot fence and then persuaded them to go through the chicken wire and is now settled in the hen house with them.

Honey Time

We have extracted the rape honey from the 2 hives and taken anothe super from hive 1 our stronger colony. I have put the supers out for the bees to clean up and this morning they were doing just that. I will put the supers into the freezer next to kill any wax moths that also like to make a home in the wax. Each batch of honey is very different in colour and taste. The last batch seems sweeter and has a citrus taste I think the bees found some lime trees, So far no queen cells to be seen.
In the garden the mizuna (salad leaves) and yellow podded climbing beans are the stars. The strawberry bed is giving us a pudding each evening and also feeding the fledgling blackbirds.

The willow has arrived so now to soak it and get weaving some more plant supports for next week.

Honey Time