As Christmas edged ever closer, and with the British Larch cladding and roofing membrane now on, it was time to battle November’s almost constant rain and wind to get water tight before the snow.
Continue readingAuthor Archives: paulrainger
Season’s Greetings from The Secret Acre
Meet the new Barn, same as the old Barn – Part 4, Larch Cladding
With the structural frame of walls and roof safely constructed, it was time for the cladding and roofing membrane.
Like the pig sties, we again used British Larch cladding supplied by Vastern Timber, which had recently arrived across the fields.
Continue readingMeet the new Barn, same as the old Barn – Part 3, Structural Integrity
With a level baseplate constructed, the structural frame could start to be built, and the shape of the old barn began to re-emerge from the ashes of its demolition.
Continue readingMeet the new Barn, same as the old Barn – Part 2, Second Foundation
Having safely demolished the old barn, and removed the asbestos, before it fell down, it was time to start preparing the foundations.
Since preparation is key, the first act was actually to install a new field gate in the paddock to allow access to get materials deliver to site.
Continue readingMeet the new Barn, same as the old Barn – Part 1, Gone!
Last year, we rebuilt the pig sties, turning them into useful sheds.
This year we are tackling the Barn, which has miraculously survived the last two winters without falling down completely, although we did lose part of the roof.
Continue readingHere come the Crops
And we say, it’s all right.
Despite the Climate Change driven drought, summer abundance arrived at The Secret Acre.
It all made for a busy July and August, along with the usual influx of willing helpers at the start of the school holidays.
Continue readingHow it’s going on the Veg Patch
Here’s a quick pictorial catch up of how it’s going on The Secret Acre Veg Patch after our unexpected slow start to the year.
Overall, things have caught up pretty well considering our chaotic spring, and garlic, field beans, salads, strawberries and red currents are all ready to start to harvest.
Continue readingGood Things Come to Those who Plant
Last year we created an asparagus bed by the greenhouse, planted up with a mixture of purchased crowns, as well as some plants grown from seed by Emma the year before in preparation.
As the RHS advises, new asparagus plants take a couple of years to settle in before you can start harvesting, so patience is required initially.
Continue readingNitrogen Fixing Root Nodules
Last year we wrote about our Field Bean Experiment.
Inspired by results from Garden Organic, we allowed a section of our Green Manure Field Beans to grow on as an edible alternative to Broad Beans, and also to seed save for replanting this year.
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