The Onion & Potato Harvest

Posted on September 15, 2016 by paulrainger

Another quick update from the veg patch. Our onion and potato harvests were in recently.

The onions were most satisfying, because they are another of those vegetables that we never bothered growing before, when we were container growing in a small city backyard.

The potatoes were more of a relief. We had always grown a sack or two of potatoes in the backyard. A regular and reliable staple. But now, properly in the soil for the first time, they looked decidedly less healthy, and we were worried they had failed. Continue reading →

Torpedoes Ahoy!

Posted on September 11, 2016 by paulrainger

We’ve been away from The Secret Acre for two weeks on honeymoon. Before we left we took the precaution of picking and eating all the courgettes. But these buggers grow fast, and on our return we were greeted by four massive marrows already the size of torpedoes!

In August’s issue of Home Farmer magazine their advice on growing courgettes to marrow size was simply “don’t do it!” So faced with our honeymoon marrows, anyone else got any good (and preferably tasty!) suggestions?

Upgrading the Yard

Posted on August 16, 2016 by paulrainger

Half way there

Rebuilding the stables and pig stys in the Yard at The Secret Acre is on the long list of big renovation jobs to get round to eventually. Hopefully before they finally fall down!

But the concrete base that forms the Yard oddly stopped short of running the full length of the outbuildings, petering out into a rather unstable set of York Stone slabs placed on the grass. Continue reading →

A Trug Full of Veg

Posted on August 11, 2016 by paulrainger

“Weed it and reap” is an old garden saying, and although we might be behind in the weeding of our new veg beds, no sooner had our first veg arrived than it seemed we were suddenly reaping a glut of veg.

Including, pleasingly, some vegetables like beetroot and cabbages, which we hadn’t tried growing before when we were container growing in our small backyard previously. Continue reading →

The Unexpected Wheat Harvest

Posted on July 28, 2016 by paulrainger

Another of the joys at The Secret Acre in making a start on the garden this year has been unexpected discoveries of some of the things already lurking in the undergrowth.

But we were still surprised by our unexpected wheat harvest.

In a neglected grass verge overdue the attentions of the strimmer, two ears of wheat proudly emerged, presumably from seeds blown in from a nearby farmer’s field!

Green Roof, Yellow Roof

Posted on July 21, 2016 by paulrainger

The green sedum roof remains one of the highlights of our eco-makeover at The Secret Acre.

Visually striking, it is a daily joy to behold as it changes and evolves across the seasons.

In June and July a profusion of small white and yellow flowers have blossomed in the green, attracting a mass of bees and insects.

Who’s your Self-Sufficiency Inspiration?

Posted on July 15, 2016 by paulrainger

“The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small piece of land” – Abraham Lincoln

If Abe, the dollar bill guy was right, then we ought to be celebrating our heroes of self-sufficiency.

But who are your own personal heroes?

Take our poll and let us know! Continue reading →

Our first Veg

Posted on July 6, 2016 by paulrainger

No sooner had we opined that our new veg bed might successfully produce some harvest after all, than our first veg duly arrived in the form of Broad Beans.

In fairness the young broad bean plugs has been gifted to us by a kindly neighbour, rather than being fully our own work, but we are still taking it as a win.

Fortunately we also happen to love broad bean pesto discovered a few years ago thanks to the services at the time of an Able & Cole veg box, and can highly recommend it to you if you’ve never tried it.

Bring out the Fizz

Posted on June 30, 2016 by paulrainger

Our first ever step on the road to greater self-sufficiency, even before discovering wild garlic, was making Elderflower Champagne.

Once someone has shown you what Elderflower looks like, you can’t help but see and smell it everywhere you go in early June.

And what’s not to like about an alcoholic fizzy drink that is as simple as sticking it in a bucket for 6 days, bottling and drinking! Continue reading →

This is the (Good) Life!

Posted on June 23, 2016 by paulrainger

So the house is finished and the vegetables are growing.

Surely time now then to simply lay back in warm summer sunshine and enjoy the good life!

The American humorist, S.J. Perelman, apparently once wrote that –

“A farm is an irregular patch of nettles, containing a fool who didn’t know enough to stay in the city.”

Little did he know that this fool has a hammock!