So, we went out yesterday to get some manure, some compost and some top soil with the intention of lasagne mulching the garden. Lasagne mulching is, essentially, the lazy person’s way to a nicely mulched garden. Given that we’re still moving in, we have a large supply of cardboard, and given our terribly random method of working we can just grab more mulch supplies and throw them down on top of our poorly worked soil. Which isn’t quite the idea, but it’s how we’re implementing it. We don’t have my mum’s husband here to help with the digging, and 91′ of garden is a lot of garden to dig over. We’re not eradicating the grass (sorry Sarah), but it’s being heavily restricted to a small bit of garden, such that we can lie on it. And it’s going to be mixed with short wild flowers.
We are trying to debate how to build the garage, and whether we can afford to have a structural engineer do the sums for us, or whether we just go around slapping whacking great (vertical) beams in to support the green roof we’d like to build. Each time we get a bit closer to affordability. And each time we’re stimied at the last post, but this time we think we have a solution – basically building a timber frame but using pallets as part of the construction material, then cladding it in eco-friendly-board, and rendering it in ecofriendly-render. Spray on render, such that even a numptie like me can potentially manage it.
The plan is to build it on-top of the retaining walls, such that it ends up the size that we wanted in the first place. It doesn’t have to have a green roof, but it’s 29sq m (yes, 1m smaller than the maximum permitted development :) ) – and it’s a terrible waste of 30sq m of land to have it just being a grotty felt roof, or even metal, or tile. We could do something that’d be pretty to look at, if we manage it, but we’re looking at 100kg/m2 which is a *LOT* of weight – and we’re going to have to split the span, I think, because at the moment it’s 5.3 m span, and I’ve not managed to find anything which gives me dimensions for timber spanning that far with that much weight (I’ve found dimensions for spanning 4ish m with that much weight and 400mm on centre joists, which we could do).
Even better, we found a reclamation yard that specialises in structural timber, which means we might be able to get it greener (if not cheaper).
Work, incidentally, is due to start either Wednesday or Thursday depending on when our builders complete on their previous job. It’s scary, but positive, to have some motion. Our plans, also, are in with building regs, being approved (we hope), so then we’ll be able to unleash builders on the house. I’m quite tempted to get one of the ones who quoted but came in a bit more pricey, to quote for the building work on the house, then they could work in parallel (in different areas), but I fear that’d cause antagonism! I doubt they could come in at such short notice, either.
One of the slightly unnerving things is looking at the sums and having no clue what they mean, apart from occasionally spotting loading forces in places, but really the sums could be a factor of 100 out and I’d not know. I dislike doing things where I don’t know about them!
Anyway, on to other things. So we put some potatoes out for chitting a while ago. Here they are, on the windowsill, looking largely like they did before they went on the windowsill:
Irritatingly, and strangely, I noticed this morning (when fishing out the brush) that the other potatoes, stored in a dark cool place to avoid them chitting too early, they’re well and truly chitted.
Anyone explain that to me? It’s just bizzare. Actually, I think that’s what happened last year too. The ones out went much more slowly than the ones in the cupboard – and that cupboard was a larder and properly cold all year round. Meh.
However, the very nice Alys Fowler explained that the window-ones are right, and the ones in the cupboard are overly stringy. I was under the impression you wanted a couple of inches of growth, so, uh, foolish me. Anyhow, plan is to get them in the ground fairly shortly. Problem is the place we’d like to grow them is currently under a lot of concrete, and were a lot more soil is going to be dumped. Which, obviously, is inconvienent. Wondering if we should quietly secrete a potato bed inbetween some of the other beds…which’d put it at this end of the garden. Also wondering if this variety will produce the highly toxic tomato like fruits that last year’s variety did!
We did, however, ignoring the potato issue, start on the garden. As I said, we’re lasagne muching, so we’ve been turning the soil over and then dumping a mixture of top soil and mostly manure on it (we did want compost as well, but couldn’t be bothered to go back to the slightly cheaper compost place – and trying to get peat free compost isn’t that cheap, and no one we know seems to want to buy bulk compost :( ).
This is what we’ve started with:
And where we’re at now.
Yes, the giant mushroom and concrete structure is going to go, but it’s not the easiest thing to get rid of, so I’m hoping to convince the builders to take it away. Our planting and plant buying scheme is very similar to the last one – i.e. completely random. I like to think of it as entropic. It sometimes hides plants, but then they lurk there being a wonderful surprise when you peek around other things. We tried to get some natives in, but sadly, the garden centre only had three or four natives. Am contemplating the possibility of buying them online, because we really want to expand our garden’s native selection. We’re not exclusively native planters (hey, look at the physalis…) but we like to get a fair bit in there – nice early things for the bees and bugs…
It’s funny how you start off with being a little bit green; say, buying a nice biodegradable washing up liquid, eating a bit less meat, and end up wandering down this long path with the end point being that you’re some kind of rabid greenie in lots of peoples eyes. Anyhow, so, we might get some nice bulbs, I guess, and some nice other wild plants. We’ll see what the Co-Op garden centre has (that’s not Co-Op as in Co-Op, that’s Co-Op as in run cooperatively) – as they seem to have a wider selection, and may have more natives in.
We’re starting to plant out our seeds now, the peas and beans went out – Kathryn’s created a spiderweb like structure for them to climb, and we’ll probably put a ‘later’ set in to grow soon, which can be added. It’s all terribly exciting, although I’m honestly not sure how well this mulching will go. Last time we spent endless hours digging over the garden with compost really thoroughly. This seems much easier, but whether the results will be as good is yet to be seen…
Anyhow, that’s probably enough rambling (although just a quick note – one of the awesome things about this house is the number of birds that you can hear – particularly at the weekend when there’s very little traffic around). Living essentially next to a woodland and a river is fabulous. I keep meaning to take a picture of it, because it’s gorgeous – but somehow I’ve not managed to take a picture which makes me go ‘ah, yes, that’s it.’.
I did get an interesting shot, though. Apparently one of the places we’ve walked by was used by Bristol City Council as a tip back in the 50s. Mostly for non-domestic waste – i.e. spoil excavated from other areas. However, lurking near an abandoned cottage condemned, we think, in the 1950s, we found this chunk of an enamel sign…
Can anyone identify it? I don’t recognise the branding. It is, incidentally, the most gorgeous spot to own a house. The site’s been cleared, and interestingly period items are kicking around (a really battered enamel bowl and a plate that was once enamel), also some wheels from what I’d guesstimate was a 1950s car. If we could have bought it, it would have been an awesome place for a little eco-dwelling. Gardening would be a pig though, because it doesn’t get a huge amount of sun. Although having a green roof and gardening on top of the house would, potentially, have worked quite well.
