mud, slithery, slimey mud!!

[LadyA]

We escaped the latest bout of snow, thankfully! An online "friend" who lives somewhere in deepest Yorkshire tells me she woke yesterday to about 3 inches of snow! But we have had several bouts of 24 hours of solid, heavy rain, and we are awash! The ground is sodden. The grass is squidging underfoot. There is no grass at all in the chicken pen. Just a sea of slithery mud. I hate letting them out in it, but this morning, they hate being in, because we have a brief respite from rain, and the sun is shining, and the wind is blowing, and you should have seen them, all five, running joyfully down the pen, flapping their wings! Now, though, it's starting to cloud over again.

My son in law managed to get my veg garden tilled with a rotovator in a rare gap in the weather. Not a chance of getting anything planted though, it's so wet. And time is moving on. Guess there'll be no broad beans this year, as it's gone too late to plant them now.

There are times when I look at my dau's tiny, terraced house, with a tiny, gravelled yard with almost envy! But I love my house, and I love where I live. It's the frustration of times like this!! Oh well. I better get at something!! Hope the weather is improving where you are.

And I see we have had a bit of a "rebranding"? Lovely to see "The Dustbath" again Marigold!! 08 08

 

[bigyetiman]

We have a garden that resembles a swamp, with large areas of standing water. The veg patch is totally submerged under about 4ins of water.
The lake is full to the brim, luckily it didn't over top onto the island so Mrs Mallard is still sitting happily on her eggs.
But on the bright side it looks as though we have some warmer weather to look forward to, and we have 2 Chiffchaff and 2 Blackcap singing this morning to make it feel spring like.
Lovely having dust bath back to Marigold

 

[LadyA]

Still raining! Not constantly, although we've had a few 24 hour "showers", but it has rained every day. Still can't get anything planted.

 

[Hen-Gen]

Lambs due in 15 days time. Still cold with not a hint of grass growth. Only way of ensuring a decent milk supply is by using expensive concentrates.
Just as well that break even with my freezer is all I want. For those struggling to make a living it's very hard. Good job there are government subsidies. Brexit, what Brexit. More stress for them!

 

[chrismahon]

We have the opposite problem here Hen-Gen. The grass is growing like mad but with all this rain and the slope of the land, which we deliberately selected to run-off storm water, the mower can't get a grip to get up. Looks like we will have to strim well over an acre first, because once it gets too long the mower deck clogs up, won't eject the cuttings and then jams the blades. Lawns here have to be cut twice a week in Spring and Autumn.

Our veg plot is also a mud bath, but we have at last managed to weed part of it and plant a few things. We have had to protect the tomatoes, which have been in the kitchen for two weeks and are now coming to flower, from hail damage. Can't put a greenhouse or polytunnel up as they would be blown down.

We are on yellow alert for localised flooding, which may be extensive with the forecast of 5 days of rain to come. We have new neighbours, a German couple with 84 Hectares and a huge mortgage apparently. Major problem is they worked on the dilapidated house first instead of ploughing and seeding and now are too late to grow anything as in Summer it will all burn up- it has to be grown and harvested early. So probably no income this year and no subsidies either.

 

[MrsBiscuit]

Seems like we are in varying degrees of the same boat (ha ha). We have had the 2nd wettest March on record, but instead of it all turning to mud we are fortunate that the water just seeps straight through the loose and stony ground and has filled up springs and reservoirs. But of course, all sorts of blossom has coincided with the rain, so I forecast a very poor fruit set this year, added to which its much colder than it should be, so its all a bit miserable. Although we don't ever mow (there is never enough grass), everybody strims, and right this minute our land is under a foot of wild flower/weed. To those of a relaxed mind (ie me) its attractive and full of honey bees. To many others (ie most Portugeuse and my mother) it just looks unkempt. Its not that everyone here is neat and tidy, its just that the wild stuff takes the nutrients which should be diverted to the edibles!!

Chris, tomatoes with flowers; I am astounded :shock: My seeds have refused to surface and everywhere is busy selling the tiny plugs with a few leaves that many people start off with, you are really ahead. You probably already know this, but it is only this year that I have realised it is a good idea to autumn sow as much as possible, so you can harvest before the scorching sun. Obviously that won't work with the tender stuff, but is excellent for broad beans and this year I will try french beans and also peas. It may too cold in winter where you are, but I should give it a whirl if you haven't tried it, you can always catch up and resow in Spring.

84 hectares :shock: :shock: And they don't seem to have much of a clue 01

HG - Countryfile this evening has 7th generation crofters somewhere in mainland Scotland and follows them during the lambing.

LadyA and BYM - I will try to will some dry weather your way. My young American cousin has been in Ireland from January till now, she can't believe how much rain there has been all winter.

 

[LadyA]

Wettest Winter in I don't know how many years. They are importing fodder now, but even at that, don't know how long that will keep things going for.
Yesterday morning started off not actually raining, but very dark with thick, dense fog. But in the afternoon, it brightened up (as my brother says: All hail the golden Orb! ) and I managed to get some spraying done. I hate spraying, but cleavers grow like wildfire here, and with milder temps and lots of rain, they'd taken off at the gallop, and I wanted to get them before they flowered. I'd never get them all pulled out, so I've sprayed them.

 

[Hen-Gen]

HG - Countryfile this evening has 7th generation crofters somewhere in mainland Scotland and follows them during the lambing..

Watched it and enjoyed it. I liked the bit when the crofter was asked what a croft is? His reply of 'smaller than a farm and bigger than a hobby' seemed spot on to me. Unfortunately in many places crofts are being bought up and amalgamated into farms which is a shame.

 

[LadyA]

We've FINALLY had some dryish weather, it hasn't rained heavily for a few days, and by using planks to stand on, I've managed to rake some of the garden and get in some potatoes, onions, carrots and shallots! Yay!! I've also got most of the weed membrane down over where I'm planting new soft fruit bushes. So, hopefully, I'll get those in tomorrow. Lovely to be able to get on with things! And I have lettuces and beetroot coming up in the tunnel. Hooray!

 

[Hen-Gen]

Im very impressed that you do all that, LadyA. Two things I really hate are gardening and ironing and ive abandoned both of them. Happy to buy fruit and veg and to look all wrinkly though those seem to vanish after an hours wearing.

 

[MrsBiscuit]

Guess what HG - I did some ironing yesterday, the first for several years! Nothing wearable though, its bedlinen. And the reason? Maternal visit

You put me to shame LadyA, I have sown 2 lots of carrots this year without seeing a single feathery leaf, and am about to give up. The summer heat increasingly puts me off growing too much unless it a) loves scorching weather or b) is finished by May/June. Consequently we have lots of fruit trees which can withstand the droughts once established. I do envy you soft fruit though, thats too difficult here.

 

[LadyA]

Guess what HG - I did some ironing yesterday, the first for several years! Nothing wearable though, its bedlinen. And the reason? Maternal visit

You put me to shame LadyA, I have sown 2 lots of carrots this year without seeing a single feathery leaf, and am about to give up. The summer heat increasingly puts me off growing too much unless it a) loves scorching weather or b) is finished by May/June. Consequently we have lots of fruit trees which can withstand the droughts once established. I do envy you soft fruit though, thats too difficult here.

MrsBiscuit, most years, I plant carrots at least twice, sometimes three times!! But my garden serves my dau & her family too, as they live in a tiny terraced house with no real space, although bless them, they have made a raised bed in their tiny yard! And we eat a lot of vegetables between us, mostly the basics of carrots/parsnips/onions etc. so it makes sense to grow as much of those as we can. My late husband planted lots of apple, pear cherry and one plum tree here years ago, and in season, I spend days bottling and drying fruit and making cider vinegar. The birds eat all the cherries, all I find are the stones! They eat all the black & red currants too! :roll: He had also planted lots of raspberries, but hadn't left enough space between them, and had never pruned them, so I've had the old ones all taken out, and am starting again. I couldn't even get in to pick the fruit of the old ones, they were so thick!