Preparing the Halloween Pumpkin

I grew a couple of huge pumpkins for the various nieces and nephews.

Here we see them scooping out.

Halloween Pumpkin with the kiddies

The title says it all!

Niece and Pumpkin

I'm not saying my niece is a little devil, but you make your mind up.

Another Niece and the Halloween Pumpkin

I must say I am really pleased the pumpkin went to good use - bit better than a trick or treat bag of sweets.

Solar Powered Ventilator

I've always been keen on alternative energy and solar power so discovering this on ebay France at a reasonable price I had to buy it!

I'm fingers crossed that it arrives OK and will help keep the greenhouse cool in the summer.

Waterlogged on plot 5

With clay soils the problem is timing when it comes to digging.

Too dry and it sets like concrete, too wet and it is so heavy that it becomes really hard work. Underlying the soil is a pan of solid brown clay and each time I dig it over, I break it up a little more, which increases the topsoil and helps with the drainage.

From this picture you can see what it is like below the surface, with water just filling up as you dig.

Turkey Litter on Plot 5

The turkey farm has closed so this is the last - I piled some up on the plot as well as the compost bin,

I've not been 100% convinced about it as I suspect the rotting process sucks nitrogen out a bit, although it is heavy with urine, judging by the ammonia smell. It does lighten the soil though and is organic matter. 

Chitting Potatoes

The potato order arrived yesterday and I've set them to chit in our north facing, unheated spare bedroom. This is the process of deliberately starting them sprouting to get them away quickly.

More details can be found in my article on growing potatoes.