Nothing in the garden ever goes quite as expected - what with weather and all that - but last week was fully not what was planned.
In last week’s newsletter, Of Saints and Pigs, I made the ludicrous claim that I would be digging the potager all week. Because the ground was drying out. Well, it was. And last week, we had one day of sunshine, two of rain, three of freezing fog and one of locusts.1 The ground may have been drying out, but it’s pretty damn sodden again now.
So I built a mushroom field.
You may know my thoughts about “no dig”. I’m not a fan. But, one of the best ways to grow mushrooms has remarkable similarities to what those lazy-arse spade-shy perma-lot do. So I did that.
I also chopped a lot of wood. Like, a lot, but that’s hardly news. I chop wood when there is nothing else I would rather do. Which sometimes means that I just really really want to chop some wood. And I cleaned a kerb.
I also also finally published the “When is a vineyard not a vineyard” blog post. I hope I wasn’t too angry and mean in it. Sometimes, I still feel right pissed off, but hey. Life goes forward, right?
You can read it here.
I’d like it if you did. I will answer any questions you have in the comments, and then we don’t have to talk about it again.
And finally. Seeing as we are talking about the blog, I know that I never really made the difference between here and there clear so this is what I use my socials for:
Instagram: Underused, progress pictures, some chat about plans and stuff
Twitter: Being angry about the lack of response to the climate catastrophe
The Blog: Longer-form essays on things I have been thinking about. More detail
The Newsletter: Behind the scenes look at the work that actually goes into self-sufficiency. Also, it’s supposed to be more personal and all that. So this, the newsletter, would be the place to share that in 6-ish months, I will have a new name. There will be a human on this planet who is probably not going to call me “Pirate Ben” but something more “Grandad Ben”-like.
And so, the plans for the week:
Potager. Same as last week, but this time fo’reals
Replanting raspberries
If we are lucky, there maybe some grass mowing action
Muck out the piggers. Uff.
Sowing seeds. Lots of seeds.
And with that, I shall be off to drink coffee and fix Jacqueline2.
Until next week, mi amores
The Pirate Ben (to you lot)
There were no locusts
Jacqueline is not a human. It is a piece of farmyard equipment. The name is an obscenely obscure reference to a particular Wes Anderson film.
I'm intrigued with your mushroom dig - I'm looking forward to following that progress because a)I love mushrooms b)I've no idea what a mushroom dig is c) I'm curious to see what sprouts from your patch of earth
Congratulations! Also, how exciting that you're giving mysterious mushrooms a go!