It has been a quiet week down on the barracks. Now that I’m merrily digging up potatoes, eating as many runner beans as I like, and drowning in baby spinach leaves, I don’t have really the time or the inclination to leave very much.
It rained overnight. Not a lot. In fact, hold on a moment and I’ll go and check the big water butt…
More than I was expecting! Let’s call it half full - so 500 litres. This water butt is filled by 1 eighth of the roof of the big house, which is about 60m by 12, so quick maff …
About 4 litres per square meter. Or 4mm of rain! Goodness, we have been blessed by the old gods and the new! What’s the emoji for sarcasm again?
I’ve actually been thinking a lot about rainwater harvesting lately. I’ve been trying to manifest more 1 or 2000 litre water tanks. It would be a very good idea to have one for each downpipe. I have the feeling that very dry years like this one are going to be rather common.
This week, I am planning on making potash for the tomatoes. They are just starting to redden nicely, so a quick top dressing of home-made potash would be a Good Thing. The way to do this is to react wood ashes with water in the presence of an iron catalyst. Or, in other words, burn some wood with iron nails in it, and leave it in the rain for a week.
I also rather like the idea of making soap completely from scratch. Lye is basically the same as stuff as potash - I mean, they’re not really - but I’m planning on making soap and tomato food, not nitroglycerine, so it’s not all that important how much my woody mix is potassium hydroxide (potash) and how much it’s sodium hydroxide (lye).
If I was making nitroglycerine, then sure, I should take care of such things. But I’m not. Honestly. heh.
This week I will be mostly
Sowing green manures
Thinning carrots
Weeding
Continuing with the hole I have been digging for three years
Making blackcurrant jam. Hell yeah.
Laying another side of the potager brick edging. I’m so up for it
Buying PTFE bottles. No reason.
Trying not to be too doomy in public.
#Thanks
I don’t thank the $5/month paying subscribers often enough. To all my subscribers - a huge thank you. I really do appreciate it. We’re up to a team of 14 now. When I say it’s not about about the money, it’s about the feeling of not doing this all on my own that counts, I really mean it. For everyone else, smash that like button, share merrily and if you want to upgrade to become a paid supporter, there will be 15 of you!
All my Piratey love
Ben
x
Afterword: Elder daughter is carving a niche into the world of art-writing. She wrote a thing in a proper Art Magazine. I’m triffically proud of both of them kids!