Hot Compost

After assembling a full stack of compostables the heap was aerated by turning every other day. It's possible to achieve usable compost in 18 days, ours took 31.

First Frost

October

Dogs Vomit fungus growing on the woodchip pile. Looks revolting but it'll be breaking down the wood into compost.

A very wet autumn and although the compost is getting hot it's drawing up too much ground water and becoming anaerobic. Covering with a tarpaulin keeps the rain off but prevents evaporation.

Mid October and the plot still looks good

End of October harvest

August Sunflowers

Most of these self-set sunflowers blew down a couple of days later in mid-summer gales.

Ten homegrown veg on a plate.
Toms, basil, beetroot, lettuce, radicchio, radish (and in the bulgur) garlic, carrots, onions and herbs.

July

Elephant garlic harvest

Charlotte potatoes grown under rotted woodchip (with a little fish blood & bone)

June

We're now making more compost so some of the beds are being turned from woodchip mulch to composted. Woodchips are OK but it's hard not to mix them into the soil when planting and harvesting (especially crops like parsnips and leeks). Woodchips also need extra fertiliser compared to compost which doesn't need any.

Garlic harvest. These are third generation self saved garlic, originally from supermarket bulbs.

No Dig Parsnip

Proof the no-dig method can work for root crops.