Achiltibuie Garden Blog

 

Achiltibuie Garden Blog

 

Monday 22 August 2011

August news from The Garden

It's been a somewhat hectic few weeks down at the Garden with lots of visitors looking round the growing house and the outdoor garden. When it's been dry some have taken a walk around the croft and down to the shore.

The weather has not been at all good for August - don't think I need to tell you that! The rainfall has been rather amazing but with so many hydroponic systems and being reliant on rainwater harvesting we have to confess to being grateful for it! During July Allan built a new 3 tray raft system which has meant we have been able to increase our salad production but the demand for our salads is so great that we have struggled to keep up with demand!

Our everbearer strawberries (Flamenco) are on their 2nd crop of the season (one more crop to go) and the lucky guests of Norwest Seakayaking are having them for dessert tonight! Due to various setbacks with our beans, courgettes and cucumbers (some of our seeds etc were noshed by fieldmice and voles) we are delighted to now be cropping them. The cucumbers are so delicious and one family last week bought a cucumber each to snack on in the car.

Visitors are delighted to be able to come down and buy fresh produce straight from the Garden and they love being able to help pick their peas and beans. I have been giving some people a taste of the Rat Tailed Radish (Munchen Bier) Di has grown this year. Otis, a little boy from Glasgow, absolutely loved them and I have a feeling he is going to be growing them next year.

Alison and I have been cooking again, providing a meal for a family for the first night of their holiday, evening meals for Norwest Seakayaking and next week I am going to have a stall selling our fresh produce at Elphin market - have also been asked to make some of our savoury tartlets as well!

Following the success of last year's World's biggest coffee morning we have been asked to provide the venue again this year.

Tonight we will be watching BBC ALBA at 9pm as they have a programme about coastal rowing and the Coigach Lass, Achiltibuie's skiff who Di is the cox for, is one of the boats featured.

Di has been busy sowing our winter lettuce and parsley for next year. Some varieties of lettuce to sow now are Rougette du midi, winter density, rouge d'hiver and claytonia (also known as Miners lettuce or winter purslane). At home I have sown my spring cabbage so hopefully it will be successful as I generally buy young plants from a good garden centre (or get some from Di if we have spare ones).

Ah well must get on with making up stock.

Julie