Gardening blog

Week thirty five August 26th - September 2nd

2022

The large cherryplum tree at the end of my plot has been left to grow to a fair size. I have never cut the two main trunks since layering the side trunks some fifteen or so years ago. The land near this tree has become dry and barren in this year's harsh dry weather and needs some re-invigorating. First stage - cut down the trees and let in the light.
You tube allotment visit - Time to cut down some big cherry plum trees and let in the light.

As summers go this - the summer of 2022 - will go down in the record books as the hottest we have ever had. Here in the East of the country it has been the dryest too. I have been making daily (and sometimes twice daily) trips to water what I can.
You tube allotment visit - The last day of summer 2022 - leeks, brassicas and plans for September

Sunday 29th August Slugs, snails, black fly, leek moth, cut worm caterpillars. The pests are about. You tube allotment visit - finding the pests again

Saturday 28th August You tube allotment visit - turning the compost heap.

Saturday 27th August 2022
I do like to save some of my own seed from time to time. I have been growing this chard in my allotment for as long as I can remember and it self seeds too. This evening, in the evening light, the seed looked just right for harvesting. See - A Youtube short - collecting chard seed.

2005

Friday 2nd September 2005
Another hot sunny day and more honey to extract.

Thursday 1st of September 2005
Another lovely sunny day and yet more honey taken off the bees hives. My bees are generally good natured and easy to work with. Admittedly some hives more so than others but suddenly one hive this year has turned and they like to sting. Not only as, or when, the hive is opened but afterwards and for some distance from hive's site as they follow for fifty yards and still try to sting.
I had the first fire for months (I burning bindweed again). In the still evening air the smoke went straight up in a column. There wasn't even the lightest of breezes from any direction.

Wednesday 31st of August 2005
August goes out in a sizzling heat wave. Great weather for what I want to do right now - I took the honey off two more hives today put in Varoa control strips and started to feed them. Even the evening and night time temperature is hot - so extracting the honey is easier too. I still have seven hives left to do in total and hopefully will get two more done tomorrow.

Tuesday 30th August 2005
Another hot sunny day and the chance to open up more bee hives take off more honey. After taking off the honey I'm putting Varoa control strips into the brood box and starting to feed with sugar syrup to build up supplies for the winter.

August 29th 2005
Bank holiday Monday the day was hot and sunny without a cloud in the sky. My day started with a knock on the font door and my attention being drawn to the bees in my car. Stupidly I had left the car open last night after bringing a super of honey in and the bees had found the super with wet frames in it sticky with honey. Once a free source of honey has been located it doesn't take long for the information to transmitted and the bees to arrive on mass.
This hot sunny weather is an excellent opportunity to sort out bee hives and make sure the queens are in the right place. Tina's swarm - I call them that as it was Tina's small apple tree that they settled in - I housed in situ in very old equipment with the queen laying in supers rather than a brood box. Although they have been happy enough and making honey, I decided that they do need to be moved to more convenient place. I need to get at them (although they are staying on Tina's plot) and have put them into regular national frames and brood box taking honey off at the same time. The next job for this hive will be to put in anti Varoa strips and feed them up with sugar syrup that they will store for feed in the winter.

Sunday 28th August 2005
A real summers day - warm with the odd fluffy cloud coming accross on a balmy breeze from the south west. The bees are busy out and about on the Golden Rod and on the first of the Ivy that has started into bloom.
The cottager has been left pretty much alone for many weeks now and I was hoping there would be some honey to take out of it so I opened it up. The queen was laying and there was some honey distributed throughout the two supers. But not as much as I had hoped for. So I didn't take it and put the suppers back. The weather forecast is good for the week ahead and just one more hot week now could make all the difference.

Saturday 27th August 2005.
My day has been focused on extracting honey. There are buckets and pots with honey in all over the kitchen. At the end of the day I took six supers with sticky empty frames up to the hives to give back to the bees to clean up. I then made a trip to the bee supplies man to buy more jars.

2004

Monday 30th August 2004
Saved some seed from my 'Opium' Poppies that are double pink and purple.

Saturday 28th August 2004
I can't resist plants for sale at the side of the road - bought Rudbeckia Sonora (Black Eyed Susan)

2002

1st September
Planted out a row of strawberry runners in Bernithan Court Farm kitchen garden.