New toys and new projects

Gardening on the northern edge of the turtles back is a challenge. My lean athletic body has been converted into a creaking gate. The relentless wind and short growing season make this growing malarky far from smarty. It's not been my style to give up easily and one approach if things are going badly is to buy a new toy.

I find you can never have enough hoes, tillers and rakes so invested in the Wolf-Garten range of multi change tools. They are great with adjustable handles that do not like being left out all winter but generally survive my habitual lack of care.

Lawn Mowers are essential for my small grass maintenance business. When going gets tough, buy another mower. I now have three grass cutters, two strimmers and an electric scarifier. I have at last found a moderately dry place for them to recuperate after a season of abuse. I don't know what they talk about for 6 months but I suspect there are no compliments aimed my way. In another month the grass will be growing again although currently most is stuck, looking a bit grey and unloved, rather like my hair. Last week I thought I should check they started up OK. After a zillion pulls on the cord and a long lie down, it was obvious they were in a deep sulk. I tried to cheer them up with some petrol and a new spark plug each but still nothing. Somewhat shame faced I asked my fix-it man if he could look. Thankfully within a short time he had given them a stern talk and they agreed to run.

Like I said the growing season is painfully short so I started out with a polytunnel 8 years ago. Got light, heat, water, hot bed, staging, bed, hospitality set. Actually the last two ideas never happened. This was the hub of my empire with sowing, potting, mixing potions and generally having fun. I fancied growing soft fruit which is a challenge outside so purchased the next tunnel. The strawberries and raspberries did well the first year but each year since have been less productive. The raspberries mostly died - possibly neglect or virus (I sound like your friendly GP). The currant bushes were defoliated by Saw fly larvae and the blueberries blew a raspberry and discouragingly died as well. More on polytunnel two later ....

As my aspirations increased, another tunnel was required but bigger. The land needing levelly but with skill, patience and a mini-digger, Craig and Steve had the job done in no time. I built a new strawberry bed with walk in bird cage and have had a couple of good years of fruit. There has been space for peas, beans, sweet corn, salads, carrots etc. At last real success. Only one thing for it - another tunnel but bigger still 22 x 60 foot. Well that was 2 years ago.... The ground was levelled again by Craig and Steve but this time a big earth mover. Next came a post driller on a tractor to get the loops into the ground. Then came the torrential rain for months. The whole site was water logged and it was nearly 6 month before work could resume. Meanwhile the polytunnel kit was lying in grass and dockens. I felt the chance of finding all the components was remote. Unfortunately, distracting interest and poor weather have beaten me back and despite Robin, the strong man, the tunnel is still a skeleton in need of a pretty dress. This year I am sure it will be completed and then it will be time for another project!

The best laid plans of mice and men. Actually no mice just more pesky wind. I probably mentioned wind already. This last year has been windy, like really windy. The Met office label storms, starting at Aaron and ending with Zeberdee. Well by the time we got to Derek two tunnels had blown to bits which was disappointing because they had only been up a few years. I sent a tear stained handkerchief to First Tunnels and obligingly they sent replacement covers. After waiting for time and a lull in the weather the 2 covers are now on. More on this story later ....

There has been no let up in the storms. I think I mentioned the wind earlier. It might have been storm Joshua or Kenneth but polytunnel one was the next to go. This one had been up 8 years so I was less unhappy. With Robin working like a trouper (is that PC?) the new cover is on and almost secure which is good because it's back to gale force again. Time to concentrate on Polytunnel 4.

Meanwhile I have been working on getting a good strawberry crop this year. Polytunnel two housed my first plants but gradually deteriorated with foliage to die for but very little fruit: and all at ground level. More on my poorly knees later. This year I have built staging and invested in coir grow bags from Cocogreen. They come totally dry and compressed so need rehydrating with dilute fertiliser - I used seaweed solution. I purchased the

strawberries, some as small plants and the majority as rooted runners. Sadly they arrived in a poor state so I complained to Marshalls, the supplier. They kindly sent replacements which looked slightly better. Anyway they are all planted up and I have put in an irrigation system with multiple into each bag, pumped under pressure. Thankfully after a few weeks there is signs of life but I doubt I will be in time for a bumper harvest at Wimbledon.

Unfortunately my knees have indicated that my foolish youth was foolish and now are both in a bad place. The NHS is already warming my bed as I wait for my first replacement. The growing areas cover large area and walking between them, carrying stuff etc is getting harder. So my next big idea was an electric trike with trailer which I was sure would be a great solution.

Riding the trike was less obvious and I felt that, rather like an unbroken horse, it was pretty keen to buck me off. I took it for its first serious outing to church just after receiving it. Steady, steady I went but trike had independent ideas. Eventually the trike won and through me into a ditch which was rather undignified and muddy. Arriving at church slightly late and dripping I made a dramatic entrance. Good job I was not wearing my posh suit.

This winter has been very windy and wet. Every time I put the cover over the trike it blew off. After one particularly bad night it disappeared completely, probably gone for a flight to Denmark. Unfortunately the trike became pounded with water and resulted in the battery failing, likely full of water. So now waiting to find out if the battery can be fixed otherwise it's a several hundred pound replacement.

Occasionally it feels like spring is imminent. I feel that I am relatively well prepared. My next blog will describe the big push