the daydream fund challenge thread

Davesnave

Thanks for the pictures Maggie. As you know, I follow your exploits elsewhere, when I remember to look! Sad to come home to a burglary, but at least it was not at your new place. The first year in a new garden is always tricky and, like us, your attentions are divided between other things and the plot. That's what I keep telling myself, anyway!

BM, uploading pictures is straightforward, but this site won't take them (other than avatars) direct from your computer. You just have to sign-up with one of the free photo-storage web sites, (I use Photobucket) send some of your photos to a folder there, and then you can cut & paste links (supplied underneath the photos) onto a page here. Taking photos from a photo sharing web-site, instead of directly, protects you (and MSE) in various ways.

The great thing about photo sharing is that you need only post what looks good! I take hundreds of snaps, but just a few reach MSE. Perhaps that creates a false impression though, so maybe I'll have a session when I post some of the horrors. For example, my pristine polytunnel site looked fine when I showed it here, but that was before all the Jerusalem artichokes spread around by the digger began to reassert themslves! And those beautifully cut hay fields have edges that remain uncut, including our steep, rough slope to the stream which is dock, nettle and buttercup heaven, liberally scattered with random stones and the previous owner's building materials....:eek:

Winged_one

I love reading all of the different approaches being taken here.

I am not great for photos, even for my own records, and me and tech don't get on great (I can do certain things fine, but some things just "do not compute", and digital cameras, beyond point and shoot, are one of those).

May perhaps have to rethink a few of my approaches next year - work is bananas busy and not likely to get any easier. So OH is worried about the amount of my free time I have to spend on the plot to keep it going (and I don't worry too much about weeds growing on paths, and have lots of WSM down on beds that it suits). Access is a problem and I do tend to spend hours once I get there. So as I am hectic and he is starting a new job, he's suggesting abandoning it when the lease comes up for renewal.

I can see his point. We have a small garden but I can grow more in it that I do. And I do dedicate a lot of my limited free time to it. I have enjoyed it mostly. And learned a lot (both of which he acknowledges). And we have got a fair amount of veg from it. (Although I'd have sown more of certain things if I knew I wasn't keeping seeds for next season - will lorry in the peas in the next few weeks!!! LOL!)

So I need to do some serious thinking. If we do let it go, we'll take most of the fruit bushes and rhubarb out - giving most of them to my and his parents (big gardens). I'll probably leave things like the composter (wasn't expensive) and some of the nets and WSM (the older bits that I still use but are quite holey and fragile), and the watering can. But keep some of the better bits (I had already become a "true" allotmenteer with bits of all sorts, including a sheet of corrugated iron that had blown on that I use to cover the slug pellets and spare nets etc - my "tool store" as sheds aren't allowed).

But it also means I need to get as much as possible from this year. And get all my leeks, brussels sprouts and PSB in early so they are ready to pull by Christmas (annual monthly lock out and end of lease is January). Oh well, new taker would get a nice surprise!!

rhiwfield

Maggie, stay cheerful and get rid of the lawn, your OH can go down to the park!

Winged one, its got to be your choice but you'll probably regret giving up the lottie.

With all the dry weather the water butts are empty and we're now having to use tap water for the veg. Spent 2 hours yesterday stacking the log store with unseasoned wood, and even longer recovering!

Garden is producing well and we're almost (but not quite) at the point of having had enough of strawberries and cream . Blackcurrants are ready to start picking for jams and pie fillings, we've half the goosberries left for desserts as we've already got a lot of jam and granita made from these, the strawberries and rhubarb.

The extra raised beds made over the winter are making a real difference to the amount we grow and the grass paths (all thats left of our lawn!) take just 5 minutes to cut. The chicken train chugs round the paths at 7 feet a day, but the hens seem pretty settled and we get 2 eggs a day from 2 of the 3 hens, just the cuckoo maran to come into lay.

Had the first courgettes yesterday, stir fried with the last of the 2009 garlic, welsh onion leaves and a bit of tomato puree, accompanied by a plate of Maris Peer second earlies. Lovely! More Maris Peer planned tonight with fresh broad beans and chorizo.

Been a while since I posted a piccy so here goes:

GARDEN June 2010

stitching_witch

WOW!!! Rhiwfield, I'm so jealous. DH won't let me do that to the garden as he wants lawn and sitting areas etc etc etc. We do have the advantage of an allotment but I'd like to potter at home too. There again, I like to let the chickens out to roam and they would destroy a veg patch in no time!

Just picked another 2 3/4 lbs of strawberries this evening. We picked 2 1/2 lb at the weekend so over 5lb in less than a week. Shame I'm allergic to them . It's okay, I'll have the raspberries when they start later in the season.

lostinrates

My hay dilemma is over. A friend from here is going to go all the way to the new house to cut my hay. He also told me that a lot of the stuff I was going to sell for scrap value has potentially got some small resale value! Yippee!

Davesnave

lostinrates wrote: »

My hay dilemma is over. A friend from here is going to go all the way to the new house to cut my hay !

I'm glad that dilemma has been sorted, lir. :j By next year, you will know who to call upon locally.

I had someone call yesterday, offering to buy 'my' hay. He's sure there will be a shortage of fodder later this year, thanks to the dry spring. Had to tell him it's spoken for.


That's one well-organised garden, rhiwfield! It isall the things I'd like ours to be, but it will be a few years yet....I love the 'train' in particular.

We bought a small hen house and run today, having heard that some of the birds we ordered are just off heat now. Won't be long...:)

rhiwfield

Spending again With the low savings rates decided to go for another pv system as a form of annuity. It'll give a return of about 8% post tax inflation linked (no grant this time!).

The first system has operated at 98% of projections since installation earlier this year (with some big weather related ups and downs!) and we're confident enough now to ramp up close to the 4kwp limit to make the most of the top FITs retrofit rate.

Been saving screw top wine bottles and plan to decant some of the 2008 demijohns today. Blending the wines last year was great fun, just hope the results now are worthwhile :beer:
Transplanted brassicas (savoy cabbage, red cabbage and kale) in long bed cleared of new potatoes. Now under enviromesh with root collars as well, a bit belt and braces maybe.

Davesnave, you used the expression "forever home" which pretty well sums up what were trying to achieve. Lets have piccies of the chickens when they arrive!

Stitching witch, when we started to remodel the garden one of the first things we did was cut down overgrown leylandii hedges. This freed up enough space so that we could install a greenhouse and make some south facing raised decks to give valley views and loads of sitting out space. Not once have we regretted doing away with the lawn.

lostinrates

rhiwfield wrote: »

Spending again With the low savings rates decided to go for another pv system as a form of annuity. It'll give a return of about 8% post tax inflation linked (no grant this time!).

The first system has operated at 98% of projections since installation earlier this year (with some big weather related ups and downs!) and we're confident enough now to ramp up close to the 4kwp limit to make the most of the top FITs retrofit rate.
.

Interesting, may I ask which brand of pv you have?

rhiwfield

lostinrates wrote: »

Interesting, may I ask which brand of pv you have?

Lir, will pm you with details of supplier/installer and brands. Lir, your pm box is full, message cant be sent yet

Re brand its a bit like making a generic kit car. The 2 key components are the solar panels and the inverter (though you need to check spec of the fixing system). There are many good makes of each while supply/demand issues may mean that not all are available.

My error on the first installation was not to appreciate that sharp shade on even a small part of the array will knock performance right down, otherwise I'm pretty sure we would have exceeded estimates. As it is, shade from nearby trees probably loses us 0.5 kwh per day.

For the new installation we plan to use multiple inverters, so that if part of the array has temporary shade it doesnt drag down the unshaded array

lostinrates

rhiwfield wrote: »

Lir, will pm you with details of supplier/installer and brands. Lir, your pm box is full, message cant be sent yet

Re brand its a bit like making a generic kit car. The 2 key components are the solar panels and the inverter (though you need to check spec of the fixing system). There are many good makes of each while supply/demand issues may mean that not all are available.

My error on the first installation was not to appreciate that sharp shade on even a small part of the array will knock performance right down, otherwise I'm pretty sure we would have exceeded estimates. As it is, shade from nearby trees probably loses us 0.5 kwh per day.

For the new installation we plan to use multiple inverters, so that if part of the array has temporary shade it doesnt drag down the unshaded array

I've cleared space, I'm sorry:o

We can't put anything on the house (listed) but we have 2 very large south facing (unshaded )barn roofs (on the electric and close to the house) so it seems silly not to exploit them for this use.

edit: thanks also for the words ''kit car'' DH is determined to build a kit tractor....I'm not so sure...for a start I think it wouldn't be ut together by the time I need it. He's also keen for me to have a kit car as a round around....the LR exhausts me and I can't decide on a car because really I want a green option....long range electric or hydrogen, and keep thinking if I wait they'll become more available and more affordable.