Summer Bees
It’s always a sign that spring is in the air and the beekeeping season is about to get started when the Thorne catalogue lands on our doormat.
Beekeepers Pancake Day
As a beekeeper with a store cupboard full of last seasons honey I was bound to take my pancake pleasure with some of the liquid gold sweetness of summer 2020.
Before the birds start nesting
With the bitter cold weather and snow fall of the last couple of weeks it’s been difficult to get much done.
He Knows No Winter
He knows no winter he who loves the soil…
Seed ordering day.
£163.00. Not bad for the bounty of veg and salads we should achieve over the summer with this lot.
The Big Garden Bird/Squirrel Watch.
The RSPB Big Birdwatch was coming up soon so we registered to take part and looked forward to focusing on the bird table and feeders for an hour to give us a better insight as to who exactly was coming to visit as well as to contribute to the national survey.
Snow Fall and Broken Limbs
As often happens with coniferous trees in these conditions the branch didn’t actually snap of but did split along it’s length severely weakening it.
A truck full of bird boxes
We’re not short of trees in Smithy Brook so I had no trouble finding good locations for them.
It’s a man thing….
It’s a man thing….
The Beauty of a Bundle of Bumbarrels
I have always loved this little bird with its black and white plumage tinged with a delicate shade of pink, its dainty little features, its round little body with its tail, so long that it makes it look like one of those dongers that are used to beat out the notes on a xylophone and I am hungry to learn more.
33 Uses For Beeswax That Go Beyond Candle Making
While bees and their remarkable raw honey generally get a lot of buzzingly good press, we often lose sight of the other amazing gifts they have to offer.
2020
2020 was a better year than you think
Aconite, the first of all.
It is always an absolute tonic to me when signs of Spring appear and the reassurance of the green shoots of the early flowers reveal to us that they are waiting in the wings and ready to put on their show no matter what.
A Few Winter Jobs
With livestock however comes a few responsibilities which can’t be escaped and our chicken pen has become due a good clean out, so we did venture out briefly to tackle that today.
Woody’s Welcome Return
We were also very pleased to see the return of a Great Spotted Woodpecker to our peanut feeder this morning too. Coincidentally it was only a couple of days ago we were discussing the fact we hadn’t seen him in a while.
This is superb.
I just came across this on the internet and thought I would share it with you. I think this is so talented.
Frosty Frustrations
Myself and Chelle have had some great winter walks on crisp frozen mornings and some very pleasant evenings in front of the fire too. The weather just feels kind of ‘right’ for January.
A Bowlful of Cheer
I have always loved their ostentatious appearance and heady scent at a time of year when a bit of a boost is needed to help you through post-Christmas gloom and set you well on your way to that first glimpse of lengthening days or the first snowdrop checking in to Spring
Big Garden Bird Watch
Why not take a look. We will be taking part in Smithy Brook.
Moorhen Heists and Kingfisher Whispering.
The table and feeders have a constant stream of hungry beaks belonging to all the usual candidates waiting their turn to tuck into the meal of the day, but it is always a special pleasure when the ‘Brooksiders’ leave their watery haunts and choose to join us.
Wintry Day up t’North
It’s always surprising how quickly the world changes when it disappears under a layer of snow.
Calendar Rituals
It is said that you should live as though you are going to die tomorrow but you should farm as though you are going to live forever and because of this you never dispose of last years calendar but every calendar is kept so comparisons can be made from one year to next, to keep an eye on Mother Natures performance and to notice patterns.
New Years Eve Pizza The Action
Once the oven reached temperature it was a quick job to roll out our pizza bases and spread them with our toppings. 10-15 minutes later we were sat eating our first meal of wood fired pizza. Delightful.
No Flat Hedgehog’s Anymore
Whilst I was sat there I found myself chatting to Bruce the Spruce about something that’s kept tugging at my mind recently, which is, where are all the flat hedgehogs?
Summer Evening Bee Jobs
After gathering everything I needed together I got myself settled on the picnic bench under the apple tree and spent a lovely couple of hours working in the company of my buddy Samson.
One For Sorrow
Our ancestors lack of proper understanding of the mysteries of life probably led to the supernatural links to magpies as a way of explaining difficult subjects such as death.
What do you do with red currants?
It’s that time of year again where we start to get a substantial harvest of red currants. As usual I’m looking for ways to use them all rather than just making enough red currant jelly to supply the whole town.
Salad Season
Hot summer days followed by fresh salad from the garden, what a perfect combination. Although the tomatoes and cucumbers in the greenhouse have a way to go yet before we start harvesting we are already getting plenty of lettuce and radishes maturing outside.
Shutting the stable door….
The old pre motorway freight roads over the pennines are a lovely drive, passing through many old mill towns and offering fantastic views on the higher reaches. Although visibility was poor due to the heavy rain and thick fog on the tops it was still an enjoyable drive back – although a little worrying at times as the winds got stronger on the higher sections.
Anti Depressant in Soil?
Prozac may not be the only way to get rid of your serious blues. Soil microbes have been found to have similar effects on the brain and are without side effects and chemical dependency potential.
Onion update…
ust a quick photo update to show the progress of the onion sets I planed back on the 6th April. I planted two rows of red onion and two rows of white onion sets. Other than keeping them watered they’ve had no other attention until today. I’ve just hoed between the rows to remove weeds this afternoon.
Is rape making my bees angry?
My last couple of inspections I have found that a colony that has always been quite placid and easy to handle has become very aggressive. Last week took me by surprise as the bees poured out of the hive despite my smoking them and surrounded me in a cloud. Constantly banging against my face shield and repeatedly trying to sting through my protective clothing.
Hopi Prophecy
Everything is spiritual, everything has a spirit, everything was brought here by the creator, the one creator. Some people call him God, some people call him Buddha, some people call him Allah, some people call him other names. We call him Tunkaschila… Grandfather.
My Poor Greenhouse!
My poor greenhouse has taken a bit of a battering over the winter months. My grounds maintenance company uses a large 15 foot long beavertail plant trailer that we tow behind a transit tipper. Turning this around is quite a skill at the best of times. Reversing it in the dark on our small holding, away from the streetlights is a nightmare.
French beans a’climbing
I love this time of year in the garden. Everything is starting to come together. The seeds we set a few weeks ago are putting on growth and as the risk of frost subsides we can start getting them out into the garden.
Yay, Courgettes are planted!
I’m still managing to get a few jobs done each day on the small holding around my busy work schedule. Today I’ve planted out my courgettes.
Preparing for oil seed rape honey
Well it’s that time of year again. Just as we enter swarming season we also have oil seed rape coming into flower. The bees will need a few weeks of good care to ensure we don’t loose a swarm or struggle with set honey.
Last of the potatoes planted.
I grabbed a quick 10 minutes today to get the last of the seed potatoes in the ground. My first early’s and second early’s were planted about a month ago but I’ve been busy at work the last few weeks so my maincrop’s have been sat on my windowsill chitting away to their hearts content.
Cowslips….
Over hill, over dale, Thorough bush, thorough brier, Over park, over pale, Thorough flood, thorough fire, I do wander everywhere, Swifter than the moonè’s sphere; And I serve the fairy queen, To dew her orbs upon the green: The cowslips … Continued
Figs Galore!
Wow! Our little fig tree planted around 18 months ago on the west facing wall beside our back door has nearly two dozen figs on it this year.
Setting Goose Eggs
I’ve just set 11 goose eggs in the incubator. These are not mine but belong to a farmer friend who has a mated goose that won’t sit her eggs. They took a rather convoluted journey to me due to current … Continued
Sowing leeks, broccoli and sprouts
Some seeds are started where they are to spend their lives, such as lettuce, carrots etc, simply sown outdoors and perhaps thinned out as they grow and get too large for their space.. Some seeds are started indoors in seed trays, perhaps with heat.
Garden Planning
I think almost every gardener I know has a favorite garden book, or perhaps a favorite gardener who influenced them when they first started gardening. I’ve gardened for as long as I remember. Even as a small child I always commandeered a corner of the garden in every house we lived in. My parents, grandparents and great grandparents all enjoying their gardens and passing on bits of knowledge here and there to me.
Planting Seed Potatoes
Nothing beats the taste of home grown potatoes cooked fresh from the ground. One of my all time favorite feasts has to be freshly harvested new potatoes along with freshly harvested broad beans.
Spring Beekeeping Jobs
With swarm control in mind I spent the afternoon sorting out all my spare beekeeping equipment, ensuring I have spare hives available in case I need to artificially swarm a colony at short notice. Everything was spread out in the sunshine, checked over and cleaned. Two spare hives were assembled including supers. Anything I was short of was listed for ordering.
Slightly Batty
Where do bats go in winter? Yes, this and other batty thoughts have been going through my mind as I spent the last half hour of twilight sat watching the local Smithy Brook bats flitting amongst the trees.
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
Hope…Hope that this will all be over one day very soon and we’ll be eating the courgettes and onions he’s planting over the same dinner table and maybe even sharing the same name as well as county and home.
Planting Onion Sets
If you don’t have the time or the desire to start your onions from seed then onion sets are the perfect solution, virtually guaranteeing you a successful crop.
Soft fruit cuttings
The pots were then watered and placed outdoors out of direct sunlight. I just need to keep them watered now and see how many of my cuttings take root over the next few weeks.
Seed sowing in the sunshine
Having had a couple of years out of the smallholding it took me a while to find where I’d left everything. After rooting around in the greenhouse for a while however I found a windowsill propagator, some seed trays and a bag of vermiculite.
“Dig” or “No Dig”?
I’ve read a lot over the years about “no dig” techniques where you simply mulch each year adding nutrients as you go. Whilst I like the sound of this in theory I can’t really see how it would work on our land.
This is very worrying.
UKs horticultural sector worth £1.4BN could be wiped out by shutdown in weeks
Bit O’Dry Stone Walling
‘Jack of all trades and master o’none’ was one of my dad’s sayings when I was growing up. I remember him saying it quite often but can’t for the life of me remember in what context. Anyway it could certainly apply to me when it comes to dry stone walling.
The Dreaded Conifer
This was a hedge we never really wanted but became a necessity
BBKA – Bee News
As the weather warms up and the bees become more active the monthly ‘what to do’ page is especially welcome.
Chitting Seed Potatoes
Has everyone got trays of seed potatoes chitting (sprouting) on window sills around the house or is it just me? I’ve currently got first earlies, second earlies and maincrop in plastic egg trays getting ready for planting. The process of … Continued
New roof for the Chuck’s
a couple of hours work and £39.00
Has Spring Sprung?
What a joy! In the brief respite between the seemingly constant wind and rain of the last few weeks my pots of daffodils have flowered. Of course this totally expected event that happens every year we plant them should come … Continued
Bee Important……
Wildlife.net Following a meeting at the Royal Geographical Society in London, United Kingdom the Earthwatch Institute declared bees the most important living beings on this Planet, however, according to wildlife experts & scientists many bees have joined the long list of Endangered species 🐝 With so much about … Continued
Hungry Bees
It’s late winter and like many beekeepers I start to get a little nervous about what may be happening inside my hives. Storms Ciara, Dennis and this weekend Jorge have made just earning a living for myself a challenge with … Continued
Teeswater Sheep Exhibition
Last night saw myself and Michelle finishing work early and heading up to Hawes through the wind and rain of storm Jorge. We have been looking forward to this exhibition for some months having seen many of Melissa’s photographs over … Continued
Getting forcefully fruity with a vegetable…
I know. It’s probably the time of year. That unrequited desire for something fresh. Something a little fruity. But alas in late winter the choices are few.
Frittering my time away…
There was nothing quite like Pancake Day when I was a child waiting patiently in line to see if the next one Mum had finished cooking was for me. No sooner was it tossed and turned out onto the Hornsea … Continued
Starting Anew!
Hello and Welcome to our blog! We hope you will join us as we share our smallholding journey with you. Both myself and my lovely partner and soon to be wife Michelle have a wide and varied experience around farming, … Continued