Rainwater harvesting

Mostly the system on the tunnel is working. The plastic sheet guides the water into the gutter and it runs into the butts OK, except when it’s really heavy rain. Then the gutter overflows on the inside, splashing on the ground and coming under the base rail. I reckon we need a second downcomer at the other end – and another butt.

Barney meanwhile wants a nice neat look outside so he’s put the lids on. Hmm. When it Proper Rains (as it always does right now) a lot just floods over the lid.

Unfortunately Barney’s desire for a tidy look does not extend to the tunnel inside. He’s a bit of a messy potter (whereas I’m always aware of the risk of infection etc), but at least gets the job done. Yesterday I got home to find the hens’ straw bale in the tunnel.. I am keeping calm. I read somewhere about using one to keep tomatoes watered or something. I try. I’ve got an IKEA shoe tidy for putting the little bits and pieces in. Meanwhile the table isn’t looking promising for being available to take to the Big Chill. We’re going on the Zombie day (I haven’t mentioned this to Barney, or Tina yet).

On the greenhouse, he’s interfered with my system of buckets in a good way by moving the spare butt up. Needs a bit of tweaking, but showing potential. The melons are looking good in there and the new automatic vent is ace (especially when I’m late for work and don’t get out early).

Meanwhile the slug riddled strawberries are treating the hens. I’m busy making wire supports with some cheap coated wire from Wickes, using a Bulmers original bottle for a former. I went to school with a girl who counted W Heath Robinson among her relations. I think we must’ve been switched at an early age.

Today Barney was out when his mate Mick arrived bearing nearly 3 stone of chitted spuds. He says B asked for them. They need planting straight away. Oh dearie me I said. I think it’ll be ground cover fabric with a few holes dug in. Depends how many pints he’s had by the time he drifts home later. He’s out wiv me bruv playing golf and probably negotiating the purchase of a vehicle which won’t be doing much planet saving anytime soon.

Long Days

It's been a good weekend. I did some catching up work, but mostly we've been in the garden. Then we've watched the rain on the US golf on TV and played facebook scrabble which has to be the best way to exercise the cider addled brain... maybe not.

Today we used the Butt Pump to empty the big butt so we could get a stand under it. Last week I'd moved it then lost the will when I couldn't adjust the inlet to high enough, so I left it. Meanwhile it rained and 200 litres of water is a bit heavy to be lifting. I bought the pump so we can use it for watering the garden from the butts. The tunnel ones are close enough to be dipping butts, but I'm working on a siphon system. It works brilliantly so I'm cheery as anything.

We also had a barbeque - ate in the tunnel. yip. We'd moved all the plants out so Barney could get the ground sheet down, then moved them back in a bit tidier. They seem OK.

Ellie set it up outside and made sure the smoke went up the trees. We used the camping table - one day I'll have to fold it up for the big chill, but right now I've been getting me £15 worth.

I'm going to start buying more random tables for staging when I see them at the clearance bargains shop.

Party Tunnel

I got home to an empty house.

Cars on drive OK, but no people indoors. The back door was locked – no key, which usually means he’s up the garden and being security conscious.

Then Ellie came in. They were all in the Tunnel having a barbeque – with a lot of cider and beer. Chris on a padded lounger, the picnic table and chairs set out nicely. A lovely domestic scene.

I hope we’ve many more to come. .. but next time I’ll make them do the cooking outside of the doors. I’m sure a thin grease film on the cover isn’t very good for the plants.

Phased Retirement

That’s what I’m calling it.
Today I did my last day at the Old White Men’s exam board. Well, there’s a bit of marking and reporting, but it was my last trip south. It started when I was feeling very busy and pressured and I realised just how many days I’ve done for them in the last few years, for low pay and zero being valued (ha you investors in people you). The Mr V Important said they’d manage without me for this year’s awarding (even less valued). Oops – I’ve gone.

My iPod was a bit spooky, as it is sometimes, and I had a strange Strong Family Experience. Just felt overwhelming love for the lot of them which, instead of making me careful got me rushing home at 70mph (and the rest). Unfortunately I lost my average MPH of 59.1 …. Achieved on the way due to heavy rain (less resistance) and the fact that it’s clearly downhill going south…

So as Roger Daltrey said ‘I’m Free’
Next it’ll be reducing the hours in the day job,(if I still need time). Tomorrow I see Amanda whose been telling me to retire for a while now (on account of illness, busy-ness etc). It’s a step, I’ll tell her.

Of course the current priority is the tunnel which is not at all compatible with exam work. I’ve been away 2 nights. In the meantime one of the scabby grapes has buds, strawberries almost done and the water butts are overflowing.

In other news – Tina’s tent – twin to ours - withstood the recent thunderstorm – woo hoo. Big Chill here we come. (just need to decide who will mind the Plot – octogenarian or vague bruv – resident offspring away on an unfortunate clash)

The Great Water Plan

I know, I don’t live far from Keilder reservoir, but this is my own great water plan. We’ve (erm Barney, with my help) put gutters and butts on the tunnel, following me master plan and using Wickes mini stuff, which is about right, with a bit of plastic here and there (and we have a lot of bits of plastic. I haven’t told Barney about the second tunnel…yet. Keep a bit of Mystique in yer relationship I say)).

Extra plastic stapled on to get the rain into the gutters

The idea is that since the garden floods from the next door Mahussive House, and as the quote for proper drains was (a) £10,000 and (b) wasteful of nice fresh rainwater, we need to harvest the Polytunnel water and use it as the plants demand. Nature seems to be being a bit of a feast and famine as far as water is concerned. Then we need to sort out our Island Greenhouse that happens every time it rains.

Right now, it seems, the butts are inadequate. Barney isn’t too keen on recycled containers so I’m gonna have to invest some of the exam money in some Nice Butts.

Less than a week to Neil Young Woo Hoooooo

Out of glass – into plastic

I git the doors temporarily covered this week...

The poor old tired plants are out of captivity under glass. I’ve got the yellowing tomatoes and cucumbers in the tunnel now, along with a couple of very scabby looking grapes courtesy of the telegraph. I’m assured they’ll win through.

The perpetual strawberries have had to go in a big pot holding orbit for now, it’s been so bizzy. There are 10 mini sweetcorn in a wickes 70l compost bag. It’s all experimentation round here. Water melons and pappers next.

Of course next year it will be different. There will be a plan. Maybe.

The Tunnel Has Landed

I thought it was a bit ironic that the Polytunnel will come into play at the hottest time of the year, but no…it’s a good thing to get the cover on when it’s hot.
This project started on the first May Bank Holiday and since then we’ve been doing bits and pieces in between Day Jobs etc. I had worked out how to use my Aldi spray gun to paint the battens green, using the doors as supports. Barney had managed to get the spare netting a bit of the way round the corners to protect the plastic from foxes. All we needed was a nice hot still day, like yesterday really, but today’s forecast was a bit more interesting.

This morning was perfect. Ellie and Colin were up and about, despite appalling paintball injuries, and Barney had raised the mid-rail a bit for later tensioning and hammered a few nails part way into some battens.(Thank goodness for polytunnel TV). So we got on and we did it.

There was excitement when the cover slid off when we left it to warm up and get stretchy, but they got it back, with only a tiny hole in a OK place. I was terrified that we’d split the polythene – Barney did leave a few wee pointy bits, but I covered them with tape, which seems to have worked. I got on with painting more battens while they pulled and tugged (not on a bit that mattered) and put in nails. Ellie did some really artistic work on the folds round the door (get the channels on the outside, I yelled, bless her). In the end, the cover was as tight as a drum. Then we lowered the bar to tension it. Blimey, if it had been a cool day, the sun may have warmed it and slackened it off sometime in the future. Today’s the hottest of the year so far, so I’m hoping it’ll stay good. It makes a great sound when you ping it, or when a bumble bee flew into it. I hope a pointy beaked bird doesn’t fly our way fooled by the reflections.

There were problems with the side screening, which is not a great design. I think a bit of sticky tape strategically placed will cure it. Fortunately Colin works in a sticky tape company…

All I need to do now is get the doors done. I’ve decided to use the net supplied for the doors to fill in the ends, so I need to find an alternative for the doors.

Somehow we have a lot of spare plastic. I suppose it’s because we have side venting as an extra and the standard kit assumes the whole plastic tunnel with the edges buried model. There was also a spare big lump. I’ve been checking the invoice and have no idea what it’s supposed to be. There’ll be a lot for making mini tunnels and frames for the rest of the garden. At last I can get some plants out of the greenhouse – once I’ve potted them up/bought some growbags.