June 2013
Feel free to browse through my photos below. You can click on any image thumbnail to expand it.
Saturday 1st June
6 to 16 to 10°C 12.47kWh 2.4kW max. Broken cloud and long sunny intervals. Feeling pleasantly warm if you stay out of the strong northerly breeze. Laid out the mats of wild flowers in the wild garden. To slow down any regrowth from perennial weeds beneath I placed two layers of paper beneath them. Despite there being 76 trays of these mats they took up only a small area so l will need to do the same again several more times.
Sunday 2nd
9 to 17 to 9°C. 12.49lWh 2.4kW max. A similar day to yesterday though with less breeze making it feel a little warmer. Continued to remove the large weeds from both sides of the new hedge and the wild garden.
Monday 3rd
6 to 22 to 11°C. 14.20kWh 2.3kW max. Sunny with a few fair-weather clouds in the afternoon. Finished planting out the peppers in the polytunnel and then back to pulling large weeds out from round the new hedge
Tuesday 4th
7 to 21 to 12°C. 15.35kWh 2.25kW max. Clear blue cloudless sky all day. The first time we have generated more than 15kWh from the solar panels. Pat bought three more hens to replace the ones we lost. They are all different breeds so we should find it easier to tell them apart; the might all lay different looking eggs too. The remaining hen from before wasn't too pleased with them, growling at them and attacking each one in turn so they knew who was in charge. After that she settled down but kept their distance and she wouldn't let them onto the nesting shelf in the henhouse when it came dark; they stayed on the roosting bars instead. Hopefully they will be more friendly once she gets used to them. We have covered the whole of their run with netting to try and keep the buzzards from taking these as well.
Wednesday 5th
10 to 18 to 10°C. 4,82kWh 1.2kW max. Overcast for most of the day, with a few sunny intervals in the afternoon, but feeling quite warm. Planted out the remaining brassicas, Golden Acre cabbage and red kale, in the fruit cage. Noticed that the cherries are starting to swell and also some strawberries so we need to start thinking about fitting the fine net over the cage to keep the blackbirds and thrushes out. One of the new hens managed to get out of the run so we went round again making sure there were no gaps in the walls or the covering nets, fastening them together even more tightly. We don't want to lose any more. All three laid an egg today, though very small, but they are only around 20 weeks old.
Thursday 6th
6 to 18 to 10°C. 6.13kWh 1.6kW max. Cloudy overcast start which lasted till around 2pm when it cleared to a sunny afternoon and evening. Spent most of the afternoon putting the fine net on the fruit cage and also putting a better finer net over parts of the chicken run; one of the new chickens managed to get out again twice.
Friday 7th
7 to 23 to 13°C. 14.58kWh 2.3kW max. Sunny all day with a few fair weather clouds. Spent most of the afternoon watering the strawberries, vegetables and bedding plants outside and the tomatoes, squashes and peppers in the polytunnel. At least we now have a plentiful supply of rain water thanks to the new tanks; there is still more than half of the potential 4300L of storage we now have. Rain is forecast for early next week to top them up again.
Saturday 8th
8 to 22 to 10°C.13.24kWh 2.3kW max. Another sunny day with just a few fluffy clouds. More watering and weeding.
Sunday 9th
8 to 21 to 12°C. 12.05kWh 2.4kW max. Another warm sunny day but clouded over late in the afternoon. Prepared and planted out the summer bedding troughs with marigolds, gazanias, begonias and geraniums. Some of the gazanias, which have been hardening off in the cold frames appear to have been nibbled by the rabbits. I wish I knew how to get rid of or at least deter these pesky creatures!!
Monday 10th
8 to 16 to 10°C. 6.96kWh 1.6kW max. Cloudy start with some sunny intervals in the afternoon. Started to plant out the summer bedding down the side of the drive. Hopefully the rabbits will leave it alone!!
Tuesday 11th
9 to 20 to 15°C. 4.04kWh 1.1kW max. Overcast with light rain most of the night and morning clearing, though still very cloudy, in the afternoon. Started training the tomatoes and squashes in the polytunnel and potted on the coleus.
Wednesday 12th
13 to 21 to 14°C. 4.55kWh 1.4kW max. Another overcast day with intermittent light showers. Continued planting the summer bedding down the drive whenever it wasn't raining. So far the rabbits have left it alone.
Thursday 13th
10 to 21 to 10°C. 7.81kWh 1.8kW. Another day of sunny intervals and heavy squally showers. Between the showers managed to plant out more of the summer bedding down the side of the drive but the rain has made the weeds grow again so those need to come out first.
Friday 14th
12 to 19 to 8°C. 8.58kWh 1.9kW max. Similar day to yesterday but with more rain in the afternoon and evening. Sheltering in the polytunnel started to sow another set of wild flower mats in seed trays
Saturday 15th
11 to 19 to 14°C. 11.19kWh 2.1kW max. Light rain overnight but cleared to a sunny morning. More rain was forecast but never arrived but it was more cloudy by the afternoon. Kirstin and Mark and Anna came to visit with an early birthday present for me, a cordless drill which I will find very useful (I nearly ordered one for myself last week so it is a good job I didn't!!) It was actually a present from Pat and Sarah as well. Seeing as the weather was better than expected, though with a cold wind at times, we all went for a walk round Colemere in the afternoon.
Sunday 16th
10 to 10 to 14°C. 10.54kWh 2.0kW max. Mostly cloudy with a few sunnier periods in the afternoon. Feeling very humid but stayed dry. Finished preparing another set of wild flower mats in around 80 seed trays. A black kitten turned up in the garden and seems to want to stay. She seems very friendly and used to people and knows the meaning of 'No', 'Out' and 'Down' so obviously isn't wild. However she does have quite a bad scar on her spine and the fur round it is very thin so maybe she was ill-treated where she was before. We gave her some food and if she is still around in the morning maybe we will let her stay, especially if she can keep the rabbits out of the garden when she gets bigger.
Monday 17th My 70th Birthday
5 to 19 to 12°C. 5.64kWh 1.2kW max. A rather overcast humid day with a few spots of rain. Looks like we might have a thunderstorm later in the week. Put canes and string along the rows of early peas to give them some support. The rain forecast in the last few days didn't happen and the potato bags are starting to dry out so gave them a good water. Decided to empty one of the bags of the super early Casablanca. The yield was quite good for this first look; enough for two meals. A very nice tasting potato it is too needing very little cooking.
Tuesday 18th
10 to 24 to 16°C. 8.86kWh 2kW max. Overcast start but brighter later though never with any clear sunshine. Very still and humid with a few light showers later in the day. One of those unusual days where the 'feels like' temperature was higher than the thermometer suggests. Spent most of the afternoon building the frames for the runner and climbing beans. Not the traditional wigwams of canes; the unseasonal winds in the last few summers caused these to be blown over. Instead I built a long double row of 2m canes, joining them with plastic ties at the top and then strengthening the whole structure with canes also pushed into the ground crossing diagonally the upright ones and attached to them also with plastic ties.
Wednesday 19th
14 to 22 to 10°C. 10.66kWh 2.1kW max. A warm very humid day with hazy sunshine. Planted out the runner and climbing beans and then continued to plant the summer bedding down the drive. The kitten which turned up on Sunday was around all day on Monday and most of Tuesday but there was no sign of her today. Had our first strawberries today; they are actually only a few days later than usual.
Thursday 20th
8 to 22 to 16°C. 3.05kWh 1.2kW max. A very dull overcast humid day with intermittent drizzly rain, clearing for a time in the afternoon. Started clearing the remaining part of the vegetable garden, between the drive and the fruit trees, so we can plant out the leeks and celery. Hoed the polytunnel beds. The tomatoes are flowering quite well on their first truss but none are set yet. The squashes and especially the courgettes are flowering well, including some female flowers.
Friday 21st
13 to 22 to 13°C 7.06kWh 2.1kw max. Cloudy start with no visible sunrise to mark the summer solstice. Cleared late in the morning to a sunny afternoon with a sharp heavy shower around 3pm but cleared again afterwards feeling a lot fresher. Managed to dig over the ground I had cleared yesterday before it rained then retreated to the polytunnel to lay out the wild flower trays, which have germinated, wherever there is space between the squashes and peppers. Trained and removed the side shoots from the tomatoes which are now already starting their second truss.
Saturday 22nd
11 to 19 to 13°C. 7.36kWh 1.6kW max. Overcast and windy with a few sunny intervals but also some heavy showers. Drizzling as it came dark. Not what you expect in the middle of June. Planted the late onions,Bristol, which I had grown from seed and transplanted first into cell trays. Then back to the polytunnel when it rained again.
Sunday 23rd
11 to 15 to 11°C. 3.67kWh 800W max. A dark windy day with drizzle going almost horizontally at times. Not a day to work outside and there is nothing to do in the polytunnel at the moment. It is forecast to be better tomorrow. If it is going to rain why can't it do it properly and fill up the rainwater stores as well as watering the garden, though not enough to last more than a few days if it comes sunny again.
Monday 24th
9 to 18 to 11°C. 9.21kWh 2.1kW max. A much brighter day with sunny intervals and only thin cloud but still quite windy. Finished planting out the summer bedding down the side of the drive. The peas I sowed a couple of weeks ago haven't germinated and on closer examination there are little holes dug in the run all along its length. Mice; I really am getting fed up with the wild life this year. It is a shame the cat which turned up the weekend before last disappeared after only a few days.
Tuesday 25th
7 to 20 to 13°C. 11.39kWh 2.4kW max. Chilly start but soon started to warm to a mostly sunny day with broken fluffy clouds and feeling warmer now the wind has dropped. Spent most of the afternoon moving the pots of spring bedding, primulas, pansies, viola etc, from the beds near the house. Some, particularly the primulas, will probably be OK for another year if I leave them in a cool shady spot for the rest of the summer.
Wednesday 26th
8 to 20 to 11°C. 14.4kWh 2.1kW max. Very similar weather to yesterday. Moved the pots of lilies and other summer bulbs and the troughs of summer flowers onto the beds in front of the house. Started to transplant the basil and parsley into larger 12cm pots from their cell trays.
Thursday 27th
11 to 18 to 13°C. Fine sunny start but soon clouded over with light rain by lunchtime with heavier rain in the afternoon and then back to light rain in the evening. Looks like out stores of rainwater will be replenished. Did some tidying up in the polytunnel and continued to transplant the basil and parsley.
Friday 28th
13 to 20 to 13°C. Overcast with light drizzle and a few heavier showers. So did some tidying up and weeding in the polytunnel training the tomatoes, peppers and squashes. Some of he squashes are really growing quite strongly now so decided to start building the frames to support them
Saturday 29th
10 to 20 to 14°C. A much brighter day with broken thin clouds and some sunshine in the morning, becoming cloudier in the afternoon. Started early continuing building the frames for the squashes but had to give up before lunchtime when the temperature in the polytunnel reached 34°C with 100% humidity. In the afternoon moved most of the new wild flower trays out of the polytunnel into the cold frames protecting them with netting to keep the rabbits from eating them. I cooled off later in the afternoon so returned to the frame building again.
Sunday 30th
13 to 22 to 14°C. 12.05kWh 2.2kW max. A bright mainly sunny day with broken cloud but a strong gusty wind made it feel colder than the thermometer would suggest. We have lost all our hens again!! Despite completely enclosing the run with wire netting, some of it welded mesh netting, most of it either buried at the bottom or weighted down with bricks, and covering the whole with plastic netting a fox came over the 100cm netting into the onion bed adjacent to the chicken house and then dug under the house coming up in the only part which wasn't protected from below by either paving or netting. All four hens were taken, leaving just a few feathers behind. That is nine chckens we have lost in the last 6 months and we have decided to not replace them again, at least until next year when I can devise an even better protection for them which will probably mean they will not be strictly free range. Maybe that is what happened to the kitten as well? I have had asthma all day, cause unknown, so didn't do much in the garden other than potting on the rest of the parsley and some geraniums
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