Mushrooming

I started a mushroom farm in our cellar just before Christmas. It's a box of spore-saturated

earth with a thin layer of soil on top and a lid with a couple of holes for air regulation sits on top of that.

So far I have had about four or five good harvests of (Ceps or Porcini (Boletus Edulis) which are delicious. After picking the last lot, the farm has had a bit of a rest, but after watering, the next crop is growing rapidly.

Once the mushroom culture is exhausted I intend to put it on the compost heap and get a refill. Frank loves chanterelles, so I think we'll have those next time.

Looked out of the kitchen window this morning and saw that the snowy garden was covered with tracks. Went out to investigate and found that deer had jumped over the fence from the wood and had left their marks all over the garden. They also ate the broccoli leaves on my broccoli plants. I should have covered them up. :(

The garden is covered with snow at the moment, but where I planted lettuce and covered the squares with plastic cloches, there are tiny little seedlings coming up. I was afraid that I'd put too much horse manure in the mix and that the nitrogen content would be too high, but obviously it's OK. A relief.

Have also bought a bit more wood and intend to make one more 2x4 bed. Prepared the ground for it before the first hard frosts hit in November, and it will be a nice project to finish before spring and the children come home. I have just enough soil mix for one more 2x4 left over from the beds I made before.

Have just finished laying down weedcloth and bark chippings. I need to get a bit more for the back, especially when I've finished the last 2x4 bed - but it's taking shape at last.

Very satisfying. :)

Today we raked up loads of leaves and dumped them all on the paths between the SFG beds. I then went out and bought weed cloth and bark chippings, as well as another length of wood to build one more 2x4 bed.
Tomorrow - (eeugh - Sunday in Germany is a sacred day!!! - whatever will the neighbours say!!!) - I'm going to cut the weedcloth, lay it down on the paths and then cover it with bark mulch. It'll look brilliant, and keep the weeds at bay come spring.

Next week I'll do the last SFG bed. Can't wait. This is such fun!! :))

Sowing time

Sowed three kinds of lettuce - Apache, Lollo and Grand Rapids under cover, in the hope of some late winter /early spring salads. Over winter I'm getting organic fruit and veggies delivered until the garden starts producing... In a couple of weeks I'll sow three more squares with lettuce, and some more of the other veggies I sowed before.

Winter veggies

Today I sowed lamb's lettuce, chard and curly kale seeds. Will cover with plastic to ward off frost. Hope to have some greens throughout winter. Plus I'm thinking of building another 2x4 frame. I have enough soil left over and we have the space - it seems stupid not to make the most of it.