Busy?

Firstly I would like to say a MASSIVE thank you to those who have or will sponsor trees (it's not too late :). I will be putting up a plaque of some kind in the garden with names.
 
I was going to call this post 'A busy time of year', but I thought that would be an understatement, and anyway, I am almost always busy.

As a working teacher we are fast approaching the report deadlines so much marking and correcting, filling in forms and so on. I am also happy to be taking a group of students to the theatre to see a traditional (or maybe not as it is in France!) pantomime next week, it has been interesting trying to organise, as some teachers think it is great to take students out of the school environment especially in such an impoverished area where some have never set foot inside a theatre, whereas others think it is a waste of time and should not be allowed. I think it is obvious where I stand. Outside the school :)

http://www.letheatredanslesvignes.fr/#/Les_rendez-vous/Les_spectacles

The garden is being prepared for winter, in my spare time I am preparing beds and sowing winter crops to feed my family next spring hopefully - and not the (stupid/annoying/beautiful/ethereal/fantastic - delete as appropriate) peacocks or my naughty chickens which keep escaping from their admittedly temporary and bodge job fencing. Garlic, onions, lettuce, peas, broad beans. For the moment.

The newly insulated house is definitely warmer than last winter. Phew.

The trees have been pre-ordered;

pommiers sur       apples on              M111 :

Gravenstein x 2

Belle de Boskoop x2

Pomme Raisin Rouge x1

Belles filles de salins x1

coquette x1

rainette de Brive x1

rainette d'amboulne x1

rainette doréé x2

cerisier sur merisier - blanchard x1 et noir de meched x1 -             2 kinds of cherries

2 amandiers              almonds

je voudrais aussi commander des porte-greffe.

 

These are the rootstock for when I finally learn to graft (I have found a local guy and

franc de poiriers x 3 (pear)

M111 x 10

M106 x 5

myrobolan x3 (for plum and apricot)

amandier x3 (almond!)

The almond is a local unnamed variety! I am quite excited by that!

I will, as already posted, buy some modern varieties too.

A wonderful opportunity

“If what I say resonates with you, it is merely because we are both branches on the same tree.”
W. B. Yeats
 
Why not sponsor a tree? Imagine, you can help contribute to the healing of the planet - just a small gesture, and one which has widespread consequences. You can always visit your tree/s and don't forget, we are situated in a rather beautiful spot in the South of France...

For those of you desiring/thinking about or wishing to sponsor a tree, now is the time to choose which variety you would like. It is time to act.


'The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago, the second best time is now'! (no idea who said this!)

Most of the varieties I have chosen in advance are local, rustic, and older varieties, although I am up for planting just about anything, variety being the spice of life (and biodiversity being essentially spicy!). I have already ordered two Pink Lady apple trees by special request, and a braeburn is also on the books, hopefully making several people happy - you know who you are :) If you have a favourite variety and would like me to try it out, just let me know.

“Do not be afraid to go out on a limb…That’s where the fruit is.”
Anonymous

 Click here for a general guide to apples
Lien pour identifier les pommes

HOW TO SPONSOR - First choose your variety and the number of trees you are willing to sponsor - each tree will come in at about 20€, depending on the variety chosen and the supplier. Of course you can pay more and cover the costs of the watering for the first season if it proves to be too dry.
Email me with the information, I will get back to you with how to pay for your trees.
emanwela@yahoo.co.uk
I will be buying a first lot of trees on the 11th November, at a fair in Mirepoix, to which the supplier will bring me the trees order in advance. People are already ordering, and they are sold on a first come first served basis, so I will be ordering the first trees in the next few days.

“My heart is glad, my heart is high
With sudden ecstasy;
I have given back, before I die,
Some thanks for every lovely tree
That dead men grew for me.”
V.H. Friedlaender


Here is the orchard...

The photo is taken from the Tour de Fa, a ruin above the village. The valley is the vallée du Faby, the name of the river running towards the Aude River. And yes, Fabien (number 2 son) was named after this river - amongst other reasons.

The local tree supplier is on this site. I will also be buying some rootstock for when I finally get around to grafting - watch out world - gardeners really are the best thieves!

If you are interested in apples I highly recommend this book - it is fun, informative and a great read - by Pete Brown click here.

Using a M111 rootstock, as this is best for light well filtering soils:
 APPLES
Queen of Pippin = Reine des Rainettes

Gravenstein 

Belle de Boskoop

Rose de Berne

Pomme Raisin Rouge

Belles filles de salins

Coquette

Courte pendu rouge OR gris OR both???

Rainette de Brive


PEARS I will try to buy some of each type of rootstock, depending on their position in the orchard (oooh I love that word!)
Doyenne de Comice

Conférence

Beurré d'Aremberg

any other from this site



CHERRIES probably on merisier...

a variety from this site :)


APRICOTS on myrobolan (no choice at this tree supplier!)
Bergeron

Pêche de Nancy

Rouge du Roussillon

Tardif de Bordaneil

We will also be planting almond and pomegranate, a few peach and some plum trees... 

Some FAQ's :

WHO ARE WE?

myself, Emanwela, and whatever help I can get! Sometimes the children, sometimes friends, nothing but the best <3

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WITH THE PRODUCE?

Eat it, make jam from it, make juice from it using a local cooperative (les jardins de la haute vallée) and sell/exchange any excess.

ARE WE 'ORGANIC'?

We are beyond organic (Hi Walter :) The orchard is part (will be part) of a smallholding, we already have chickens, and the garden is slowly taking shape. Please note that the land was bought in 2016, after having NO culture since 2000, and is just a (desert) lawn. The garden is walled in, so the trees will be protected - one small section of fence will need to be erected.

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
Albert Einstein

Thought of the day

So yesterday I had a day off. I walked round to a friend's house - a 11km round trip. It felt good being out, watching the birds, the clouds, feeling the wind. Whilst drinking a few cups of Verveine tea (actually by the end of the afternoon it was just hot water, but still) we discussed many subjects, laughed a lot, re-knotted some neglected ties, a truly special few hours, followed by a perfect walk home in the evening sunshine. Of course, I could have done many other things with my Sunday, but I think it was the right decision. One of our thoughts of the day was:
Entre ce que nous devrons rêver, et ce que nous ne devons pas oublier, il y a le présent.
Between that of which we should dream, and that which we should not forget, there is the present.

here are some random photos of the last few days...

He insisted on bringing a wooden board up to the Tour de Fa to eat his apple... He carried it of course :)

For those in the know, what is missing from this photo? :( Nothing lasts for ever...

The Queensland Blue is disappointingly orange - Orange is the new blue???

If anyone can guess the picture I will eat the puzzle :D

One of my walks this week... Bugarech in the background

Waking up to a pair of peacocks on the roof opposite my bedroom window is rather special

 and spending a day in the garden, under a hot October sun, preparing the beds for some winter sowing has meant a satisfying day all round. Despite the lack of nitrogen in the soil I am going to keep sowing, whilst looking out for a trailer or two of manure. Organic of course!
The chickens were let into the garden today, so they had a great time wandering around, hopefully eating some pests! Ivor helped me to herd them up and make sure they are safe for the night.
Today (post written on the 14th October) marks mum's 77th birthday, and although I haven't managed to speak to her today, I am sure she is having a great day with daughter number 3 in Malta.
I truly hope that I am as fit as her at that age...

Inconclusive conclusions.

Oh this busy life... I certainly don't have time to be bored.

I have managed to test one sample for NPK - and I'm afraid to report that the only conclusion I am able to come to is that I am incapable of coming to a conclusion about the colours! grrrr.

I have waited more than enough time (it says 24 hours) for the water to become clear after mixing it with the soil, but that hasn't happened, it is still cloudy.

I think that the results are showing a total lack of nitrogen.

The Phosphorus appears to be adequate as does the Potassium - I asked my teenage son to confirm as maybe younger eyes are superior!

I shall hopefully test at least some of the other samples this weekend, in between making a cake for Ivor's 8th birthday!

 View from my bedroom window...

Ivor introduces himself

soil testing continued

It was quite exciting today, discovering the pH of the soil. Ivor and I took 10 samples around the garden, in different spots, and after leaving the samples to dry out I spent most of the day crushing soil into crumbs (yes, I have a blister to prove this), while he was out mushrooming with a friend.

Then came the pH test :

 I have only tested two areas for pH so far, and apparently the soil, which is 'argileuse et fine' - fine clay, is also between 6.5 and 7pH so, only very slightly acid. Good for pear trees, and raspberries and strawberries according to the leaflet I have read - more research to be done, as I really want to plant apples. Hopefully the top part of the garden will be slightly more acidic. Next stage, take the dried, painstakingly crushed soil - not allowed to touch it with hands - add distilled water and shake for one minute (I did time it!) and allow to settle. This stage may take 24 hours due to the type of soil. So here are the samples, ready to be tested tomorrow (if I find time) for NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium).

A year's anniversary

Wow, the first 12 months have simply flown by, I am finding it hard to believe it has been a year. It has been... interesting, lots of learning has gone on, changes in the boys lives and mine too. Salix has completed his chef qualification and is working full time. Fabien is doing work experience, which is apparently pushing him towards going back to school although the jury is still out on that, and Ivor has improved his reading and has a new teacher this year.
I felt inspired to write today, as Ivor and I spent half an hour digging up soil samples from the garden to test the acidity and NPK levels. Then I can decide which rootstock is best for the trees, which we have been researching. The results will also tell me which flowers and shrubs and so on will be happiest in the type of soil. I am already noticing certain plants struggling, and others doing very well.

As you can tell from the photos it is all quite scientific - and those are not sweets, as I hastened to tell Ivor, but chemicals for the testing! He helped me label the jars. The research into which trees comes down to me reading lots about grafting - very exciting stuff, I can't wait; plus the boys trying lots of apples and telling me their favourites 😀.  Crunchy and acidic seem to be key words here. I bought a couple of grafting knives for myself for my birthday, and intend on planting some rootstock and grafting onto them myself. I am eagerly anticipating grafting from my mum's tree in London, obviously the apples won't be the same, as they are affected by terroir and climate.


Sadly the Rose I bought is not looking too happy!

The baby raised beds - of which there are three which are in production - are doing alright, again, it is early days so I didn't expect too much.
Of the four Yes trees planted, only three have survived, the cherry seems dead, although hope does spring eternal so I shall await the winter before pulling it up. It never took. The three apple trees are fine, thanks to (somewhat erratic) watering through the dry season.
The late frosts which followed an unseasonably warm Spring killed off most of the fruit at the farm up the hill, and the pear tree here in the garden suffered too. Not a lot of jam has been made :(
On a happy note the chickens are all still alive, and had a great time being looked after by family whilst I had a short break over the summer. The eggs are fantastic.

Poisson d'avril

The following post was written in April 2016, and published in September the next year!


Well, I knew it was going to be eclectic, but I didn't realise quite how erratic it would be, my only excuse being a total lack of time between school and bring up boys and local council work, oh, and the odd minute to myself,  there are really very few of them!

Over four months later, I find time to sit down and update y'all on the project. I was invigilating the mock exams the other day, and thought I would seize the opportunity to  make a list of subjects to write my next blog entry about. I filled a page and a half of A4.

Some of the difficulties we have come across has been naming the farm. Or is it a project? There are several fields anyway, so it would be useful to find a name for each of them to avoid confusion.

Good news -  Four yes/fruit trees have been planted, three apple (two golden delicious - not my favourite apple, but very popular, and one reine des rainettes - a local apple) and one cherry tree (sunburst variety).
More good news - Two raised beds (hug-le culture) are on their way, thanks to me, Anne, and mainly Salix and Fabien, who have done some major digging. I have been up to the old garden 'stealing' plants, raspberries, strawberries, hazel trees, origano, marjoram, nettle, lemonbalm, comfrey, and poppies.
Seeds have been sown, and are starting to peep through - basil, chives, lettuce, tomatoes.
Cuttings have been taken - yellow buddleia, christmas cactii, red and white varieties, and the aloe vera babies are doing well too.

More excellent news, the chicken palace,  as it is rightfully named has been completed and eight beautiful, happy and free chickens have been duly bought and brought onsite to be loved and cared for as chickens should be, so we can steal and appreciate their eggs, and make cakes and pancakes and endless egg-based recipes.

I truly feel as though we are starting to land and rebuild my dream, food shall be coming from our smallholding, and maybe, just maybe one day self sufficiency can once again be an attainable goal. I remember leaving the UK, in the year 2000, 17 years ago, and someone saying that I was crazy, giving up my corporate life when I had my feet well on the bottom rungs of the ladder, and instead moving my pregnant self into a truck having sold my home in Sydenham. Well, I must still be mad, as I still see society's goals as twisted, and mine as the only way forward for the planet and thus for the human race if we wish to survive.

And yes, I still believe that each and every one of us can change how we live and that will make a difference. Obviously. We must all stop voting for their society by removing our money (read energy) from their system. Don't buy nutella (Nestlé, Monsanto...) - not even on a Sunday.

Alex has been busy as a bee creating and designing a Fibernacci spiral for one part of the garden, I only hope I can do justice to the hours of work she has put in, I must remember to always take the right hand turn :). The Fiberanacci spiral is based on the mathematical series of numbers on which a pine cone, an artichoke, and human heritage dna are based. Alex has created four spirals which interlink coming from a central point where I am hoping to grow a pagoda/picnic area inspired by my Aunty Tessie's outside eating area, where we would sit and eat grapes dripping from above our heads, surrounded by colours and smells and variety provided by plants grown with love.  The spirals will hopefully be themed, colour, genus, time of flowering, One of the ideas is that the garden needs a wild path crossing its entirety - wild hedging - to enable the hedgehogs, and all other necessary animals/bugs/beasties to traverse, so one of the spirals may be made up of 'wild' hedging.

Another important addition to the garden is the compost area, which has been improved immensely.
How important is chocolate?