The potato harvest

The recent spell of wet weather followed by warm, humid conditions has not been good for our potato crop. We spray with a natural fungicide made from horsetail macerated in water. This is effective to a point but it will never be as good as the strong chemicals from a commercial product. We take this into account and expect that when blight hits, we harvest.

The potatoes will be dried off, cleaned and stored but the tiny new potatoes will be devoured within the first few days, absolutely delicious with a knob of butter and some chopped fresh mint.

If we harvest soon after the first signs of blight then the crop is unaffected and we can enjoy good quality newly dug potatoes. This year has been a successful crop with early planting in late February making a total of 16 weeks in the ground. The variety was Spunta and we planted 100. We have little choice here so we usually buy whatever seed potatoes are available from the local agriculture cooperative.

Elsewhere in the garden the Air Hyacinth is coming into blossom and looking great. We started out with one very small clump; a gift from a lady in the village. This has grown and been divided many times. They are the easiest plant to grow with little care apart from clearing dead fallen leaves that get trapped in winter. We have several large clumps dotted around and always try and split them and pass on whenever we can. My parents have one in the UK but they take it into the conservatory during winter as it would die given a hard frost.

   

Flies, damn flies, moscas and other irritating insects - deterrents and repellents

OK, so we've spent the past few weeks harping on about the cooler and damp weather but it does have its advantages; lack of flies and other flying or crawling nasties.

The warmer weather is back with a vengeance and with it comes the flies, horse flies, ants and mosquitoes. I love insects of every persuasion but just not in the house or studio. There is nothing worse than trying to eat a meal only to be dive-bombed every two minutes by a fly who thinks it's funny to watch you wave your arms about whilst trying not to fling muesli all around the room.

A procession of ants working their way towards your back door is no laughing matter as you worry just how big that nest is going to be?

Sleeping soundly to be awoken by the high pitched hum of a blood thirsty female mosquito is hardly conducive to wakening feeling refreshed especially when you find the little blighter has feasted on your most intimate or exposed parts...

x Censored x

Horseflies pursuing you around the vegetable plot that eventually bite you leaving you with as much swelling as a post surgical face lift isn't my idea of trouble free vegetable growing...

Being surrounded by meadows we have an abundance of insects and since a small herd of pygmy goats has taken up residence just up the lane we seem to have more flies than usual. We like to aerate the house on a daily basis so keeping windows and doors shut is not an option.

 Repellents and deterrents:

Over the years we have researched natural deterrents and repellents that we can use in our arsenal against the little blighters. We don't like fly sprays, sticky traps or other chemical based products so here are a few tricks we have learnt over the years that seem to work for us.

Garlic: eat loads as it acts as a repellent for biting insects.

Elderflower placed in a bowl near the open window or door to a room will deter flies from entering.

Eucalyptus leaves and flowers will similarly deter mosquitoes and other evening-time insects. Alternatively Eucalyptus oil will work just as well.

Bicarbonate of soda will rid you of that procession of ants within minutes - so much safer to have around  than ant powder.

Windows and work surfaces wiped down with white vinegar will not only produce a clear non-greasy finish but will also deter flies from landing.

A glass crystal multi-faceted drop hung from a light fitting will repel those flies that insist on flying in a square around light fittings.

When a wasp, fly or bee is buzzing at the window pane trying to seek freedom, open the window and gently blow the little chap towards the opening, this works 80% of the time.

Whatever method you choose, please don't use fly spray or insecticide sprays, they are indiscriminate and will kill spiders, moths, beetles and other beneficial insects. They have even been known to poison fish and kill hamsters and besides, do you really want to inhale all those toxic fumes?

What do you use?

What, already? gathering fuel for winter..

We have a couple of woodburners that heat the studio and the house so a good supply of heat-producing dry wood is essential. We have just taken delivery of another load of mixed wood including cherry, oak, ash and eucalyptus. If you have a woodburner you'll know that dry wood burns hotter and slower than semi-green or unseasoned wood.

More people seem to be selling wood recently and those that have fallen trees on their land are now processing it rather than either leaving it to rot or burning it; a sign of the times I think. We coppice hazelnut on our land for use as bean poles and stakes but then will burn them as starter wood the following year or add them to the fedge (fence/hedge) if we have enough with used twiggy pea sticks.

A truckload of wood fills half of the wood store more or less. The woodstore holds a full winter and spring's worth of wood with some left for the following season. We plan to keep it replenished as it empties so we can keep ahead with dry wood.

The fedge that surrounds the compost bins and shed is really taking shape now that it has been colonised by wild plants and grasses. It really is teaming with wildlife including for the first time, nesting wrens. Just don't tell Wentworth and Gawber....

Fruit and vegetables we are growing this summer/autumn

It's been a cold start to the growing season with an exceptionally high rainfall and much cooler temperatures than normal for Asturias. Most seedlings and young plants are behind by a few weeks and we are hoping that now the warmer days are upon us, things will have a growth spurt.

2012

We run a crop rotation system and try to ensure that all the beds are given fresh nutrition from home-made compost. Most of our seedlings are started off in pots, seed trays or half pipes; this ensures we can give them the best start possible and protect them from slugs, disease and adverse weather conditions.

2012

So here we are, this is what is currently growing at La Pasera:

Cultivated Fruit: red currant, black currant, gooseberry, rhubarb, blueberry, raspberry, pear, apple, plum, peach, orange.

Wild fruit: piesco (wild peach), hazelnut, walnut.

Vegetables: potato, pea, mangetout, sugar-snap peas, fennel, chili and salad pepper, flower sprouts, cucumber, squash, marrow/courgette, lettuce (3 types), succession of beetroot, tomato, beans (2 types), red and white onions (400), kohlrabi, succession of carrots, butternut squash, spring onions...

Flower sprouts and tomatoes (under plastic)

Herbs: sage, dill, oregano, thyme, chive, mint, borage, comfrey, parsley, coriander, basil

and for later on in the season: cabbage, cauliflower, leeks, aubergine, broccoli, winter lettuce, swede, celeriac...

The good news is that most of the seedlings are now planted, protected and positioned to perform their best given good weather and appropriate attention. We will feed some crops with nettle juice and spray mildew prone plants with horsetail water. Insects will be kept at bay through symptomatic spaying with rhubarb leaf water or squishing by hand....ewe. Details of natural insecticide and fungicide here.

The slugs and the snails are on a late, hungry start this year also so we have added extra protection around young vulnerable plants by creating barriers of wood ash, broken eggshells or sheep fleece pellets.

The various pea crops are growing well but the Jays are enjoying early morning snacks and ruining the fattest pea pods. The scarecrow didn't seem to deter them but it took the cats two whole days before they approached it or dared to walk past it. They still give it suspicious looks when on their way to the bottom meadow.

Making infused oil for hand cream

If you follow Tales from Toriello you will probably know that we have started to make our own soaps and hand-cream. One of the most important ingredients we use is oil infused with aromatic and healing herbs and plants which we grow in our garden. We make our own using almond oil or olive oil, calendula, lavender and comfrey.

We are due to make more hand/skin cream in the near future (original post here). This time we are making calendula with almond oil and comfrey with olive oil. The petals of the calendula and the dry comfrey leaves are added to the oil and left to infuse in a sunny position for about 3 weeks.

This time we might go for a double infusion by replacing the petals and leaves with a second batch and infuse once more in the same oil.

The cream (lavender and calendula) is really useful and healing. It is great for dry skin such as dry hands after gardening or for elbows and heels etc. It can be applied before dirty jobs such as gardening or mechanics, helping to protect the skin; making hand and nail washing easier. Recently we got some great feedback from a friend who has been applying the cream to inflamed eczema. For the first time in many months, the skin is hydrated, less inflamed and much less itchy.

Comfrey

From personal experience, last month I accidentally rested the palm of my hand on the hot ceramic hob. After cooling the burn I dressed my hand with the cream and a bandage, and kept renewing this every six hours. It didn't blister and healed completely after growing new skin under the burn. It hurt like hell though for two days...

Lavender - still to flower

This time we will make calendula and comfrey both of which are renowned for their healing and restorative properties. 

Miniature gardens and bonsai

Miniature gardens are special. Stand-alone microcosms with their own eco system and in the main self-reliant. Here at La Pasera we have several miniature gardens that we have created from scratch using driftwood, left-over concrete, roof tiles or broken pots.

The front boundary wall has a collection of 12 or so miniature concrete gardens all in differing stages of development and evolution. Any spare concrete we have left at the end of building work is mixed with gravel. A mould is loosely prepared in bare earth and the concrete shaped then covered with more earth. This gives the finished receptacle a residue of nutrients that encourage mosses and lichens to grow. We also insert a short piece of bamboo through the base of the pot which will be removed when dry to leave a hole for drainage. Left for a week or so in the soil they will harden after which they can be cleaned and planted.

We find succulents survive well in these shallow pots and rarely need watering. Similarly with old roof tiles, succulents work well. With roof tiles, we cement a few pebbles on at either end, fill with soil, plant and decorate with fine washed gravel.

Do you remember the piece of driftwood we collected from the beach? (story here) This has also been planted and a miniature garden created that will develop and grow over-time.

On a recent trip to town we spotted an unusual piece of studio pottery on a second hand stall, we bought it for a couple of euros with the intention of filling it with house leeks and siting it on the terrace.When we got it home, on closer inspection, we noticed a signature and date; needless to say after a bit of research we found a potter on Flickr that we think is the artist. We have sent email to him and hope he can confirm or not if he is the artist, In the meantime we will keep it safe just in case it is worth a mint (one can live in hope).

We also have a large glass bottle that we need to plant, similar to the carboys you find in the UK. Really not sure what to plant in it yet so any suggestions would be welcomed. I used to have a bottle garden many years ago until it was watered every day by an over-enthusiastic friend who was looking after the house whilst I was on holiday. Bottle gardens never or very rarely need watering after the initial setting up.

We just have the one bonsai tree but would like to grow more. We have plenty of native trees and shrubs that could be miniaturised but bonsai do take a bit more looking after than your regular miniature garden.

The kite festival in Asturias

As with most events that take place in Asturias, it takes a streak of good luck, a strong wind and a tweet, facebook post or newspaper item falling into your lap on the day an event is likely to take place for you to get to hear about it. Sadly, the marketing of many events is random and generally poor, so much so you generally get to know about something once the dust has settled and it has already taken place.

Not having a TV, taking a regular newspaper or listen to local radio puts us at a disadvantage granted but seriously, marketing and promotion is not something they excel at around here. We do read online Spanish newspapers but it was a random post on facebook on Saturday morning that alerted us to the Kite Festival that was taking place on a local beach so we decided to change our plans and take a look.

Much to our delight there were some pretty impressive kites and quite a few interesting kite flyers who were more than willing to share their passion for all things kite. There were a myriad of designs, sizes, abilities, tricks and turns and it  was really fascinating to witness the many stunt kites and gadgets they were using.

One kite had a remote control camera mounted on the control string and was taking aerial shots of the bay and the event (I want one) and another had a teddy bear attached to a parachute that ascended up the tether to a trigger near the main kite that released the bear which then parachuted back down to earth with a gentle and perfect landing (I want one of these also). The weather was sunshine and clouds with a moderate wind although many of the participants stated that they would have like a bit more.

We chatted at length to several participants and learnt quite a bit so it was well worth the effort. We walked along the coastal path and enjoyed the festival from near and far. It is a real shame that events such as these are not better promoted as there were few people around apart from those connected (literally) to the kites and their families.