growing starts in the tunnel

 The tunnel, while not complete (the doors need to go on), is starting to fill up with plants. Already some tomatoes and cucumbers were planted, and now some more plants have gone in. From now on it's just watering, a bit of weeding and waiting for that first harvest...

The tunnel from the orchard side, the apples have all shown nice growth.

A bit messy, but the plants are growing...

Butternut Squash Waltham

Aubergine Moneymaker

Pepper Elfo

Courgette Alexander or Atena (seeds got mixed up)

Courgette Femspot

Some Mushroom Compost (I shouldn't really put it in now...)

The onions and potatoes are doing well so far...

 

sunday morning bonsai june

Growth is slow on all the trees, but over the past few weeks there has been some. I attacked a few more trees last sunday morning and re-attacked some more after WPs comment. Certainly I am cautious about cutting back hard, but I cut as far as I dared on some of the maples, trying to envisage where they will grow back and how they might shape up a bit. I've left some branches uncut to strengthen(?) those lines. Whatever happens, I'll continue to water and feed regularly.

I really like this ash, behind the leaves the shape is forming

After cutting all this years growth looks untidy, but I think it's going ok

Cut away more.

Cut back harder than comfort

Very early days for this oak.

The shape is good but the trunk is very narrow.

It looks a little better but ...

Trunks are nice, foliage getting there.

june wildflowers

Some wildflowers photographed on a stroll round the garden this evening...

Rhododendron ponticum

sunday morning bonsai

Last Sunday morning, the final day of our heat wave I decided to give some attention to some trees. I wanted to see if I could apply Walter Pall's hedge cutting pruning method to some trees. They are Japanese Maple, Beech, Whitethorn & Oak. 

back to the rain...

twitches

For almost two years of my little girl has been asking could she have a pet rabbit. I reached breaking point when, while visiting a poultry show in Limerick, we spotted a rabbit for sale. She looked at me with a tiny tear in her eye and asked would she ever be able to have a rabbit? I promised then to set to work making a hutch and that when it was done we'd get a rabbit. She might say I am slow at making rabbit hutches but eventually all was complete and Twitches becomes our first family pet...

polytunnel

One of my aims this year was to get a tunnel up so I could grow a few tomatoes and the like. Although I got the kit about a month ago, I just managed to get it covered at the weekend, which is not bad going and just in time to maybe get a bit of a crop in it this summer.

Thanks to Pat for helping me set out the hoops level and in line.

The trench on the stream side was full of stones and compacted subsoil,
while the other side was as soft as cheese.

I had the door frames already.

A family effort was needed to get the polythene up and over, held in place
while the trenches were filled and the cover kept taut. Lots of family fun...

All in all it came out pretty well. 

 I have to finish the door frames, make doors and hang them and then maybe plant something...