We learnt how to build a Chicken House for free and have our almost free Chicken nesting boxes for the lovely Eggs but there is a VERY important thing to bear in mind when raising Chickens and egg laying. Are you going to keep them for ever? What will you do if one gets ill or hurt? The reality is that Chickens raised for Eggs will not keep on laying indefinitely. As Hens get older Chicken egg laying will slow, they start to lay less and less. Chickens will lay well for about two years and even by then you […]
Manure Tea – Best Natural Fertilizer?
If you’re growing your own food you need your plot to be as fertile as possible. Manure is the small-holders best tool for improving fertility quickly. If you have a supply of manure then making up some manure tea or manure water is a quick way of ensuring plants have a soluble supply of all the nutrients they require. Make Manure Tea / Manure Water Fill a bucket 1/3 full of manure. Fill up with water and put on a not too tight lid. Leave the manure water for two weeks to ferment and allow nutrients to dissolve. Dissolve the […]
Reduce Food Waste – 20 Ways to Reduce Your Food Waste.
Our month of joining the Reduce Food Waste Bandwagon has paid off. Publicising our decision to reduce food waste has been a great motivator and we’ve learnt from the experience. Firstly there is lots of food we can easily waste; part jars, leftovers, stale bread, imperfect fruit. Secondly we don’t actually waste that much. I’m pleasantly surprised! Our main bad behavior is overzealous fruit purchasing when things are cheap and potato peel. I did think about freezing peel to add to veggie soups but I know I’m never going to want to eat such a soup. Instead we’ve been more […]
Oil Fruit Tree Spray – Winter Insecticide
One of the main problems in the fruit orchard is combating over-wintering insects. A simple effective homemade solution is to use an oil based pesticide. Oil Fruit Tree Spray Recipe Mix one litre of cooking oil and 200g soft soap. Boil, mix again and bottle. Dilute with 20 parts water before spraying on trees and shrubs The oil smothers insects and their eggs while they shelter in trees and shrubs. As it is oil based it is long lasting and will not need to be re-applied after every rainy spell. This is particularly good in the fight against overwintering mealy […]