This is the 4 Year Crop Rotation System we follow. Year One Apply lots of muck and plant potatoes. When the potatoes are lifted we plant brassicas which will all be harvested by very early the following spring. Year Two Sow peas and beans along with some spring sown brassicas for harvesting in summer-autumn Traditionally you would apply lime to the soil before sowing. Year Three This is time for the miscellaneous crops (anything not included elsewhere). Melon, cucumber, peppers, aubergine, tomatoes, lettuce and onions are all included in our miscellaneous crops. We apply a mulch of well rotted compost […]
Getting the Most from the Veg Plot – Crop Rotation
What is Crop Rotation? Crop Rotation is simply the moving of crops from one plot to another over the years. So rather than keep a bed for planting potatoes in for ever, each year we plant potatoes in a different plot. The easiest way to think of, and record crop rotation is to assign a type of crop for each year of your crop rotation cycle. There are numerous systems but perhaps the most common is the 4 Year Crop Rotation system. You break up the crops into four distinct groups and assign them a year. For example potatoes and […]
Are Whistling Hob Kettles More Efficient?
For the last three months we have been using a stove top kettle that had no handle or whistle. We do not like to buy things new. But after failing to find a replacement at a car boot sale or the tip we eventually had to give in. A kettle full of hot water and no handle is a dangerous thing but a pan of water just isn’t very easy to pour a cuppa from. Don’t be daft, of course I didn’t spend that much on a pretty Alessi kettle! Scroll down to see my cheap, green version! 😉 Well […]
Everyone Can Plant A Few Potatoes
Whether you say Potato or Potatoe one thing is certain, everyone can have a few fresh Potatoes wherever they live. From a Field full of this most delicious of crops to a single Potato planted in a Container, we can all do it. You may have been Chitting your Seed Potatoes for Weeks, getting ready to Plant them out when the little Shoots have grown a few centimetres, or you may have not thought about Planting any Potatoes at all. Trust me, however much space you have, planting even a mini crop is worth it. Can I Plant A Single […]
Self Sufficient Questions And Answers Volume 1
Welcome to the first round of Self Sufficient Questions and Answers. Hopefully this will be a weekly Wednesday feature so don’t forget to leave your question for next week in the comments section after the post. You can also ask your question via Twitter. Simply Forties asked: I’m curious about the apparatus that converts the power from the solar panels into usable power for your home. How does that actually work? Hi Simply Forties, the power that is collected by Solar Panels is DC, the same as that stored in a Battery. The Solar Panels are connected to Deep Cycle […]
Canning Fruit – Homemade Tinned Tomatoes
One of the easiest methods of preserving fruit is ‘canning’ or ‘bottling’ at home. The following technique can be used for any fruit, though you may wish to add some week sugar syrup, rather than brine to other fruits. We home preserve cherries each year in exactly this way. Canning Tomatoes at Home Whenever canning fruit at home make sure you have blemish free, ripe (but not over-ripe specimens). Small bruises and so on may be cut out but diseased fruits should not be included in the home canning process. First remove any stalks from the tomatoes and score […]
The Secret To Getting Your Chickens To Lay More Eggs
In a way this post is a mild rant. Here we try to give lots of great tips on becoming more Self Sufficient and one of those ways is by keeping Chickens. I have given tips on Chicken nesting boxes, building Chicken Coops and much more. What I am amazed at is some of the things people want you to pay for. Yep, E-Books! While I know there are some great E-Books there are also some dodgy ones. For some reason Chickens seem to be one topic that has generated lots of them. Here we give the information we know […]