The Wet Winter Garden.

We've been getting rains, off and on, so whenever we get a break in them I try to dig the main chicken run over a bit. The clay soil is well and truly rehydrated and back to sticky mud. The chicken run with the larger flock developed a congealed crust from the straw and clay mixing, which the chickens struggle to dig and turn over, so something needed to be done about the smell developing as the chicken poop just layered itself on top of this and fermented in the sogginess. A day without rain is just the right condition to get in and turn that layer into the much more friable soil underneath, where the worms have been busy and, by the look of it, breeding prolifically. More than enough of them for the chickens to enjoy a treat and still have lots left to carry on working on that soil in a healthy way, sans odour.

In many ways I feel like there's not much getting done other than things growing prolifically, which translates to lots of weeds! As I pull these up for chickens and rabbits it's good to see the mycelium working through the soil. It's pretty special to see as we have such long dry summers, it amazes me that this life can still spring back when the cooler weather and rains come. So I can't help but feel grateful for the life springing up around me despite the work it brings with keeping on top of the weeds.

In the front garden the soursobs are abundant as always. However, the years of keeping up with mulching seem to be paying off, because they're coming out so much more easily than they used to. The area I tried to smother with soggy sawdust has sprung back to life like it was a mere inconvenience and in fact it looks like I might even have fertilised them, looking at how lush they now look. The area where I'm smothering using wood ash from the fireplace seems to be more effective. I wonder if it's the alkalinity. I’m probably going to need to look at adding acidity back in to balance it out.

One of my chilli plants has died. I had a dig around the roots to see what could have caused it, but there was nothing obvious like root knot or curl grubs. The soil is still very muddy, though, so I'm guessing it got a bit water logged. Probably needs a bit more gypsum and compost adding in.

This year has been the biggest orange harvest I've ever had off my little tree. The one year where I haven't been able to share it with many because of the covid lockdown. Any favourite orange recipes would be much appreciated. I'd like to incorporate them into main meals if possible.

The juvenile chickens are growing fast. Once again, Nugget has decided that they are her babies and has taken them under her wing; quite literally, because she jumps in the nest box at night with them and has one under each wing. I've been trying to get some photos of them but they hide underneath me from the other hens when I crouch in the run and either get underfoot or run around like crazy when I take them out of the run.

^{Little zoomy! You see my problem?}

^{Boo the roo.}