2021 – January – Harpsbridge House

January had its fair share of cold days this year. Although we escaped the snow this month, there were a lot of frosty days. Down to -5 in the polytunnel, so it must have been much colder outside.

So it was a month with a tendency towards hibernation, and catching up on Christmas presents.

Towards the end of the month we started looking at one of the indoor jobs we’ve been meaning to do since we got the new boiler: putting sliding doors across to hide the pipes and storage boxes, while still making them accessible. The reason we have been putting this off is that none of the ready made doors fit (Ceiling too low) and custom made ones were too expensive. However a bit of research identified some tracks we could use with internal doors, and so we have started fitting the frame. Pictures of the completed doors will be in next month’s entry (Cliffhanger!)

Although I may not have been doing a lot outside this month, the moles were certainly very busy. As fast as I could level any mole hills they built more. As well as the above ground evidence, there are areas where the paths are sinking with so much tunnelling. Still they usually calm down a bit in the spring, I have plenty of soil to top up the hollows, and a least they are providing some drainage 🙂

Of course in this weather we are putting on at least one stove every day, so it was time for another delivery. It keeps us warm getting it all stacked up too.

Most of the jobs that I did get done outside are not particularly photogenic. Mostly different shades of mud. I have been steadily mining the clay from the mountain of spoil left from the patio building, as although most is excellent topsoil there were some areas where they went deeper and the clay brought up is incredibly claggy at this time of year and sets like concrete in the summer. Not good for growing in at all. So I have been using it to level the areas between the new raised beds, then covering it with groundcover fabric then shreddings to make paths. It’s the horticultural equivalent of sweeping it under the carpet.

In further muddy work, I’ve been planting saplings. Two new fruit trees, a cherry and a plum. They are going in the rhubarb bed, as there are too many rhubarb plants for us. Also a couple of hawthorn seedlings, and flowering cherry suckers have been lifted from elsewhere in the garden and planted at the end of the orchard to thicken up the hedgerow alongside the road and the lane. The fruit trees were given the textbook treatment, the others a bit more basic transplanting, bit fingers crossed they should all survive.