By Ruth Tott 

Best Chicken Breeds for Laying Eggs

Buff Orpington lay approx 175 – 200 light-brown eggs per year

Hens all lay eggs, but some do it better than others. Terry Beebe considers the best chicken breeds for laying eggs, pure-breed and hybrid, and he shows us how to get the best from them
Selecting birds for an egg-laying flock is not difficult, but you will need to research the matter to find the best birds for the job. If you prefer to keep pure-breeds, then selecting a commercial pure-breed is probably a better option, and these include the Rhode Island Red, Sussex, Wyandotte, Leghorn, Australorp and Rock. They are all ideal egg producers, but be careful when choosing, as many exhibition breeds are bred purely to a show pen standard, and egg-laying capabilities often suffer as a result.

The Australorp. Lays around 200-240 brown eggs per year

There are many other breeds suitable for egg production too, so do some research before you commit yourself, and take into account the fact that they should be easy to handle and produce sufficient eggs for your requirements. Certain chickens also produce different sizes and colours of egg, whilst others might fare better in different environments – Leghorns, for example, lay a large, white egg and can do well in more confined areas.

Leghorn. 280 white eggs per year.

Plymouth Rocks are also reasonably suited to smaller areas, while Rhode Island Reds provide very dark-brown eggs – you get the general picture, but there is always a breed to suit your requirements.

Ancona bantams are good layers of small eggs but require less space than large fowl.

FINDING THE BEST LAYERS
Things to look out for when selecting members of the flock include large combs (ideally, bright-red ones), together with an alert and active disposition – bright eyes are usually a very positive sign. When holding a bird you can check the width of the pubic bones – there should be at least two fingers’ width between these bones, and four fingers should fit in between the tip of the breastbone and the vent. The abdomen should be soft, rounded and deep.

Checking the width between the breastbone and the event.

Chickens come in many different varieties, and all lay eggs. These eggs have the same nutritional content and value, but only a handful of breeds can actually be placed in the very best egg-laying category. A number of breeds have been developed for their egg-laying capabilities, and if this is your main requirement, then these breeds will best serve your purpose. The commercial Leghorn, for example, is one of the best, and is capable of producing up to 300 eggs each year – these same abilities have also been utilised by crossing with Leghorns to produce many of today’s familiar hybrids.

The rare Ixworth is both a good layer and an excellent meat bird.

COMMERCIAL HYBRIDS
Most commercial hybrids are bred for egg production, so if eggs are your sole requirement, these would be your best choice. Most hybrids were originally crossed using some of the best pure-breed egg layers, and today there are many individual strains available from a range of breeders, with most capable of very high levels of egg production. It is expected that a hybrid in a ‘commercial environment’ will produce around 340 eggs per year.

ISA Brown hens

The ISA Brown is the most familiar of today’s hybrids, and is widely used under different names, depending on the supplier. It is probably the best egg layer available and the one most often used in commercial units. Most ex-battery hens are ISA Browns, and are traditionally friendly and tame, once they get used to a more open environment.
The list of hybrids is extensive and includes the Black Rock, Black Star, Red Star, Speckledy (a Maran cross), the White Star (a Leghorn cross) and the Blue Bell. Many will lay in excess of 300 eggs per year, subject to the breed and husbandry – a back-garden bird, however, will rarely lay as well as a bird in a commercial environment.

A Speckledy

SOME OF TODAY’S TOP LAYERS
Some of today’s top layers:

*           Leghorn – 280 white eggs per year.

*           Rhode Island Red – 260–310 brown eggs per year.

*           Light Sussex – 240–260 large, creamy-brown eggs per year.

*           Plymouth Rock – 190–240 large, brown eggs per year.

*           Wyandotte – 200–240 large, brown eggs per year.

*           Cuckoo Maran – 160–240 dark-brown eggs per year.

*           Barred Rock – 210 brown eggs (with a touch of pink) per year.

*           Orpington – 175–200 light-brown eggs per year.

*           Australorp – 200–240 brown eggs per year.

*           Faverolle – 160–200 cream-tinted eggs per year.

 

 The above egg numbers are approximate, and the egg colours broadly as per the description. If considering any of the above birds, speak with owners and breeders and ask about their experiences with the birds, and remember that some birds are simply better layers than others.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
Although the breed you choose can determine the productivity, there are a number of other factors that can help increase egg production. These include:
*           DAYLIGHT AND LIGHTING
Light affects egg production. Although a winter moult plays its part in stopping egg production, hens always lay fewer eggs as daylight decreases, and production will begin to increase again with longer days in spring. To produce the maximum number of eggs you might expect from a particular breed, the birds will need a minimum of 14 hours of light each day, and to achieve this during winter, artificial lighting is required together with a timer. The lights can then come on before sunrise and remain on after dark, with the timer set to give the precise amount of light required to maximise egg laying.
*           EX-BATTERY HENS
These birds have usually come from commercial poultry farms, are generally 18–24 months old, and have been in confinement on the farm. They will have produced the maximum amount of eggs during this period, and although they are past their very best, they can still produce a good amount of eggs for the next year or two, given the right feed and environment. When they arrive they will be stressed, so stand back and give them a few days to settle in and get used to their new surroundings.
*           BROODINESS
It is a good idea to compare breeds for broodiness – whether they will sit on their eggs. A broody is useful for breeders, but a serious problem in an egg-laying flock. A broody hen will cease to lay during periods of broodiness. This trait has been more or less bred out of hybrids, although broody hybrids do occur.
*           FOOD
To ensure your hens’ bodies function as they should, they require a nutrient-rich diet. It is important that a laying hen receives a balanced diet which includes the correct levels of protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and minerals. If a laying flock consists of birds older than 16–20 weeks, it is recommended that a diet of layers’ pellets is given as a basic daily feed. Layers’ pellets contain 16–18 percent protein and 3.5 percent calcium to promote strong eggshells. Many keepers also add oyster-shell for extra calcium just in case the feed does not provide enough of this important mineral. A calcium deficiency can result in thin-shelled eggs and also leg problems.

You may also need to offer your birds a higher-protein feed during periods of peak egg production, and when hot weather causes them to eat less. If you keep your flock confined, provide them with a source of insoluble grit to assist in grinding the feed in their gizzards. Free-range birds will normally find sufficient grit whilst foraging.

*           WATER
Water comprises more than half of the physical content of an egg, so laying chickens (and all chickens!) need a constant supply of fresh, clean water. This ensures that they do not dehydrate and will remain healthy. It must be available at all times, both during hot, dry weather and in the freezing cold of winter. If there is a lack of water, egg production will suffer.
*           SHELTER
The weather in the UK is unpredictable, so make sure your birds always have adequate shelter. They will quickly become chilled during wet weather if they are denied shelter, which means that production, together with health, will suffer. Housing and any temporary shelter needs to be dry, clean and with enough room and ventilation for the number of birds being housed.
POSSIBLE PROBLEMS
Problem:
Chickens laying eggs anywhere and everywhere.
Solution:
Confine the birds completely or until later in the day; put artificial ‘dummy’ eggs in nest boxes.
Problem:
Egg-eating chickens.
Solution:
Gather eggs promptly; provide secluded, darkened nest sites; identify the culprit(s) and remove them from the flock.

Putting a golf ball in with the eggs will often discourage egg eating.

Problem:
Filthy eggs.
Solution:
Provide nest boxes with clean litter; keep coops, runs and nest boxes clean; collect eggs frequently.
Problem:
Reduced egg production.
Solution:
Provide a good, balanced diet of layers’ pellets; protect eggs from predators; install artificial lighting; reduce sources of stress; improve biosecurity to prevent disease.
HENS’ HALL OF SHAME
Certain breeds are just not good layers, and these same birds can be difficult to rear to adulthood. They include the Belgian D’Anver, Sebright and the Japanese Bantam. All are true bantams, and beautiful birds in their own right, but can prove difficult to breed, especially for a beginner.
THE WORST LAYERS
In truth, all chickens lay eggs. Exhibition birds can be some of the worst layers in terms of numbers, as this ability has often been sacrificed to achieve a required breed standard. When it comes to breeding, Japanese Bantams can lose as many as 25 per cent of their chicks, as they die shortly before hatching due to an allele (gene) combination common to the breed, together with the fact that they are not hardy. Although Araucanas are great to rear, they, too, can suffer from a lethal gene combination, which means that some chicks will die before hatching – a depressing prospect.
AGGRESSIVE CHICKENS
Whilst in the ‘hall of shame’ we should perhaps consider another difficult trait. Certain breeds can be aggressive, and this makes them a poor choice, especially for families. Breeds with aggressive behaviour include the Crevecoeur, New Hampshire Red, Dominique and Old English Game Fowl. The level of aggression will vary depending on the individual bird, but cockerels are always more likely to be aggressive than hens. < pic 12 with caption: An Oxford English Game Fowl: an attractive bird but with aggressive tendencies. >
COLLECTING CLEAN EGGS
It is always more pleasant to collect clean eggs, and the likelihood of this is increased if your birds are kept in clean, dry conditions with uncrowded nest boxes. You can clean an egg in a number of ways; in the commercial egg industry they are often cleaned using water, but if this is not done properly it can result in bacteria being sucked into the egg through the porous shell. If using water to clean eggs, dry them immediately and consume them quickly. You can clean an exceptionally dirty egg using fine-grade sandpaper, but you would be better off throwing it away to be on the safe side.
Anyone used to collecting their own eggs who has then had to buy some (even the free-range ones!) will immediately appreciate the difference: runny, pale-yolked eggs as opposed to your own birds’ solid and bright, yellow-yolked wonders. Fresh eggs are one of the real benefits of keeping chickens, and are to be prized, whether as a part of your own breakfast, as a gift to friends or family, or as something special and unique if you choose to sell any of your produce. Treat your hens well with a good supply of appropriate food, water and clean, dry shelter, and for most of the year they will repay you well with a good supply of eggs. There are very few creatures that can offer such an appealing payback in exchange for their keep.
 https://homefarmer.co.uk/best-chicken-breeds-for-laying-eggs/

Growing Rhubarb

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GROWING RHUBARB
There’s so many ways to prepare rhubarb (basically, you have not lived if you have never tried a warm, fragrant home-made rhubarb pie) yet despite its good qualities and nuanced flavor, not too many people actually come to the point where they decide to grow it. It might be some strange misconception circulating around the topic of rhubarb planting but actually you will see that, apart from the planting process, there is nothing much else you are supposed to do.

Rhubarbs become dormant during cold or very hot weather plus they are not needy at all which means that you will be able to sleep tight knowing that your rhubarbs are self-sufficiently producing those delicious, juicy stems that can later be turned into great dessert or used as supplement to some other foods.
THE PROCESS OF PLANTING

Seeds. vs. crowns? Planting rhubarbs does not differ much from planting any other crop and, once you have made the decision to carry on with planting rhubarbs, you have only two options. First one is growing from the seed but keep in mind that in that case you will have to wait for significantly longer period of time until you will be able to harvest all the precious rhubarbs you have grown. Second option is to plant so called ‘crowns’ or ‘budded pieces’. Planting these does not require too much of a gardening skills or experience and it is not that easy to mess the whole process up. You will be able to manage it even if you’re still a novice in the world of gardening. If you go for the second option, the crop will be produced in the harvest season that follows after the planting. Now, after learning the difference between the two methods, it is not that hard to make a guess which one is more popular and more advisable to be picked. But as always, you can follow your personal preferences since you are the only ruler of your garden kingdom.
When to grow?
As soon as spring has arrived and ground is not hard anymore, you can start planting your rhubarbs. The best period to do this is between January and March. Keep in mind that you won’t be able to harvest any stems during the first growing year.
How to plant?
The planting process itself is not complicated at all. Simply tuck rhubarb plants into soil which is a bit acidic and contains organic matter and compost. You do not need to plant too deep, 4 inches will be perfectly fine. Keep the plants watered and make sure the soil is constantly moist during the entire growing season. Once the rhubarb flowers appear in the spring, you can cut those so that the plant would utilize more energy in making stems not flowering.
Where to plant?
Speaking of location, you should seek a partially shaded spot. In full sun, your rhubarbs will thrive but only in shade will they yield properly. Also keep in mind that rhubarbs will occupy quite a lot of space, so do not squeeze them in with some other important plants,  give them plenty of space.
HARVESTING
You should see first pink rhubarb stems appearing around April but they can be harvested only during the second year. Of course, it will be tough for you to resist and not to try the first of the stems but remember that only the second year crops are those delicious ones and you don’t run the risk of killing off the plant. The period of harvest is quite long – from April to June and it is easy to tell when the rhubarbs are ready. Basically there are two indicators that will tell you whether your rhubarbs are ready to be harvested or not, namely: leaves and stems. The leaves should be completely unfurled and the stems should have stretched in length to around 12″ but this depends on the variety so read the description first to know how long and thick, and in what sort of colour ready stems should be.  When picking the rhubarb, it is easier if you pull it from the base of the stem and simply quickly twist it. But do not harvest all of your stems if you want the crown to stay fruitful through next seasons as well. Take no more than half of the ready rhubarb stems.

PROPAGATING
For propagating purposes you will have to dig up the crowns every 4 to 5 years  as you will need to either trim them down or to divide to create more plants. Select those pieces where the buds are visible as these ones have a higher chance of being successfully propagated. You should be doing this in the period between November and March while the plant is still dormant. By doing everything correctly it should be possible to make up to 6 plants from one crown. Of course there is never a 100% chance that your buds will successfully grow but it definitely is a great achievement and pride for every gardener to manage to propagate your own rhubarb plants.

RHUBARB VARIETIES
You might think that all the rhubarbs probably taste the same but upon trying different varieties you will surely notice the difference not only in the taste but also in relation to other qualities such as texture, structure, color, smell, sourness/sweetness etc. Here are some of the rhubarb varieties that one should surely grow in the U.K. when thinking of enriching your garden with some of this gorgeous vegetable:
Livingstone. Rhubarb variety which is usually sold as autumn-cropping rhubarb and it keeps producing new shoots in summer. Ready to be harvested from September.
Raspberry Red. This rhubarb variety can be harvested early in the season, without the need for forcing. Produces particularly thick and red stems.
Timperley Early. Regarded as the earliest maturing variety, suitable for forcing to provide tender pink sticks as early as February,
Giant Grooveless Crimson. This variety will produce tall, fully colored, bright red stems with less acidic flavor.
Fulton’s Strawberry Surprise. Produces vivid red stems with a well-balanced acidity.
http://www.vegclub.uk/

 

Growing Sweetcorn

How to Grow Sweetcorn
Sweetcorn is a form of the maize that once fuelled the Aztec empire. It remains a staple food of the Americas because it is incredibly versatile and nutritious – but unlike most staple foods, its flavour is anything but bland. These yellow, cone-shaped cobs are full of succulent goodness.

Sweetcorn kernels add crunch to stir-fries, pizzas or salads. When cooked with cream and chicken they make a hearty soup called chowder which is a joy to eat on chilly days. However, the greatest pleasure is perhaps a whole cob simply cooked and plonked into a bowl with a creamy knob of butter and salt and pepper dashing.
You may have purchased ‘fresh’ cobs from the supermarket before but were probably disappointed with the outcome, you may even have found them woody, bitter and inedible. If so, you are probably wondering why you would devote a large portion of your precious growing land to cultivating the crop. Well, if you haven’t tried corn on the cob fresh from the garden then you haven’t really tried corn on the cob. Even the best organic stallholders could not bring you anything close to the flavour punch you get from chomping down hard on your own home grown corn. This is because sweetcorn should be eaten less than one hour after picking, and preferably straight away. The moment a cob is picked its flavour is on an auto-destruct timer as it begins to convert all of its natural sugars into starch. In 24 hours it will have lost over half its sugars, so no wonder the cobs you buy from retailers taste foul, most of them have been on the shelf for days, for days! Once you try the real thing you will almost certainly be happy to sacrifice ground for sweetcorn despite each plant only yielding two or three cobs.

Read on if you want to learn how to grow sweetcorn that will sit amongst your most precious bounties at harvest time:    
Varieties
There are literally thousands of varieties of maize in all different shapes, sizes and colours. Some corns are blue, purple, red and even green. In parts of rural Central America each individual village is renowned for its own kind of maize which the locals trade between each other in the larger towns. There are currently ongoing efforts by international organizations to catalogue and preserve the various types in case they go extinct due to incursions by big agribusiness strains.
Here are some exotic kinds of corn for the more adventurous to experiment with:
Indian Summer
Sweetcorn with multi-coloured kernels, yellow, red and purple. It has large, sweet cobs but needs to be planted early in Britain.
Minipop
Minipop produces micro-cobs of the kind you might have had in stir-fries from Chinese restaurants. It grows tall and produces a lot of cobs that can even be eaten raw. It will do fine in our climate.
Mirai White

A pure white sweetcorn with a very creamy taste. It is a late cropper but quite hardy in Britain.
The exotic types are fun but here in the UK we are mostly concerned with growing a few sweetcorn strains that suit our tastes. The following types of corn are standard varieties that are easy to grow in Britain:
Lark
Lark is an extra-sweet corn that thrives in the UK due to its ability to withstand cooler temperatures. It also produces its cobs early, though not many of them.
Swift
Reliable and well-suited to the British climate. It seldom fails and produces plenty of cobs with a sweet creamy taste.
Conqueror
A UK allotment favourite with a great sounding name. It is a tall variety with big cobs that produces late in the season. It has a succulent taste and can often produce three cobs per plant.
Planting (Seedlings)
Sweetcorn seeds are the yellow kernels we eat. You can buy packets of kernels that are suitable for planting. You may plant kernels straight into the ground if you wish. But this is not usually the best way to plant corn in the UK because our ground is too hard and cold in springtime. This is particularly true in the north. Instead, it is better to set the plants away in a greenhouse, cold frame or even indoors.
When it comes to planting sweetcorn, earlier is better because the plant takes a long time to grow good, tasty cobs. You need to give the plants a strong start so that they can reach full-fruition during summer before colder months come and stifle the growth. March is the usual time to start sweetcorn off but some keen growers start as early as February indoors. If you miss the boat you can start them as late as May, but be aware that your plants may only have enough summertime to produce stunted cobs.
When setting corn away early you should use a propagator with a Perspex lid to keep your seedlings nice and warm. To keep each seedling separate you could use plastic seed trays with individual cells. But a better way is to save up your old toilet roll tubes and use those; they are fully biodegradable, work well with corn, and mean that you can plant the whole pot.
Get your stack of tubes and cut each in half. Put them into your propagator tray and fill each with compost. Make a 2.5 cm (1”) deep hole in the centre of each pot and drop a kernel in, then press the soil down lightly. Water the whole tray liberally, pop the Perspex lid on and place them in your cold frame, greenhouse, or on your windowsill. Give them a little water daily thereafter – don’t let them dry out, but don’t drown them either.
When the seedlings get to be around 2cm (3/4”) tall you may notice some pots have an extra plant. Pull out the weaker plants and move the tray outside to toughen them up.  

Planting (In the Ground)
You can plant your corn pots in the ground from May. Corn needs to be pollenated in order to create cobs and it can’t rely on insects so uses wind instead. You have to help the process by planting your corn in directly adjacent, matching rows.
You will need a large area for a decent amount of corn, so designate a rectangular bed with good drainage that will get plenty of bright sunlight. A bed that has been previously well-manured is good. According to an old gardener’s tale planting corn near runner beans creates tastier corn due to some kind of cross-pollination affinity with plants from native climes. Fun but unconfirmed. However, do not plan to put different strains of sweetcorn near each other, they really don’t like it.
When you have settled on a spot, dig over the ground and remove all weeds. Rake over to make the soil fine.
On the prepared ground, use a bulb planting tool or a trowel to create adjacent rows of cylindrical holes the same depth as your cardboard sweetcorn pots. The holes should be 35cm (14”) apart with 60cm (24”) between rows to form a big rectangular grid. Now place one of your sweetcorn tubes into each hole and pack them in with soil. Water the whole area well and leave the rest to nature.
Maintenance
The plants should settle outside and gain strength and size within a few weeks. Keep the ground around them weed free at all times – sweetcorn craves loads of sunlight so don’t let anything get in the way.  
In the hottest months keep your corn well-watered at the base so as not to burn the leaves. You may also wish to scatter some organic fertilizer granules.
In windy areas it is fine to tie your corn to a cane if need be. Mounding up earth around the base of each stem will also help with support.
Harvesting
Your corn will be almost ready when you start to see long white silky threads trailing from the cobs. Keep an eye on these threads because when they turn brown it’s time to pick. You can test a cob by carefully opening it and squeezing a kernel. If the juice is watery then allow the cob a few more days, if it is milky you are good to go. Twist cobs off with your hand and run home to cook them before they go bad!

Now you know all about growing sweetcorn, what are you waiting for, go ahead and start stacking cobs!
 http://www.vegclub.uk/growing-sweetcorn/

 

Build an Insect House

Tony Lush, author of the Haynes Garden Buildings Manual, shows how to build an overwintering hibernation place for garden insects

See also:

https://homefarmer.co.uk/creating-a-wildlife-garden/
https://homefarmer.co.uk/how-to-help-hedgehogs/
https://homefarmer.co.uk/building-and-using-a-wormery/

Many gardens are kept unnecessarily tidy and consequently provide few hibernation opportunities for insect life. Most insects benefit the garden in one way or another, so why not provide an overwintering place for them? Here’s how to make a simple hibernation place (hibernaculum) for insects – the insect hibernation boxes available from your local garden centres will provide you with further ideas and inspiration.

Materials

• 510mm length 150mm x 25mm sawn timber, untreated (for the main carcass)
• 5–10 bamboos about 1.5m long
• 4 x 50mm x 8g screws
• 300mm length Ex 125mm x 25mm feather-edge or similar (for the roof)
• 8 x 30mm galvanised clout nails
• 2 screw eyes
• String
• UHU glue (or similar)

Tools

• Universal hardpoint saw
• Jigsaw
• Extension lead
• RCD (or safety plug)
• Belt sander (may be needed)
• Drill/driver
• Twist drill bits: 8mm, 5mm and 2mm
• Flat drill bit: 20mm
• Screwdriver bit: Pozi (PZ) No. 2
• Hammer
• Workbench
• Clamps
• Combination square
• Pencil
• Tape measure
• Drill carrier (to act as a guide for hole sizes)
• Safety glasses…
• Dust mask…
• Ear defenders…
• Gloves

Method

1           Cut a 425mm length of 150mm x 25mm timber to form the back and front of the hibernaculum. Mark the centre of the plank at each end and join the marks to form a centre-line along the length of the timber. This can be done using a combination square set to half the width of the plank (75mm). Using the combination square from both sides will indicate if the mark is central.

2           Mark the apex on both ends of the plank so that the apex corner (the top corner) is 90°. This can be done using the 45° guide on a combination square.

3           Cut the apexes marked at either end of the plank. Mark a line across the middle of the plank equidistant from each apex. Do not cut the plank in half yet.

4           Draw round a suitably sized paint tin (100mm in diameter) to mark a circle on the centre-line of the plank. This circle should touch the base of the triangle forming the apex.

5           Securely clamp the plank to a bench or workbench and drill a 20mm hole inside the circle near its circumference to allow the jigsaw blade to enter.

6           Use a jigsaw to cut out the circle on one end of the plank only. Don’t push the saw too hard – work slowly and concentrate on following the line.

TIP!
Have the jigsaw set at maximum (or near maximum) speed and on full pendulum setting, and make sure the blade is sharp (fit a new one, if necessary).
7           Cut along the centre-line marked in Step 3 to form two end pieces. A chop saw is ideal for this, but a universal hardpoint saw will do the job. Lay the end with the hole in it (the front) on top of the other end piece. If necessary, cut them so that they’re the same length. Use a pencil to mark the 100mm hole on the second end piece.

8           Drill a series of holes around the pencilled circle on the back piece of the hibernaculum. The drill bit needs to be the correct size for the ends of the bamboo canes to fit into its holes, so either drill a few trial holes to find the best size, or try fitting the canes in the drill carrier. They don’t have to be a tight fit. An 8mm bit was used for the hibernaculum in this project. Don’t drill all the way through the back piece.

TIP!
If your drill has one, fit its depth gauge rod to ensure that the bit goes a set depth into the wood. Alternatively, wrap a length of masking tape around the drill bit to give you an idea how far it’s gone in.
9           Drill two 5mm screw holes at the bottom of the front and back pieces. These are 10mm up from the bottom and 30mm in from the edges. Cut the 70mm-long 150mm x 25mm base piece. Ensuring that you align the base accurately onto the front or back piece, clamp it and use 50mm x 8g screws to screw one end piece to the base. Then screw the other end piece to the base. Drilling 2mm pilot holes for the screws in the end of the base will help to stop the wood splitting, as will driving the screws in slowly.
10         Cut short lengths of bamboo so that when they’re pushed into the 8mm holes in the back they’re flush with the outside face of the front end. You may find it easier to cut the bamboo quite long, push it into the 8mm hole, mark where your accurate cut needs to be, then remove the bamboo and cut it to length. Remove the front end piece with the large hole in it.

SAFETY TIP!
If using a chop saw to cut the bamboo, always cut long lengths – don’t try to hold a short length close to the blade! Leftover bits can be used in the garden.
11         Having cut enough lengths of bamboo to fit into all the 8mm holes, push them into the holes – a gentle tap with a hammer will ensure they’re fully in. If they won’t stay in the holes, glue them in place with UHU or a similar adhesive.

12         Replace the end piece so that all the bamboos are collected in the hole.

13         Measure the length from the inside face of the back piece to the outside face of the front and cut bamboos to this length. Rest these in the large hole. Keep cutting and fitting bamboos until the large hole is full. Hammer a few more in to wedge the canes tightly in place.

14         If you see the need, clamp the hibernaculum securely in your workbench and use a belt sander to level off the canes at the front – but the insects won’t care about them being uneven!

15         To form the roof, cut two 150mm lengths of Ex 125mm x 25mm feather-edge and use 30mm galvanised clout nails to fix them to the apex of the end pieces. The feather-edge needs to overlap at the front and sides to keep rain off the insects. As usual, drilling a 2mm pilot hole for the nails will help to stop the feather-edge splitting.

16         Screw two screw eyes through the roof cladding into the top of the end pieces. Tie string through these to hang the hibernaculum.

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2846089552386522046#editor/target=post;postID=3210774548729398348

 

 http://www.vegclub.uk/

 Essential Gardening Tools

The Vegetable Gardener Tool List. 
A bad workman always blames his tools, right? Well, the person who said that obviously never worked with poor gardening implements. A full complement of decent tools will make your garden easier and more pleasurable to work, whilst speeding up your work rate immensely.

Let’s look at some of the essential gardening prerequisites:
Spades

Spades are needed for digging and turning over ground. They can cut holes in the ground and are good for shovelling out clods of earth. Flip them over and you can beat those same clods with the flat of the blade.  
You will generally want a full-sized flat spade for the majority of digging work. But some spades have a pointed head to cut through tough ground, so you may want one of those for wintertime too. There are also smaller varieties called border spades for finer work, and they are also good to have around.
Spades are usually made of metal or a hybrid of wood and metal. The important thing is not to buy an overly cheap one, because the spade is a tool that will see a lot of conventional and unconventional use. There will be those times when you need to lever up a concrete slab or a heavy shrub and you will reach for your spade, so you need to be able to rely on it.  
A trowel is a miniature spade with a rounded head. It is essential for intricate gardening work such as making planting holes, filling plant pots with compost or even levering out plants from pots. Get the best trowel you can, but it doesn’t need to be as reliable as your spade because it won’t be lifting as much weight.
Forks
Other than the spade, there is perhaps no tool more closely associated with agriculture than the fork. You need to be most concerned with the full-sized digging fork and the hand fork, although you may also wish to invest in a ladies fork.
Digging forks are used primarily to break up compacted ground where you cannot make sufficient progress with a spade. A fork’s prongs make it easier to spear into tough ground and rake out clods, stones and weeds.  

They usually have four prongs and are made of either carbon steel, or a metal and wood combination.  Forks made of carbon steel supposedly have less chance of rotting and snapping. However, in practice this is not always the case, as some old wooden forks seem to go on forever while the prongs of some newer carbon ones snap after only a couple of uses.
The important thing is to look for something sturdy and not try to skimp on the price. As with spades, it is a false economy to buy a cheap fork, because the tool will get masses of use and you will end up having to replace it regularly.

There are full-sized forks, and a smaller variety known as ladies forks. Full-sized forks are powerful but can be unwieldly, while ladies forks are lighter and more manoeuvrable. They may have been originally designed for ladies but many men also find them quite useful for those times when a smaller tool is needed to get into a tight or difficult spot. Therefore, most gardeners will probably want to own both varieties.
Hand forks are small forks for doing fine work. They are often used for weeding around delicate plants or digging down to remove unwanted root systems without snapping them in the ground. You will also want to get a decent one of these but you can make do with a cheaper one much more easily than with a main fork.
Rakes
There are two main kinds of rakes; leaf rakes and conventional garden rakes. Both are used for grabbing things and pulling them towards you.

Leaf or lawn rakes have a wide head with spindly forks. They are mainly used in autumn for gathering leaves for composting. They are not essential but can be quite useful.
A traditional garden rake is much more needed. They have much tougher forks than lawn rakes and are used for raking ground level, pulling out roots and weeds, or doing any other task you can think of. Get one if you want to tidy up your soil and get it nice and fine.
Hoe
A hoe is a long implement with a metal cutting head that is used for getting rid of lots of weeds at once. You use the blade to grub the surface of the soil and cut away foliage with a rubbing motion, so it is like a deck-scrubber for weeds.
In honesty, you probably shouldn’t control your weeds this way unless they have gotten on top of you, because cutting them can make their return more vigorous. Nevertheless, the hoe has plenty of other uses such and mounding up and shaping soil, and is especially handy for dealing with the potato patch.
Buckets
A bucket or three is absolutely essential for carrying water, soil, weeds or anything else you can fit inside.
You can get metal or plastic ones. Plastic buckets occasionally crack, metal ones don’t, but are heavier.
A good bucket for the garden is a flexi-tub or Trug; it is a plastic bucket with a wide mouth making it easy to throw weeds in from a distance. However, the best buckets for gardening are often random containers requisitioned for a new purpose, so see what you have lying around.
Hose
You will need a decent garden hose. It should be long enough to stretch right across your garden and then some.
Simple hoses tend to be better. If you get a model that is built into a reel or some other new-fangled contraption, then you can bet it will break, or tangle and drive you mad.
Hoses with simple spraying heads are also much more reliable but can be too powerful for certain plants. Hoses with adjustable heads are more versatile but tend to break after a while and get water all over your trousers! So it is probably best to buy an adjustable hose that allows you to buy and fit new heads easily when they become damaged.  
One of the advances in hose technology that really is worth looking at is the slinky, or kink-less hose. These curled hoses are very good and will save you lots of time looking for annoying kinks. The only problem with them is that they are quite weighty and can do some damage when dragged across crops.  
Make sure any hose you choose has the correct end to fit your tap!
Watering Can
You will need a watering can for watering plants that are too delicate for the hose, or for when you want to use rainwater from your water butts.

Watering cans come in all shapes and sizes but the best all-rounder cans are probably the traditional style metal ones. However, they can be expensive and heavy, so a plastic one will do fine for many people.
Make sure you buy the biggest watering can you can carry. It is surprising how much water it takes to water even a small patch of garden and you don’t want to be running back to the water butt every 2 seconds. Also ensure the rose can be removed if need be.
Wheelbarrow
Wheelbarrows are for moving heavy things like earth, wood or bricks from one place to another. Some people also like to use them as a convenient ‘bucket’ when weeding and then simply roll their weeds straight over to the compost heap or bonfire.

It is essential to get a decent wheelbarrow because it will last a long time and take a lot of punishment. Get a fully metal variety; don’t bother with one of those that has a plastic tub, because one day you will end up having to carry some gigantic object and the tub will crack.
Choose the standard style with one wheel as they are more manoeuvrable the two wheel type. If a full-size one is going to be too difficult for you to balance then there are smaller models out there.
Secateurs
Secateurs are strong scissors for pruning branches and stems. They are invaluable to have around when it comes to cutting back foliage and work much better than a pair of scissors on woody plants.
Models with standard bypass blades are the most useful variety since they are extremely versatile. You way also wish to invest in a blade sharpener.
Mattock
A mattock is a large, heavy, pickaxe-like implement used on African farms and by the military. It may be difficult for some gardeners to easily wield one, but they are certainly handy to have around for heavy duty tasks.
Mattocks are normally employed when mounding up earth or cutting hefty roots. They are also good for boring planting holes and making drills, or for when you just need to hit something really hard.
There are two kinds of mattock. Mattocks with pick heads have one side shaped like a pick and are good for pulling out rocks and roots. Mattocks with cutter heads have an angled cutter on one side for cutting roots instead of the pick. Both types have the standard mattock cutter too so there isn’t much in it, but the pick mattock is probably more useful overall.
If you are going to invest in a mattock then get a decent one, the last thing you want is for that head to come off and hit you in the face.
Gloves
Every gardener should have a decent pair of gloves, or several. They will protect you when handling dangerous tools or plants, or when doing especially dirty tasks.

Gloves come made of all kinds of materials, but choose pairs that are suited to the job you will perform. Thinner gloves are better for delicate work, while thick gloves are more suited to those times when you need greater protection. Some gloves are waterproof and some aren’t, so you should consider that too.
Try gloves on before you buy them if you can, they should fit your hands snugly and correctly. Check to see if the thumb section is not too stiff, or you will get aching tendons after a day holding onto things!

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Growing Berries in the Kitchen Garden

 www.gardeningchannel.com

Being able to go out and pick your own berries is a summertime treat. Berries not only taste good, but also have important nutrients for a healthy diet such as vitamin C and anti-oxidants. Preparing most berries for eating is as simple as rinsing them under running water. Berries are used in many dishes and foods such as desserts, cereals, yogurt, breads, cakes, smoothies, cookies and ice cream, even wine! They can be frozen to enjoy all year long. Growing berries such as blackberries, blueberries and raspberries will make a wonderful addition to your kitchen garden.

How to Grow Raspberries

Raspberries not only taste good they are very beneficial to your health. Raspberries are one of a select number of foods considered to be a super-food; that is, they contain chemicals (phytochemicals) that science has learned help directly fight disease, including cancer. Raspberries are packed with nutritional value including high levels of folate, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, and calcium. They also have the added health benefit of containing many anti-oxidant properties.
Raspberries are a part of the rose family and considered a bramble shrub due to their prickly branches and stems. They produce fruit every year and so are considered a perennial plant. Raspberries can be found growing in a wide range of zones, from 3 to 10. Raspberries are classified according to their color and fruiting habit. You will find raspberries in a variety of colors including purple, pink, white/yellow, black, and of course, red. Raspberries can also be classified as either

Summerbearing or Everbearing Raspberries

* Summerbearing raspberries produce fruit one time in late summer or early fall. Red raspberries are the most common type of summerbearing raspberry. Red raspberries come in different varieties such as Latham, Prelude and Killarney.
* Everbearing raspberries produce fruit twice a year: once in the springtime and once in the fall. Some common everbearing raspberries are Polana, Summit, and Golden. With good cultural practices and attention, some gardeners have had success getting certain everbearing varieties to produce fruit for many weeks.
It takes two years after planting for the bush to produce fruit. The first year is vegetative growth only. If planted in a good location and well tended, raspberries can produce fruit for many years.

Raspberry Culture

Raspberry plants require full sun (at least 6 hours a day) and grow best in fertile sandy-loam soil with good drainage. Avoid planting raspberries in an area where water tends to pool as this will lead to an increased susceptibility to disease, root rot and poor fruit production. The ideal pH for raspberry plants is between 5.6-6.2. A soil analysis should be performed prior to any amendments.

Planting Raspberries

Raspberries should be planted in early spring after the threat of frost is gone. Red raspberries can be planted to form nice hedgerows as they mature. Each plant should be spaced about 2-3 feet apart and each row 10-12 feet apart. Black and purple raspberries do not become full enough to create a proper hedge and should be planted about 4 feet apart in rows that are 8-10 feet apart. Using the hill system for black and purple berries is a good option and the best use of space. Adequate spacing between plants is needed for weeding, fertilizing and pruning as well as aiding in proper air circulation and sunlight. Plant depth should be about the same as, or slightly deeper than, they were at the nursery.
-Avoid planting raspberries within 300-600 feet of wild raspberries or blackberries; they can transmit viruses to your new plants. Additionally, you should not plant raspberries in the same area that potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants or strawberries have grown in the last 3-4 years as the soil may contain a fungal disease that causes Verticillium Wilt.

Care of Raspberry Plants

Upon initial planting, you can apply a general fertilizer (10-10-10) at the rate of about one pound per 100 feet of row. Work the fertilizer into the soil with a tiller or spade. Another dose of fertilizer should be applied 2-3 weeks later. Organic matter such as manure or compost can also be applied.
Side dressings or additional amendments should be used only after getting your soil results. Mulch can be applied to a depth of about 3-4 inches to cover. Do not put too much mulch down if the area tends to stay wet or retain moisture, as this will encourage fungal diseases. If you are planting one-year-old canes, you should cut the plant to about 6 inches above ground. Raspberries should receive about an inch of rain per week, either from rainfall or hand watering.

Trellises and Pruning of Raspberry Plants

Using a trellis or support system is recommended for red raspberries. Black and purple raspberries grow in clumps and do not need trellising, but can benefit from individual support systems. Trellising provides the following benefits:
* Aids in keeping the fruit healthy by increasing air circulation, keeping the fruit off the ground, and allowing access to full sun. This will increase your crop.
* Makes pruning and weeding easier to manage.
* Makes harvesting easier.
* Helps prevent certain diseases and pests.
Trellises do not have to be overly complex. You can build your own or buy one partially assembled. To learn more about trellising and training raspberries visit this iowa state university website.
Pruning plays a vital part in the health and crop production of raspberries. In order to properly prune your raspberries you will need to understand their two types of canes. The roots and crowns of raspberries are perennial, but their canes live only two years. Raspberry canes come in two varieties: primocanes and floricanes. Primocanes are first-year canes and floricanes are second-year canes that produce fruit.
In the spring raspberries grow new canes from the buds on the crown of the shrub and underground. In the first season, these canes grow vegetatively only (floricanes). The first-year canes will overwinter and then produce fruit in their second year (as primocanes.), and then the cycle begins again.
The second-year canes die soon after producing fruit; this is a recommended time to prune them. Everbearing raspberries will produce fruit on the tips of the new canes and well as a later crop on lower branches.
Summer red raspberries should be pruned two times a year: once in late winter/early spring and again right after they have produced fruit (that you have harvested!).
Spring pruning will include removing all dead, diseased, overgrown or weak canes. Keep only the strong and healthy canes to ensure a good shape and quality fruit production.
The second pruning includes removing the canes that just bore fruit.
Pruning should also be done whenever new shoots become overgrown, diseased or damaged. After you are done pruning, be sure to dispose of the waste properly so disease is not transmitted.

Raspberry Varieties

Raspberries come in a huge variety of cultivars. For an exhaustive list, visit this website.

Raspberry Harvesting

You will know your raspberries are mature and ready to harvest when they are easily separated from the core; if you have to pull hard to separate them they are not ready for picking. Raspberries will keep only for a few days to a week after harvesting. Place them on a paper towel no more than 3 berries deep and put them in the refrigerator as soon as possible.
Do not rinse with water until you are ready to eat, as this will cause them to quickly mold. Raspberries are wonderful in jams and jellies and can be frozen and enjoyed all winter long. And, of course, for all your hard work, there’s nothing better than enjoying a handful of freshly picked raspberries.

 http://www.gardeningchannel.com/growing-berries-in-the-kitchen-garden/

How To Make Pancetta

How To Make Pancetta

http://mistermeatball.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/how-to-make-pancetta.html

I hope that you enjoy looking at pictures and captions. Because I have got an absolute ton of them for you here.

Making pancetta (basically Italian salt-cured bacon) at home is simple. It only takes a little bit of prep time; the rest of the time you are waiting for the meat to cure and then dry. I'm going to run through every one of the steps, if you don't mind.

In case you didn't know, pancetta (just as any bacon) is made from pork belly. You can certainly start out by using just a small slab of belly, but here we are making a big old mess of pancetta. What we have here is a whole belly, with the ribs still attached. It weighed in at about 14 pounds total. (Hey, I have people who have come to expect their allotment of every batch that I make.)

Here is the belly after the ribs have been cut away. You can see by the fold on the left that the skin is on (normally the case when you buy a whole belly), but it needs to be removed.

Once the skin is removed it's time to apply the cure. (Because I am always fiddling with the actual cure, I've decided to reprint the complete recipe and instructions for making pancetta from a reliable source, the book "Charcuterie," by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn; they are at the very end of this post.) This pic shows the cure already spread onto the fat side of one piece of the belly, but the other piece needs it too, as does the meat side of the belly. The reason I've cut the belly in half is because a whole one is too large to roll. If you were not going to roll it, then leaving the belly in one piece would be fine.

After applying the cure all around, place each piece in its own big plastic bag and put into the fridge. They stay in the fridge for at least a week, often longer. And I flip the pieces over once a day. This batch was in the fridge for 11 days.

The next step is to run the belly under cool water and clean off all the cure mixture, then dry it well using paper towels. Once it's clean and dry you put down a good dose of coarse black pepper on the meat side of the belly. Then you roll it nice and tight, the tighter the better actually, to prepare it for tying.

Once it's rolled and tied it's time to hang it in a cool place for at least two weeks.

So that we could also see an example of the slab type of pancetta I didn't roll the other half of the belly. When you do it this way, though, it's good to wrap the belly in cheesecloth before hanging it. The flat, slab-like pancetta hangs in a cool place, just like the rolled, but it's ready quicker.

This one was ready in about 10 days.

Nice, huh? I like this batch a lot. The flavors are both rich and mild at the same time.

Here is the rolled pancetta, ready to be cut down and used. It hung in the garage for about 23 days.

I usually slice rolled pancetta into pieces around an inch thick.

Then I vacuum pack each piece individually. The ones that I don't give away to my demanding family and friends go into the freezer, as the pancetta lasts longer that way.

The only trouble is that I do not get to keep that many of the pieces for myself.

Maybe I should just shut my big mouth the next time a new batch of the stuff is ready.

Pancetta

Recipe

From “Charcuterie”

by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn

For the dry cure

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons pink salt (see Note below)

1/4 cup kosher salt

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

4 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

2 tablespoons juniper berries, crushed with the bottom of a small saute pan

4 bay leaves, crumbled

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

4 or 5 sprigs fresh thyme

Directions

1. Trim the belly so that its edges are neat and square.

2. Combine the garlic, pink salt, kosher salt, dark brown sugar, juniper berries, bay leaves, nutmeg, thyme, and half the black pepper in a bowl and mix thoroughly so that the pink salt is evenly distributed. Rub the mixture all over the belly to give it a uniform coating over the entire surface.

3. Place the belly in a 2-gallon Ziploc bag or in a covered nonreactive container just large enough to hold it. Refrigerate for 7 days. Without removing the belly from the bag, rub the belly to redistribute the seasonings and flip it over every other day (a process called overhauling).

4. After 7 days, check the belly for firmness. If it feels firm at its thickest point, it's cured. If it still feels squishy, refrigerate it on the cure for 1 to 2 more days.

5. Remove the belly from the bag or container, rinse it thoroughly under cold water, and pat it dry. Sprinkle the meat side with the remaining black pepper. Starting from a long side, roll up the pork belly tightly, as you would a thick towel, and tie it very tightly with butcher's string at 1- to 2-inch intervals. It's important that there are no air pockets inside the roll. In other words, it can't be too tightly rolled. Alternately, the pancetta can be left flat, wrapped in cheesecloth, and hung to dry for 5 to 7 days.

6. Using the string to suspend it, hang the rolled pancetta in a cool, humid place to dry for 2 weeks. The ideal conditions are 50°F to 60°F (8°C to 15°C) with 60 percent humidity, but a cool, humid basement works fine, as will most any place that's out of the sun. Humidity is important: If your pancetta begins to get hard, it's drying out and should be wrapped and refrigerated. The pancetta should be firm but pliable, not hard. Because pancetta isn't meant to be eaten raw, the drying isn't as critical a stage as it is for items such as prosciutto or dry-cured sausages. But drying pancetta enhances its texture, intensifies its flavor, and helps it to last longer.

7. After drying, the pancetta can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for 3 weeks or more, or frozen for up to 4 months. Freezing makes it easier to slice thin.

Note: Pink salt, a curing salt with nitrite, is called by different names and sold under various brand names, such as tinted cure mix or T.C.M., DQ Curing Salt, and Insta Cure #1. The nitrite in curing salts does a few special things to meat: It changes the flavor, preserves the meat's red color, prevents fats from developing rancid flavors, and prevents many bacteria from growing.

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