Here at my small homestead in rural Wales, August has been a rather lovely month. We’ve had sunshine, warmth and showers, resulting in abundant growth of the veggies and also, unfortunately, the brambles that are on a takeover mission…..!
Today the morning is grey, wet and windy, perfect for getting those indoor jobs done, the ones that I put off when the sun shines, and for polytunnel gardening. I love the sunshine. After rain which started mid-July 2023 and more or less didn’t stop until June this year, any dry weather is hugely appreciated. But the polytunnel does get rather hot in the afternoons, even with both doors open, so a cool grey day like this one is perfect for side shooting, weeding, watering and pricking out.
New arrivals!
Yesterday I picked up four new additions to the homestead. I ordered these ducks when they were just eggs, and have been looking forward to their arrival.
They are Welsh Harlequins, such an attractive breed. Having lived at the farm since they were hatched, the poor things were very confused by a car journey and were understandably quite scared when I put them inside their new duck house.
They’ll soon settle in. The duck house is within a large metal framed run, to help protect them from foxes. They’ll be free to roam in the orchard garden when we are here, foraging for slugs and other dainty morsels.
I first started keeping ducks about 25 years ago, but haven’t had any for a few years now so am delighted have some again. Before they are first let out to explore, I will be fencing off the part of the garden where the wildlife pond is. The ducks will destroy that, so they’ll have their own pond elsewhere.
Gardening and Homesteading Courses
This weekend I am looking forward to welcoming people to my homestead for a grow your own gardening course on Saturday 17th, and a Homesteading Skills one on Sunday 18th. There are still a few places on each. It is an excellent time for planning a productive autumn, winter and spring garden – there’s still so much that you can sow and plant, undercover and outside.
The next courses are a gardening one on September 21st and Homesteading Skills on September 22nd. Most of the sowing and planting for the year will be done by then, but there’s still plenty that can be sown, planted and propagated. The Homesteading course is fully booked up, but there are some spaces left on the gardening day course.
These are the last courses here at the homestead for the year. I’ll be putting up dates for next year in late October. If you can’t make it here, look out for online demos, workshops and courses during autumn and winter – more details about those soon.
Shows and Events coming up
I’m at RHS Wisley Flower Show on Saturday 7th September, talking about Sustainable Edible Gardening at 1pm and 3pm. (They haven’t put my talk on the website yet, just my name.)
The following week, I’m heading up to Yorkshire (where I was born) for the Harrogate Flower Show. I am delighted to have been invited to be there for the whole three days, giving preserving and homesteading skills demos. Every day there’ll be three different demos, to help increase self sufficiency and produce your own delicious store cupboard full of seasonal flavours. The show is on 13th, 14th and 15th September.
If you’re heading to Abergavenny for the Wales Permaculture Gathering, join me on Saturday 28th where I’ll be running a homesteading skills demo/workshop. Sadly I can’t make the whole event, but I am looking forward to seeing everyone there on Saturday.
There are also several talks to various gardening clubs and societies coming up, all in Wales.
Podcasts, articles and other writing
Do you read my monthly column in Kitchen Garden Magazine? I write the first feature Jobs for the Month, packed with advice for growing your own undercover and outside. The next issue is out on August 24th, and includes two features by me.
Mag editor Steve Ott chatted with me recently about my visit to Chelsea Flower Show on Press Day for their podcast – listen to it here.
My latest article for Dalefoot is online, and is all about how to Reuse, Refresh and Recycle compost – different ways to make compost stretch further, saving resources and money. Read it here. I think it’s a sign of an ethical compost company that they will publish a feature which explains how people can use less compost.
I am delighted to have been commissioned by Amateur Gardening Magazine to write a monthly seasonal recipe column: The Year Round Kitchen Garden. The next recipe will be in the issue on sale on the 27th August.
I am a garden, food and sustainability writer, and write extensively for many different publications. The author of two books (No Dig Organic Home and Garden, over 35,000 copies sold and The Creative Kitchen, 10,000 copies sold) I am currently working on my third book, which is being photographed by Jason Ingram (seen here disappearing into my garden!) If you’d like to commission me for your publication, please contact me.
Working for free?
Recently I was approached by a large event inviting me to speak at their show, on the main stage. They wanted me, they said, because I am a leading expert in gardening. I was free on the dates mentioned, and it all sounded smashing.
However it turned out that they had no intention of paying me a speaker’s fee, or even offering travel and accommodation expenses. The venue is some considerable distance from my home and to attend would require an overnight stay. I worked out that travel costs and the cheapest kind of hotel would set me back over £300, not to mention 2 days loss of income when I working, for them, for “free”. In fact I would be paying for the privilege of attending their show, and boosting their profits.
Obviously I politely declined and explained how much it would cost me in expenses. They did not have the courtesy to even thank me for my reply …
Like most people I work to pay the bills, mortgage, food, etc. With the cost of living ever increasing, it is so wrong that some organisations and businesses try to make profits out of exploiting others – and it seems to be getting worse.
Sadly this kind of thing is all too common. This must be the fifth or sixth such request this year, all for profit making events. I posted about it on social media and was astonished by the response, with people with all kinds of different professions replying and explaining how this is happening to them too. Over 155,000 views on X isn’t normal for me!
You can read the threads on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook here and here.
So pleased to read of your continuing success Stephanie. I look forward to buying your new book. Keep flying. Keep shining.
Thank you so much Jeannie