Where there's muck

Growing fruit and vegetables on the west coast of Scotland is always a bit of a challenge.  A big advantage is that in early summer its daylight from 5am till 10 even 11pm but sadly its not always sunny and warm.

The weather  is so unpredictable and a cool wet week or two can sweep in and settle upon us at any time.   This can play havoc with germination and also seriously disadvantages the chances of survival for young plants in their battle with slugs.

Having spent years trying to control slugs with beer traps and torchlight night patrols I have given up and now grow most things outside by starting them off inside and planting them out as plugs in everything from loo roll cores, root trainers, plastic modules and mini pots home made from old newspapers. In my experience, well grown vigourous young plants can generally out grow the attacks of slugs.




Cool loving vegetables such as potatoes generally
 like living and growing and growing in Lochaber. As you can see from the picture 2010 was no exception.

But the key ingredient to success on the croft is the abundance of muck. Every day from sometime in October to sometime in May (when the cow and followers are in their sheds) 50 or so kg on finest cow muck is shovelled up and barrowed about the croft. Some is built into big piles for slow maturation, some is spread over bare ground to suppress weeds, be worked on by worms and turned into the ground in spring and so on. And some plays an important role in the polytunnel,  for it is used to fill the raised beds each year with fresh manure. In the shallower beds where salads, onions, leeks, beetroot, leaf beat and carrots etc. are grown six inches or so is burried under twice as much of last years muck which, a year later, is well rotted compost. The deeper beds have all their old compost removed for use elsewhere and are refilled to the top with fresh manure. 4-6 months later early potatoes and then tomatoes, cucumbers and corgettes/marrows are planted out into a pocket of old compost made in the now composting manure.   The pictures right above show how in 12 months fresh manure turns to worm rich compost.

In the polytunnel the manure/compost is not leached by high  rainfall and breaks down quicker in the higher temperatures while all its goodness and moisture retention properties enhance plant growth a well earned reward for all that barrowing.

Eating Out

After the major  disappointment of  eating out at 'Eating In' it is only fair to say that eating out can be a delight. Sadly, Sukie and I will now be deprived of regular pampering at Ardeonaig Hotel but  we still have the Real Food Cafe at Tyndrum.

While very different in style, Sarah at RFC shares Pete's commitment to source food that is fresh as possible, as local as possible and as sustainable as possible with lots of stuff is made and baked on site. As important as all that  is, best of all is that the food all tastes wonderful - we tend to be suckers for the fish and chips. Just writing that has made my mouth water.

I write this as a tip to those perhaps travelling north up the A82 to visit us. After battling with busses up Loch Lomond side reward yourself with the simple, fresh and wonderful food at the Real Food Cafe.

Happy now Dawn?

Dentists, dont you just love them?

Until a week or so ago I would have said a resounding No. But now we all have a new dentist, and she appears to be a rare sub species of dentist that I have never come across before. She is kind, thoughtful and gentle and I can lie out on the slab oops in the chair without developing instant clammy armpits.

Couldn't make my early appointment because both the car and our steep 200m drive were encased in several millimetres of ice. But a phone call assured me that 'I wasn't to worry, quite understandable'. Then a  call back gave me a slot later in the day.

I now have yet another filling and on the way, in the premature gloom of and overcast sky there was some nice light in the west from the ferry.

If only all my trips to the dentist had been like this.



  . . 1                                                  Looking west from the Corran ferry