More Weeding

 29 - 30 October 2020

We have been informed by Kostas the Gardener that this is the time of year to plant trees - not in January as we would in colder climates.  

So I moved the weeding project to the 'hugel' beds - which are no longer 'hugel' (German for 'heaped') as they have flattened down over their sixish years of life to being a rich dark soil with little wood pieces remaining.  As we have self-seeded apple trees in this area, it seems to make sense to plant a couple of proper trees in there too.  Quite an easy area to clear, as there were only clumps of weeds, much less grass.

Then we thought we should do our best to save the grape vines, which didn't do well this year, although 11 out of 12 survived.  The ground here is very battered by the building materials, especially lime, that have been poured out during the build years.  The soil is starting to recover, and is good at both ends, but still very limey in the middle.  We decided to put up some boards and make a raised bed around the vines to hold manure, compost and soil to improve the chances of the vines.  So this was cleared of weeds, ready for that next step.

Weeding

 26 - 28 October 2020

Weeding, weeding and more weeding.  We are staunch adherents of No Dig gardening, but it just isn't practical when there is couch grass sending runners into your tasty rich soil.  We live in hope that the grass will eventually become discouraged, and go elsewhere.

A 'lost' crop of beetroot rediscovered.

The lower long bed finished - that one was a marathon, very overgrown

The lower citrus bed - must remember citrus don't like manure and just put woodchip around it.

Clear around the Robinia - which I read recently tend to repel grass.  There was definitely less grass encroachment around this area, so there may be something in it.

Double digging!  

The pathways need clearing too.  We put cardboard down and covered it in woodchip, so the couch grass runners are nearer the surface.  The cardboard has deteriorated, and after the runners are removed, the rotted woodchip can be raked onto the beds.  We'll use new woodchip on new cardboard on the paths and do the same thing next year.

Lovely clear ground - waiting for manure, mulch and green manures.

One of the courses we are doing at the moment is with a local man who has been a farmer all his life but has discovered permaculture and is a fount of knowledge about local methods of natural veg growing.  He recommends planting broad beans at this time of year, not so much for the crop as to feed the soil when cut down in spring.

Aris' herb talk recommended getting in the hawthorne berry harvest to make tincture for the vitamins and health benefits they bring.  This is our harvest from our two little trees - which we found struggling at the foot of a couple of old olives, so we nurtured them (the hawthornes) and they seem to be doing well.

Two other beds completed, and woodchip raked over.

Mycellium found in the woodchip and unavoidably disturbed in the weed removal - relocated to the tree trunk where it can do most good.

Annual veg beds looking good, ready for some autumn planting.

Vehicle infrastructure

17 - 25 October 2020

Way-hey!!  Lefkada has got an electric vehicle charging point!!  This is big news - given that we have the only electric car on the island.  It must have been required by law: while the authorities were putting in boat charge points, they have had to throw this in as an extra.  

 Anyway, it made us very excited, so we set out to have a go at charging from it, and writing it up on the 'Plugshare' App to inform other EV drivers.  At the charge point, we found that it required a pre-paid card, which the notices said were available at 'the kiosk' or at the town hall.  We asked at the tobacco and sweets kiosk but he knew nothing, and we eventually established that it was the tourist information kiosk that was meant.  That kiosk is usually unstaffed from September through to May.

So we went to the town hall.  As it was 3pm, there was no-one there.  We did find the payment window, and a small note saying the cards were available there, but they only open in the morning, and as all other municipal payments are made in the same place it could be a long wait for a card.

Discouraged we returned to Nydri - uncharged.  While sitting in Elite cafe some days later we noticed that the boat charge points on Nydri quay required the same card.  We asked questions until we found out the cards were available from a chandlers on the high street.  No queue.  We bought a 20 euro card.

Next day we went back to Lefkas and after some fumbling - one of the plugs didn't work - we managed to get an electric current flowing into the car.  Hurrah!  We went for lunch to celebrate.  I wouldn't like to be desperate for a charge and reliant on this system, though.  It hasn't been thought out.

Success!  Our car charging at a municipal station on Lefkas quay.

Meanwhile, Dave has been replacing all the spokes in the back wheel of his E-bike, as they had started to ping out.

And on the subject of infrastructure, if not vehicles - the time to sweep the chimney has come round again (to my dismay).  Once we start the process, I can't take photos, because there is too much soot, on hands and clothes and brushes.  We have to take the bottom section of chimney off, and it is always a bit stuck and tricky to work.  But it went okay, and we are set up for another season of heat and cooking, if the weather ever cools down.

New Arrivals in the Garden

 14 - 16 October 2020

The day after the family left - having had a week of lovely sunny weather, perfect for sea-bathing and evenings eating outdoors - the heavens opened with a massive electrical storm and downpour.  We failed to unplug the internet in time, and our router burnt out with a crack of blue light (which took two weeks to repair, as so many other people had the same problem).

For us, this meant that we could get on with the gardening, as the soil was damp and loose.  

I started on this little bed with two Elderberry shrubs and our longest surviving, if least well performing, Moringa tree.  The bed was getting eaten up by couch grass, and needed urgent assistance.

One of our little self-seeded apple tree saplings didn't survive the high winds.

Braving the weather, we attended a talk in Lefkas Town by a herbalist (friend of a friend) called Aris.  He is very well known on the island for his understanding of local plants and herbs and their medicinal uses.  Dave asked about his recent flare-up of gout (too much partying while the kids were here!) and Aris recommended nettle tea.  We don't have a nettle patch, they like damp.  But next morning, I saw that we had one growing in the compost, and there were others near by.  Nature is very helpful sometimes!

A new arrival at the pond, a little wagtail (on the rock), catching insects.

The oldest Aloe has flowered again.

Family arrive!

 4 - 11 October 2020

After many fraught weeks of keeping our fingers crossed, the week where Sara's family came to visit was finally here.  Through the mad slalom of whether Greece would ban the UK, or the UK would quarantine Greece, gales in Britain and storms in Greece ...  none of us had dared to hope this might come off, but on Sunday 4 October, they were variously on their planes!

First trip on a plane (except as a tiny baby) - very exciting.

Exploring the waterfalls with Granny

Full house - at the end of a great week

And I got to meet my new granddaughter, born during lockdown on the other side of the continent.

Leafcutters!

 1 - 2 October 2020

Early in October, following the rain, I spotted some activity around the paving outside the house.  Some serious raiding of the creeping thyme was going on - ants were actively cutting away leaves to take into their nest for winter storage.  It was quite disturbing because determined deprivations would leave us with denuded stones.  In the event, they didn't take very much, so they are welcome to what they need.

Ants hard at work.

Unlike us, who took to the sea again.  

Warm sea, full moon, good fishing - what more could we ask?