Newsletter

Now that spring is here we have been able to resume work on the Earthship, it is coming on in leaps and bounds. The first ribs have gone up and at last we can see the incredible shape it will be. At the end of all this we know it will be wonderful, but the climate in this country is definitely not suited to this type of build… enthusiastic wannabe earthship builders beware.

The whitethorn is in blossom, the foxgloves are beginning to flower, the cuckoo is already driving us crazy and the hens are happy in the spring sunshine. Lots of lovely free range eggs for lots of omelettes and almond sponges. We’ve been eating delicious strawberries out of the polytunnel already and loads of salads. Lots more experiments with wormcast and worm tea have been going on… looks like the black worms that mysteriously appeared in the ripening strawberries disappear after a few doses of the worm tea with no damage to the fruit.

Work has been progressing steadily on the earthship. We are now at a point where the ribs have all been constructed and are ready to be put up. The main beam has to be made onsite so we are waiting now for the weather to become a bit milder so that we can start on that. With temperatures getting to -20's this last month we have been busy with trying to keep the water flowing in the houses! Unfortunately the parraffin heaters we had set up in the polytunnel were not enough to combat such extremes so the avacados and cape gooseberries have once again been hit by the cold. However leeks, beetroots and cabbages have all survived, so we still have some fresh organic vegetables even in the depths of winter. The polytunnel became a semi- laboratory this summer, with experiments being done with worms and worm cast with the plants and vegetables. The results were amazing, even managing to prevent blight spreading to the tomatos. Our wormeries have expanded to all around the foundation as we get more and more inspired and excited by them!

The deluxe chicken house "Cluckingham Palace" boasts our experiments with a bottle wall which is going to be lovely for the hens when the evening light shines through it! It has made us aware of how much labour is needed to construct something larger in the earthship. We have been diligently collecting all the necessary bottles to recycle. Why is it that the drinking is the quickest part of the whole process?

Memories of summer