In The Grand Veg Scheme of Things

The polytunnel peas and broad beans are doing their thing

Three months ago today I arrived back in Wales to begin the growing season, and today is also the first day of the veg box scheme! This first week I am supplying the three r's : Rhubarb, Radish and Really nice salads.

It's something of a knack to judge each week not only what crops are ready for harvest, which is the easy bit, but also how much of each. Every Monday Katie will be expecting each grower to text her by 10am what is available and how many portions. I wander round the garden, eyeing critically each veg bed, trying to count roughly how many plants or leaves or stalks are big enough, and in good enough condition, to be picked and sold on the Wednesday. I have to err slightly on the conservative side because if I over-promise and under-deliver, some customers will end up with not enough veg - A Bad Thing.

I then convert this to a number of “portions” per veg - e.g. 8 radishes make one portion, so does 450g of rhubarb - and text Katie. This week it's 15 portions of rhubarb, 5 of radish and 5 salad bags. She then texts back whether she can take all of what I offered or only some, depending on what everyone else has offered (she's taking it all this week). And then on Wednesday morning it's the big harvest, packing and delivery session.

Marshmallows and bonfires - a match made in heaven

This normally takes quite a bit of effort but this week unusually I will have a helper! Anna is now in the area, having moved up last week from Pilsdon community to a terraced cottage in a village a few miles from here. Fortunately for me she loves gardening and so she has already spent a while planting some of my kale and cabbages. In return I have been assisting with filling her unfurnished house with things to sit on, eat on, sleep on, keep clothes in, and keep food cold in.

Today not only am I delivering the three r's to Machynlleth but we're also taking the trailer to collect a second-hand washing machine from Llanwrin. These things are not built for ease of lifting. By the time you read this, either the machine will be installed and happily making sloshing noises to itself, or it'll be on its side somewhere on top of one of us.