Onion and Garlic Braids

After drying the onions for 2-3 weeks (it's hasn't been very warm this summer), Marisa made several onion braids - they look amazing!

Here Marisa is braiding shallots

And below is one of several garlic braids she made a couple weeks ago...

Bee Hive Boxes

Some prototypes of National hive Super boxes (460mm x 460mm x 150mm tall) - also known as a "shallow" box because it is 75mm shorter than Brood box - made from dimensional White Deal rough timbers

The first version uses 44m thick (2in dimensional) boards on all 4 sides - nearly twice the thickness of conventional designs. The thicker wood adds some weight, but also provides better insulation for the bees. I found some 5mm x 10mm aluminium channel at a nearby building supply which provides a smaller contact surface for the frames and makes them easier to remove after the bees cover every seam with propolis:

Second design uses the same 44mm sides with rabbets for the frames to hang on, but 22mm (1in dimensional) boards for the long ends which accommodates 1 additional frame (11 vs 10 above). This version also uses a shallow half dovetail instead of the aluminium channel as seen on another hive box we already have:

And the third is based on standard national supers made by several places in Ireland, but with some minor adjustments - the same partial dovetail feature as on the 2nd design (above), and all 22mm thick White Deal rough boards.

Here are the standard national super (front) and my hybrid design (back) on the new hive stand. Note, the plan is to route indentations on the thick sides of the hybrid for hand holds.

Comparison of the three options:

Hive Stand

Here is the first prototype stand for 2 or 3 National hives - made with treated 4 x 2 timbers and stainless steel screws. I wanted to go for a design that did not require pivot bolts like the foldable stands that are popular here in Ireland - mostly because we are not planning to move these hives and stands from the apiary, but also since I did not have bolts of the correct length at hand.

The space between hives can be used to temporarily hold frames while working the hives:

Planting Herbs

In two of the 10m x 25m (33ft x 82ft) tilled areas nearest the apiary Marisa spread Mycorrhizal fungi and Sainfoin seeds, then we put a light cover (2 skip bags) of compost across the roughly 250 square meter area. Sainfoin is a legume which is good for soil and grazing, and also excellent for pollinators.

The adjacent 10m x 25m areas have soil building mix (clovers, etc) - green manure that can be tilled into the soil in another month or two.

In one of the larger roughly 25m x 25m Marisa planted Salsify (tragopogon porrifolius) which has lovely flowers and edible roots and leaves. The other two large 25m x 25m areas have crimson clover - also a green manure for soil building.

Pillar Drill Mobile Base

Way back in 2021 while we were still in lockdown for COVID-19 I ordered a SIP standing pillar drill (drill press) for use in the workshop. But when it came time for delivery I was sick (with COVID) and asked the company to reschedule for a month or two later. Thus began a saga of phone calls and emails trying to get the machine we had ordered, and about 8 months later I finally drove up to Co. Clare because the owner refused to deliver our purchase. And then the drill sat for a while in our tractor shed because we were busy with lots of projects and my day job was crazy, so it wasn't until earlier this year that I finally got the drill assembled (with help from our tractor lifting the head unit).

But the drill is too heavy to move and we don't have a good place to bolt it to the floor. So I purchased an adjustable mobile base from Vevor, and with a few modifications was able to mount it - cutting the short side support arms for a smaller width and drilling holes for the bolts holding drill to the base. Now we can move the drill around with ease and set the feet down to keep it in place for use.

More from the Veg Field

We built a box around the row where potatoes were harvest last week and will add more soil in preparation for moving rhubarb here in winter. We find the boxes easier for managing soil levels and minimising grass and weeds with perennials.

And more pictures...