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Welly Solar

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A blog about solar power, gardening and lefty rants.

I'm an inept machinist, an okay gardener and reasonably competent at keeping the lights on at my parents off-grid farm.

USDA zone 8 maritime climate

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Allotment Solar

I've been helping a friend recently with the 12v wiring for their stylish new van home and this has motivated me to actually get some solar panels up at the allotment. Panels: Now at least 10 year old 12v panels that have been retired from my parents off grid farm. They're only 50w each but they're still going strong. I made a little wooden frame for them which can be adjusted to different angles to suit different seasons. Battery: Used leisure battery. Id normally advise against getting used batteries as you have no idea what people have done with them. In this case it's going to be leading a very easy life so it shouldn't matter too much. Controller: 10a Epever MPPT controller as used from someone who's upgraded their surf van. I've found Epever to be a really good blend of price and reliability. They obviously don't have the features of Outback/Victron etc but they're a quarter of the price. Yes I couldn't find any pro...

Allotment update

Its a slow time of year on the plot. But there are still things to do. Its hard to believe we've had it for a year now. First of all the beginnings of a new crop of rhubarb is starting to emerge, we've been very fortunate with how prolific these hardy plants have been am would like to try some more savoury recipes with it this year Next off have pruned back the apple tree. I don't think its had much TLC for a few years so there were a lot of crossing branches etc that needed dealing with. Pruning is not really in my skill set that much but I followed the RHS guidelines and hoped for the best. We'll see what my efforts achieve later in the year. Have harvested two small cabbages and turned one into future sauerkraut, added some mustard seeds and fennel to give a little more flavour. Hopefully it will turn out okay! Used a standard 2% brine using some liquid from a previous ferment for a starter.

First new potatoes

These were supposedly 'Christmas' new potatoes (Charlotte variety) but only one tuber sprouted and effectively bolted, growing long stringy stems and producing only tiny potato tubers. I think we planted them far too late. I thought we had lost them but in March the first signs of potato sprouts were seen in the green house. We left them in despite taking up valuable greenhouse area out of curiosity. They would have yielded better if they had been left for longer but we need the space back for other plants. Trying to avoid more volunteers next year by digging out all the soil and sieving it, which is labourious in a 1.5m2 greenhouse bed so the larger bed at the allotment will hard going. These were grown in a no dig fashion with the tubers placed on the surface of the soil and mushroom compost piled on top. If you would like your own new potatoes in time for Christmas now is the time of year to plant them.

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