A couple of days hard work....

   It has taken a few days to get there but the garden is looking under control again. Well, sort of. This time of year everything just grows grows grows. 
   In the outside garden over one hundred "storage" onions have been transplanted with the help of my two grandchildren. These onions are Yellow Rynsburger and hopefully will produce a yellow onion that stores well. More grass cutting around the vegetable plots and the sowing of Orbis root parsly. Never grown this before and I will be interested to see what it is like. Supposed to taste like a mild parsnip. The asparagus is really taking off now. New spurs popping up every other day or so. One more bed has been forked and cleared of weeds. Only half a border to do now and that has the green manure Lucerne growing in it so hopefully it will not be too hard to do. That area is marked to be a tomato bed so no particular hurry. Volunteer potatoes are popping up here and there and my ex-Christmas potatoes (now turned into first earlies!) are really motoring. I fear they will be frosted at some point but I will keep covering them up until they get too big. I have sown autumn/winter leek seed in an outside seed bed. My second row of parsnip which was seed gathered some time ago was a complete failure. I was not surprised and that seed has now been thrown away. Parnip is well known for poor germination and I have replanted the row with fresh Tender and True parsnip seed. First sowing of Cheltenham Green Top beetroot has been made. I really like this beetroot. It is hardy, tastes good and will stand in the ground over winter without any problem.
  In the poly tunnel the tomatoes are growing away. An early variety, Latah, is soon going to need to be planted out. Fortunately I have these earmarked for the poly tunnel. Others, Amish Paste, were destined for the outside garden but I do not know if I will be able to hang on until the last frost has past. First few radishes pulled but generally the 19 Jour (day) radish has been a disappointment. I suspect old seed. Asturian tree cabbage and Golden Acre cabbage have been sown in modules. The broad beans are now showing bean pods. Need to consider sowing winter cabbage.
  I have adjusted the mower and cut the grass shorter around the house. Looking out into the main garden I see that the grass needs cutting again. Unfortunately rain is forecast and yes I hate to say it but a little rain would be welcome. Rain yes. Hail no! Yes, it hailed. Least I did not have any lettuce out that was not under cover. It will encourage the recently planted seeds and transplanted onions. Plenty of jobs to do such as moving the cow manure heap and trimming borders not to mention cutting the grass!

Broad beans in the poly tunnel

All the Year Round cauliflower in the poly tunnel

A little warmth, a little sunshine...

   Almost three weeks have past since my last blog update. I have been away for part of that time and as always happens when one  goes away for a few days the plants in the garden have started to grow with attitude. With all the rain there has been it has only taken a little bit of warmth and sunshine to bring on spring in full force. Before I went away the carrots and parsnip seeds had not germinated. Now they are well up and growing away!

Sour Cherry blossom

Peach, pear and cherry blossom is now out and the daffodils are in flower.
   The grass is in desperate need of cutting and that is one of my first jobs to do. Seeds need to be sown and there are more onions, lettuce and cauliflowers to transplant! Man! 
   My farmer neighbour has delivered the cow manure. I would have liked it a little earlier but hey ho there it is - a pile in the field. Now I have to move it into the garden. The Jerusalem artichokes are waiting for their top dressing!
   The first pulling of rhubarb has been made and the the first rhubarb crumble consumed. There is now a lot more to pull.
   In the poly tunnel cherry bell radishes have been sown and are now up. Some "18 day" radish are now ready to eat. For some reason the germination of the 18 Day radish has not been good. Tomatoes (Millfleur, Amish paste, Moneymaker, Roma) have been transplanted to pots, some 160 in all and more to come. Aubergines and sweet peppers transplanted to pots. I have removed the purple sprouting plants (yes, fed to the sheep) and the winter leaves. Both of these have done well this winter. Oh, yes, I have a mandrake plant! One seed has germinated so far.
    In the outside garden beetroot was pulled, final winter cabbage cut and sprout plants fed to the sheep! Some Bedfordshire Champion and Spainish onions were transplanted.
   Well that was what was done before I went away. On day one of my return I mowed most of the lawns, transplanted cauliflowers in the poly tunnel, sowed Latah, Oregon spring and Ethel Watkins tomatoes. I transplanted some Great Lakes lettuce to a poly tunnel bed. Something overnight ate the rest of the Great Lakes lettuce plants which I had put outside the poly tunnel to harden off. I do not think it was the chickens but they are quick to spot the chance to eat some fresh green leaves!
   Shallots, onion sets,  garlic and peas are growing well. Leeks and carrots from the 2012 season are also picking up and will need to be pulled soon or else they will go to seed! A row of potatoes that I had hoped would be ready for Christmas (2012) and I thought were lost have popped up! Looks like we will get new potatoes this year!
   So, enough of this typing it is time to get back to the dirt face! 

Potatoes etc...

   Another week, more rain yet some sunshine! In the outside garden I have started to plant potatoes. Belle de Fontenay, an old French variety, main crop and Vitelotte, a purple potato. This potato is purple all the way through! Should be interesting. I tidied up and top dressed the asparagus bed but but no signs of asparagus yet, however, spoke too soon, in the poly tunnel one spur has pushed it way up!  

First asparagus spur in the poly tunnel

   I have sown a row of Early Nante carrot under clouche's trying to get a head start. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. Thats gardening for you! I finally took a deep breath and planted out the Jerusalem artichokes. Boy, doing that was a labor of love! Had to dig out an area, chuck manure in, cover it over, plant the few tubers I had and cover it up! Almost as bad as planting potatoes! Still, hopefully they will take and I will be able to establish a Jerusalem artichoke bed.
   In the poly tunnel transplanting continues. Aubergines, a few pak choi and tomatoes (Moneymaker, Couer de Beef, Roma, Amish Paste). Plenty more to do!