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!