Pre Christmas rush?

   Here we are at the 21st December, winter solstice. My thoughts are moving towards January and the sowing of onion seed and a distant thought about seed potatoes! Oh boy! It never stops.
   The last blog was published on the 12th. So what has happened since then? Looking back at my daily log, not a lot! I managed to move my leaf pile to its composting place before the chickens could get to it and the weather permitted. There has been more rain and the ground once again is saturated. In the poly tunnel the sweet peppers have now been removed and the beds they were in tidied up and top dressed. In the poly tunnel there is still lettuce, fennel and radishes to harvest and the spring cabbage (fingers crossed) looks fine. The purple sprouting has suffered badly from white fly and it has also grown tall due to lack of light I guess. In the outside garden I dug up some celeriac, beetroot, parsnips and turnips for stews and salads. There is less and less in the garden now. There are still some leeks, celeriac and beetroot and the rump of a row of carrots that I left in the hope that they might grow a bit with the mild weather. May  get some small ones from that row, you never know! There is spinach which is of edible size. My  nice looking broad beans are now looking moth eaten. Blooming chickens! The garlic is ok and looks like it has now slowed up a little, however, the last lot I planted is now starting to show. With there being no frosts it looks like we are going to get our Christmas potatoes from a raised bed outside of the poly tunnel. I have had the bed fleeced over for a couple of weeks now and the tops are still mostly looking heathly! Fingers crossed! There are probably one or two very small ones in the poly tunnel but not enough for a meal.
    Outside of the garden the turkeys and geese have been processed and are in the freezer. Really looking forward to eating the large goose. Good weights have been achieved with the fowl the largest turkey being 8.5 kgs, the smallest 7kgs. One of the geese came in at 5kgs which will be our Christmas dinner!

Two of four Turkeys in the freezer

    

Other things take up the time

   Well what can I say? In the eleven days since my last blog was published I have not achieved a lot at all! This time of year can be very depressing when there is so much one wants to do yet the weather is against you. Christmas is around the corner so that will also mean little getting done. Man!
   So what has been done? I have started to prune an apple tree. This work is ongoing and will take a couple of years before I am happy with the three old trees I have. Anything else done? Oh yes raked up some leaves only for the chickens to scatter them out again. Next time I will rake them up and clear them away! And that is it! Other stuff has been done, like cleaning out the chickens and processing two of the four turkeys but not garden related.

  A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to any readers!

Weather and short days

   The weather and short days continue to work against getting much done. There are many blank days on my garden log where nothing in the garden was done. Oh yes, made mince pies, cakes and Christmas puddings but no gardening! So, what little has been done? November sown radishes are being pulled and another sowing has been made and have germinated in the poly tunnel. It amazes me that they manage to grow to maturity at this time of year. A lot of tidying up done when the weather permitted, things like taking up the sweet corn stalks, some weeding and forking when the ground has not been to wet. Another bed of violet garlic has been planted as I was not happy with the first planting despite it looking quite good. The chickens did not help with this first bed of garlic. The chickens have also discovered my over winter broad beans and I have been forced to fence them off. I do not believe they have been killed off, just shocked! I managed to get my bonfire lit and I now have a pile of ashes. Horray! Trouble is I have started to build another one! I have also managed to get spring bulbs planted not without incident. I wanted to plant bulbs close to the bee hive. Of course, with my luck, the temperature got above 10C and guard bees started to appear out of the hive and they noticed me. I made a hasty retreat once one got a little to close for comfort. Later in the day I managed to finish planting the bulbs. 
   In the poly tunnel the Nigels Green Chillis have finally called it a day and I have removed them. There is radish, fennel, some lettuce and believe or not sweet peppers that can still be picked. My Christmas potatoes after showing such promise have been destroyed by mould, probably blight. I have some outdoors and as long as there is not a severe frost I might still manage to get some new potatoes for Christmas (famous last words those!).

Planting Tulips

So why so little done!

   So why is it that NOTHING has been done in the last week? Weather turned wet and so I guess that stopped the outside jobs and the poly tunnel is as up to date as I can get it. I also had to spend time with my youngest daughter helping her out in the UK so that took up most of the week. I have looked at my garden log and there is only two days where I have put an entry and they were not related to the garden. I am also reluctant to fork more ground because as soon as I do the chickens move in and just flatten the ground. Better to leave it alone and then they give up when then cannot scratch it. So, what was it I entered into the log but was not related to the garden? "British pub pickled eggs", that is what! They did not take long to do. Guess I was busy with domestic stuff. Well this week has started off sunny and looks like it is going to be so all week so hopefully the grass will be dry enough for me to mow it, hopefully, only one more time.

Weeded bulb bed

Broad beans growing away!

Darker evenings!

   The clocks have now gone back and that for a while means dark evenings and shorter days in the garden, however, the weather over the last week or so has been fantastic for October! Lots of sunshine and it has even been very warm! Surely this cannot last. 
   In the garden broad beans and garlic are growing well. My winter cabbage patch has been raided by some critter and several plants have be munched! Cannot blame the chickens this time despite the fact they have tried to get under the netting I have put over the cabbages. The turnips are swelling so hopefully I will get some.

Sprouting broad beans

   It is strange at this time of year that you think you have lots of time to do things but in reality you do not. It is dark by six o'clock and of course one does not get going until about ten thirty am and before you know it is lunch time and then you only have a couple of hours left! Still with the extended good weather I still have managed to get some tidying up jobs done. Much forking and weeding. The bonfire pile is getting to the point where I now need to light it.  I have also at last got round to clearing my daffodil patch. The soil in this bed is brown clay and hard to work. It does not help that it is still very wet and was full of buttercups.  It has only taken all summer to get to it. It was interesting to see that  the bulbs are already sprouting and are about 1/2 to 1 inch up. The daffs are ahead of the crocus bulbs which are only just starting to sprout. It is going to be a mixed up winter I fear. The ground this summer has hardly had a chance to dry out. I can recall only one period this summer where I have thought that the ground is getting too dry. This does not bode well if we have a wet winter.
   In the poly tunnel the Christmas potatoes are thriving and enjoying the mild weather. I do not doubt that we will have new potatoes for Christmas this year. Spring cabbage is established and my rescued fennel is growing away. The sweet peppers are coming to an end mainly due to mould rather than cold. Radishes are about to fill out and there is still lots of lettuce. The Nigel's green outdoors chili (been grown indoors) is still producing nice sized chili's and has really been this years success story. I guess it will go on until there is a cold snap.
   Well guess I must continue with the clearing up jobs while the weather holds as best I can.

New season gets underway!

   Seems to me that before the old season ends the new one begins! Garlic and broad beans are showing and will be in good stead for next spring.

 Broad beans sprouting

   In the poly tunnel the last of the basil has been removed. Charmette peas are up. The "rescued" fennel is starting to produce new leaves so I am hopeful to get something. I have taken advantage of a couple of mild day and the availability water from the water butts to wash down the poly tunnel inside and out. I had to use my floor mop to get to top of the tunnel! I have abandoned my experiment with spring cabbage and bottle cloches. Out of twenty one seeds only nine germinated into anything reasonable. Those nine have been moved to the poly tunnel.  Sweet peppers and the chili are still producing and the Christmas potatoes continue to thrive. I have constructed a framework for the fleece cloche over the potatoes which I have no doubt will soon be needed. My white sage and bay tree, both in a pot, have been moved to the poly tunnel.
   The fennel outside has been all but destroyed by the chickens! Moss curled parsley is well established and ought to stand the winter. The grass continues to grown and I have had to mow it once more. Hopefully there may only have to be one more mowing before I can stop until next year. If it remains mild then maybe not. I have now picked the few apples I had on my late fruiting apple tree but those that there were are large and bug free. I have also picked all the remaining grapes probably a little late if truth be told.

Butternut squash crop

   This years crop of carrots has not been good. Lots of carrots but they have been small. Guess I need to sow earlier and keep the chickens off and investigate as to why they have been so small.

Not so much gardening but a little work in the kitchen

  This is going to be a short entry as it has been a very quiet week on the garden front. The short days and the weather have made doing very much outside very difficult. Mind you on the couple of days that were sunny I entertained the youngest grandson, Toby! Ha! Still, I managed to pick some apples from the neighbour's tree and collected up the butternut squash to put into winter storage. We continue to enjoy the buttercup squash. The garlic is now up so hopefully the chickens will leave it alone!
   So, leaving the garden behind we have been collecting sweet chestnuts. It is a great year for them. They are big and the recent high winds have brought them down and are therefore easy to collect. That means I have made sweet chestnut stuffing for Christmas and I have also made a sweet chestnut truffle cake! The truffle cake was excellent and despite the pain of have to peel the sweet chestnuts I expect to make it again.
   In the poly tunnel the Christmas potatoes continue to grow well. I will need to cover them up soon as the first frost cannot be that far away. I have sown spring onions to overwinter and the "18 Day" radish are up and looking like they will be the best radish of the year! Man! I continue to crop sweet peppers,  green, red and orange! The chilli pepper is still alive and there are a few more yet to pick.

Sweet Chestnut and Apricot stuffing

Sweet Chestnut Truffle Cake

Autumn bites.............

   It finally rained! After a week or so of fine sunny days with a little cloud the weather broke and it got cooler and it rained. The rain was very welcome and will keep the plants albeit slowly, growing on. 
   I am starting to find lots of tomato plants popping up! I guess that shows how warm it has been. These plants are from tomato's that got dug in or had been missed when clearing them. I have gathered some up but of course as soon as soon as there is a frost they will be done for. Looking back over the last week I have not seemed to have done much. Some weeding and forking and I have picked and cleared the last of the Gigante runner beans and laid them out in my porch to dry. In the poly tunnel I have removed the last of the African marigolds and forked and manured the ground. I have sown in the poly tunnel coriander, petit pois and some radish. My Christmas potatoes continue to grow well and I need to watch out for the possibility of frost. Peppers and lettuce are still being picked/pulled!
   There is still plenty of clearing up to do and of course there is the regular tasks of clearing out the chicken and turkey/geese coops. I am considering planting some broad beans but they are not the most popular of vegetable with the family. If I do I will not sow the field beans again as a crop to eat. They had shown promise and in the end were a disappointment. Back to an old favourite Aquadulce. I have done some research on field beans and they can be used as a green manure. So, I have a use for the seed I have!

Justynka pumpkin

 Walthham butternut squash

Indian Summer

   The last week or so has seen what I guess would be called an Indian summer. The mornings have been cool and most of the day sunny and warm with the odd day of rain. Grand growing weather and good working out in the garden weather. Only problem is life gets in the way!
    In the poly tunnel my Christmas potatoes have shown their heads! Will this year be the year of the Christmas potato? Sweet peppers continue to ripen as do the chillies. The few lettuce are growing well as is the latest batch of salad bowl lettuce. It has not been a good year for drying herbs in the poly tunnel, too damp. 

Water Melons

   In the vegetable garden water melon have been harvested and eaten! Yum! Carrots are being pulled and there is a marked reluctance to eat anymore aubergine! Beetroot are also being pulled. The first picking of  the Asturian tree cabbage has been made. Not a bad taste, very much like "spring greens" but not so strong tasting.  My daughter said it took ages to cook. The grass continues to need mowing and I am starting to look at the apple trees with a view to cutting out dead wood. Bulbs are on my mind but the area I need to plant them in is going to need some work first.
    The chickens continue to be a menace despite whatever I do to keep them off the plots. Latest casualty has been my fennel and the row of carrots along side them. Would not have thought chickens would like fennel. My garlic bed has been gone over a couple of times now.
   I am trying an experiment with Louvier cabbage seed. I have sown individual seeds and put plastic bottles over them. This is to aid germination and also to keep those feather menaces from eating the seedlings. The idea is to get the plants to a size whereby they will stand the winter and come next spring produce a spring crop of cabbage. Worth a try. The turnips, swede and winter cabbage are now picking up from the chicken strikes. I have covered them with netting. Fingers crossed I may get a turnip or two but I am doubtful about the swede. The cabbages will do something whatever. They are big enough now to stand the winter.

Will it? Will it not?

   Rain that is? As I sit typing this the clouds are rolling in, dark, black and forbidding! Looks like a storm is about to hit. Time will tell. I need it to rain as my water butts are now all but empty. If it does not rain I will have to get out the hose and pump water from the well!
   I guess the weather got to me. It took me far too long to weed and fork over one my vegetable beds. Yes, it is probably the biggest one in area but even so it is not hard digging. I guess I should put it down to the nice very warm sunny days and the desire once it did get warm to stop and enjoy! Ha!. Still, done now.
   The chickens continue to play havoc. I have now covered up my winter cabbage, Kohl Rabi , swede and turnips in an effort to allow them to grow a little. Of course, I made the mistake of leaving my lettuce bed exposed and yes you guessed it the chickens moved in before you could say "Jack Robinson". Oh well, I have to think that the eggs will be rich in Omega 3 and it is just another way of cycling the lettuce. Ummph! Bl**dy chickens! The fennel row is looking good. Thinned it out and hand weeded around the plants. Should be a good crop. Chickens do not seem to like fennel. Famous last words. Autumn carrots look good but you know who have taken an interest in the tops. I have for the third time resowed spinach. This time I have put cloches over them! Lots of weeding and forking done. The summer "yellow" leeks are ready to harvest. First try of the "pop" corn. Not good. Think I will leave some to dry and then try it.  Cooler weather means more work completed! Lol! 
   In the poly tunnel nothing new has happened. The basil is coming to the end of its usefulness and will soon be removed or allowed to go to seed. Sweet peppers and the chilli's are still looking good and are producing more flowers. I guess they will carry on until it gets too cold. 
   Oh, it did rain. One butt filled.

   

Weeding and forking the small triangle bed

   

   

Do not say it...

   The weather has continued to be very warm with cool mornings. Trouble is with this type of weather I want to enjoy it but there is work to do!
   Despite the fact that the melons seemed to have died off too soon and did not appear to be ripe I managed to get a reasonable number to finish ripening in my porch. So all in all a decent amount of melon was had.
   The first buttercup squash has been eaten. Very nice too. I would recommend this variety as a very worthwhile alternative to butternut squash. The texture of the squash after cooking is very much like a sweet potato as is its taste. My daughter, Sophie, I know is going to enjoy experimenting with this squash.
   So, what has been going on in and around the garden. Lots of forking, weeding and grass cutting. The local wood provider has delivered a load of wood and that has now been stacked in the hanger ready for the cold weather which is sure to arrive sooner rather than later. With this sunny warm weather I have been gathering the Gigante runner beans and Bollotti beans as they have ripened and getting them dried off. There is quite a reasonable crop. The aubergine crop continues to be good and I still picking some haricot vert and pulling carrots. The sweet peppers California Wonder and orange Mini Belle in the poly tunnel are still growing and producing as are the chillies. Once more I am trying for Christmas potatoes but I think I have planted them a little late. Oh yes. The garlic has been planted. With hindsight I looked back at my last years log and I have planted the garlic about a month early. Instinct kicking in? Umm. As a matter of interest as I was clearing and forking over last seasons garlic plot I came across some that I had not dug up. The bulbs has good root growth and good leaf growth. Umm. Sign of a hard winter?

Buttercup Squash

Buttercup Squash

A little late but welcome all the same

   Over the last week the weather has taken a turn for the better. The mornings have been cool and the air crisp. The days have been sunny and very warm. Excellent weather for working in the garden and by George there is lots to do! You can tell autumn is upon us here in Champeau as the grapes are ripening. Who gets to them first? Me or the birds?

   It is about time to plant garlic. After last seasons excellent crop I will take bulbs from my own home grown garlic. Just need to make up my mind where I will plant them.
   Once again there is a need to clear out the weeds from the strawberry beds. The Mara des Bois plants have loads of flowers on them and hopefully, slugs, chickens, mould etc. permitting there should be a reasonable autumn crop.

Mare des Bois strawberries September 2014

   I have completed my digging up of my wonderful crop of potatoes. This warm sunny weather has been perfect for this task. I have also dug up some of the "volunteer" Violet potatoes and there is a lot more of these to find yet! So, Belle de Fontenay, Rosebelle, Desiree and Franceline all produced well. I do like the Belle de Fonenay and the Franceline varieties. Aubergines, variety De Barbentane, are producing a very worthwhile crop. The fennel I sowed is up and growing madly.  I have sown some turnips, variety Nancy a Feuille. The swede plants are growing away and the winter cabbage is well established and also growing well. The outside cucumber, La Diva, has now gone over. It has been another good year for this variety. This year has been an excellent one for squash. My buttercup and butternut varieties have produce well and again with this warm weather they are ripening perfectly.
   With the drier weather I have been able to "bush whack" a paddock that has been needing cutting for some time. Good job done! The grass is definitely slowing down as is the weed growth. About time!

Butternut squash

Buttercup squash

   

   Well I spoke to soon about the melons. Once more a fungal disease had destroyed a crop. My Troubadour melons have been wiped out. There are unripe melons but the plants themselves have died. I still have some of this variety in my "tomb" which are still thriving and I am hopeful that the melons they have will ripen. I have cut one Prescott Musk melon as it was beginning to rot. It was virtually ripe and what there was tasted really nice. Strange melon this one. Water melons continue to swell. Fingers crossed!

Troubadour melons destroyed by fungus

   The poly tunnel cucumbers have now finished. A reasonable crop was gained. The outdoor cucumber, La Diva, continue to produce some fruit and I am hopeful that they will continue for a little while yet. 
   On the runner bean front the variety Gigante has produced a good crop and I am hopeful for a decent amount of beans for drying. The Scarlet Emperor runners are now in full bloom and producing increasing amounts of lovely beans. The bees really love them.

Wind affected runner beans

   I have now removed side shoots from the pumpkins,  melons ans squashes in the hope that the remaining time they have to grow they will concentrate on making the pumpkins etc larger rather than producing leaves. One variety of pumpkin is already showing signs that it  has done its bit and one of the squashes is also had enough. So autumn is coming and there is going to be pumpkins for Halloween!
   

Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes...

   The days just fly by. Another week gone by. Over the previous week or so the harvest has started to be gathered at an increasing pace. Runner beans, potatoes, haricot vert, sweet corn, sweet peppers, aubergines, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and onions are being picked, dug and pulled! 
   Looks like I am going to get some melons. They are ripening now and should be good to eat in a few days should the weather stay warm or get hotter. The forecast is good so fingers crossed!
   Main crop potatoes Desiree and salad potatoes Franceline have been dug up and put into storage. Ha! Storage my foot. They will be eaten pretty quickly I think! I still have some Rosabelle potatoes in the ground and they will be dug up as soon as I can get to them. winter cabbage and swede are the priority at this time.
   The pumpkins and squash are looking very good. Looks like it is going to be a bumper year. The pumpkins are swelling and I think there will be a few really big ones. This has been one advantage of the wet weather there has been over last winter and this spring and summer. Of course the grass grows and the weeds too. Never stop. Looks as if there maybe a second autumn flush of strawberries. I guess when you have a variety that is half wild strawberry you are likely to get some in the autumn. So, another job! Clear the strawberry patch of weeds. Man, it never ends.
    I have been busy in the kitchen too. From the few tomatoes that I managed to rescue I have made jars of passata. It is a pitiful amount considering that the tomato crop had so much promise.

Buttercup Squash

Hundredweight pumpkin

Butternut squash

Good grief! Has it been that long?

   Guess it has. Last entry publish on the 19th July. Now it is the 12th August, three weeks later! OK, my excuse is that we have had friends to stay and I have not had access to my PC which is my preferred instrument of writing my blog on. Anyway, lots to tell.
   On the sheep front sad news. Our old ram, Blackie, had to to been put down after suffering from blow fly strike. Not nice. The sheep are fed some feed every day and one day he was fine at feeding time the next he was pretty much a goner. To be fair he was old and we believe in not very good condition and we were expecting the worst at any time. Flies got to him first.
   In the outside veggie garden the blight won. Lost most of my very promising tomato crop. 

Blighted tomatoes

Such is the joys of gardening. You win some, you loose some. This one I lost, damn it! Other vegetables have been doing well. The haricot vert have come into production and has been very productive. I have been giving them away to the neighbours! For reasons unknown I have been having issues getting seed to germinate. I have had to replant lettuce, swede, beetroot and spinach and in some cases three or four times. Time to throw out older seed methinks! Potatoes have been very good this year and I have been digging up Belle de Fontenay, Rosebelle and Franceline by the kilo!
  We have slaughtered our crop of meat chickens, twelve in all. One we believe got damaged somewhere along the production line and discretion being the better part of valour it was thrown away! Rynsburger yellow onions and the Red Baron red onions have been a disappointing crop. Last years Rynsburger onions were very good. This year they are small. I have also concluded that one just has to accept that red onion sets do not produce a great crop and one should be happy with what one gets. As always the grass is growing and growing and growing and I play catch up mowing it. The weather has been on the damp/wet side with the odd nice day. Good for the garden except the tomatoes!
   In the poly tunnel the tomatoes have suffered from blight but the blight has developed more slowly allowing the tomatoes to ripen. There has been a reasonable crop of grape tomatoes, at least enough to satisfy demand. I have cut lot of Wautoma cucumbers but they are now coming to and end. Just in time the outside La Diva cucumbers are swelling up.  The chili looks good and the sweet peppers are turning orange! Yeah! 
   The squash is doing well. There are lots of squash set - buttercup, butternut. The pumpkins are also doing well, however, my bush courgettes are not as great as I would have liked but they are producing enough to satisfy our needs so I guess I must not complain. Melons has beginning to set. Fingers crossed that there is enough time for the water melon to mature.
   Planting for the winter is well under way. Spinach, parsnips, leeks, beetroot, swede and sprouts all up and growing well. I need to get my Christmas potatoes in!

   So who is going to win? Tomato's or blight! The tomato's in the poly tunnel are ripening and I have started to pick some, however, blight has also set in. It would seem once you have blight you are likely to always get it so the race is now on between the tomatoes getting ripe and the blight killing the plant. So far the tomatoes are winning.

Gardeners Delight (Irish) tomatoes

   In the outside garden I have dug up the shallots. The leaves were badly affected by a beetle and I have not got as big a crop as I would have expected. Mind you I do not think the soil in this particular plot was very good for shallots. The asparagus bed which is now being allowed to grow away has been weeded. More Belle de Fontenay potatoes have been dug and I am coming towards the end of the plot. So it will be onto the Franceline or Rosebelle next. Still a few Belle de Fontenay squirrelled away in a couple of small areas. First picking of haricot vert (french dwarf beans) has been made. The grass mowing continues unabated with this task currently being a weekly chore. Of course once the grass has been mown the edges usually need to be cut as well! 
   Plants in the poly tunnel are growing well. The tomatoes despite the onset of blight are producing ripe produce. Happens I planted mostly grape varieties in the poly tunnel this year. Wautoma cucumbers are now in abundance and over the next week or two I think we will be sick of cucumbers. There is a melon in the poly tunnel!  Lots of sweet peppers setting along with a couple of chilli peppers.

Melon in the poly tunnel

First sun, then rain, then sun, then....

2014 Violet Garlic crop

   Then the grass grows. The weeds grow. So off we go onto, so it seems, the never ending roundabout of cutting grass, weeding beds and generally wondering how the dickens does everything grow so fast! 
   This years garlic is looking good. I need to get it dried out and then stored away for the winter. Not so happy with my shallots which I grew from my crop I grew last year. I think it is more to do with the soil condition of the bed that they are in but they have not done as well as I would have liked. Mind you, I could say that about most of the onions this year. A row of carrots has been thinned and I am now thinking of what to sow for the winter! The pea crop is all but over and I am toying with sowing more. I took a look at last years pea sowing time and I did not sow my Champion of England peas until mid July and here we are this year with them just about finished. The vine growing up and along the back side of the barn has been pruned for the second time and I daresay not the last.
   On the animal side we have lost a ram lamb to an unknown cause and our lovely Cuckoo de Renne chicken took it upon herself to die. Probably some sort of respiratory disease but she was just starting to lay some wonderful eggs! One was 93g, about twice the size of then "normal" hen egg. A number of our "meat" hens need to be culled as they are getting rather large. The geese and turkeys are doing just fine.
    So, its on with the weeding, the grass cutting, drying and getting seeds sown for the winter in the mean time dodging the rain! Bring back the sun. No don't, everything will grow again.

   I have been away for a couple of weeks. The garden on my return has required some urgent attention! Mowing the grass was a priority.
   The first potatoes were dug up on the 12th June, variety Belle de Fontenay. If these few plants I dug up are an example of what is to come then the this crop should be very good. The field beans (broad beans to you and me) showed a lot of promise. In the end although not disappointing the crop was not as large as I hoped and the beans were small. I do not mind small broad beans but it was not what I was expecting. In place of the field beans Burgess buttercup squash has been planted. Buttercup squash is supposed to be the creme da la creme of squash. We will see. Three water melon plants (Sugar Baby) have been transplanted and so now the chore of watering twice a day or more begins! If all the varieties of  melons do something I should be in for a decent crop. Those are "famous last words". I continue to try to collect my own seed and I have gathered some Kohl Rabi seed. My parsnips have not produced any worthwhile seed! Oskar peas that were left over have also been gathered for seed and are drying along with the Latvian soup peas in my porch. I am hopeful of some cabbage seed but aphids are taking their toil. I have picked strawberries, a reasonable amount but only one lot! A little disappointing but this was from a bed of plants that were planted a year ago so I am hopeful with my new bed planted out this year that next year will be a better crop.
   Harvest had begun in earnest. Belle de Fontenay and Rosebelle potatoes have been dug, lettuce and cabbage cut, peas picked. 
   In the poly tunnel the "long" radish were a complete failure so more ordinary radish have been sown - Pernot Claire and De 18 Jours race Velox both of which I have grown before successfully (oh, there are those famous last words again).
 

Geese and Turkeys

 It looks like the chickens are finally coming into lay with a regular five eggs a day being laid. Our two "Rouge" hens are now laying nice chocolate coloured eggs.  On June 30th the total number of eggs laid since January 1st was 1000!  About time too! 

Here one day gone the next

   In my last blog I said I had started to pick the cherries. Well, I picked them and we ate them and now they are gone, all within ten days! Damaged cherries, even slightly bruised ones, will go bad very quickly so its eat eat eat while they are still good. The chickens enjoyed eating the ones that I threw down while up the tree.

Second picking of cherries

   In the outside garden all is grow grow grow. The weather has been good with some hot sunny days. The ground is still quite damp an inch or so down so warm damp soil, hot sunny days equals lots of growth. I have transplanted red cabbage having managed to find a space in the cabbage plot. The tomatoes required side shoots being removed and tying up. More tomatoes are setting. Oskar peas are now being picked. There is still lots of cabbage! Last week I said that the haricots were not looking very promising but I am pleased to say that more have germinated and now look a reasonable number of plants.
Melon beds have been prepared and the main melon bed planted with Petit Gris De Renne. The potatoes are in flower which must mean they are all but ready to start digging up. 
   A really big job done this week was to wash the outside of the poly tunnel. With the farmers churning up the soil and there being a lot of pollen the outside was getting very dirty. Took most of a very hot day to do and I renewed my tan! Within the poly tunnel I have transplanted Prescott Round Blanc melon as an experiment to see how melons do in the poly tunnel. Lemon and Mammoth basil has been also transplanted. I have made up a real Heath Robinson affair to support the Wautoma cucumbers. 
  My white sage cuttings were unsuccessful and I suspect that the poly tunnel was too hot. I have take a couple more cuttings and I will try to get them to take by having them on a window sill in the house.
   This years turkey's and geese have arrived and are settling in.

Running to keep up!!!

   Another week has flown by! The cherries are now ripe and I have started to pick them. Summer leeks have been transplanted to an outside bed as have pumpkins, buttercup and butternut squash and bush courgettes. Failed Gigante runner beans have been replaced with Scarlet Emperor "normal" runner beans, so I have half a row of each! Maybe I am was a bit early but the haricots have not germinated well. I also maybe being a little impatient!
   In the poly tunnel Wautoma cucumbers have been transplanted along with Sweet Genovese and Lemon basil. My over winter peas in the poly tunnel are now at an end. I have managed to gather some seed so I will be trying again this autumn.
  The herbs are in full cry with some flowering and others not far behind - Blue Sage, Golden Oregano, Common Thyme, Chives, Bolls mint, Marjoram, Moss Curled parsley, Coriander, Black mint and Rosemary. I have been taking cuttings to dry and made my fist lot of mixed dried herbs (golden oregano, curly parsley, marjoram). 

Roma Tomato

   The tomatoes have taken me by surprise. There are already many set and the one in the picture is the biggest I have spotted so far. This plant is outside! In the poly tunnel there is plenty of growth and good numbers of set tomatoes but nothing as big as this one.
   The Rosebelle potatoes are in flower and are on course to start to be harvested by the end of June. Oskar peas are well set and are starting to swell. The Latvian soup peas have finally flowered well and are also showing signs of pods. The Champion of England peas are at last starting to grow vigorously. On request from the family I quickly got hold of some sugar snap pea seed from the UK and sowed them. They germinated within five days! I have started to cut summer cabbage, variety Louvier and Golden Acre Primo.  Least this year I have cabbage! Seems that the plot I used last year was really lacking in what cabbages need. Fingers crossed, my Brussels sprouts are well established and look good. Long way between cup and lip!
   Grass cutting continues and unfortunately I have once again managed to break the mowing machines. Luckily I had managed to complete the mowing before they gave out. 
   Lots and lots to do, not enough time to do it but hey ho what gets done gets done and what does not get done does not get done!
  

Spring rain and shearing sheep...

   It is that time of year again. Time to grab a sheep and go at it with the shearers! I have bought some electric ones to speed up the process. We managed to get four done before the weather turned against us. Electric shearers are the way to go!

   The rats in the chicken coop were just becoming too much so something needed to be done. Over a week or two I have managed to eliminate them but it took three boxes of poison blocks, two types of poison. Makes one wonder if there is some resistant in the local rodent population.

   Anyway to more happier things! The asparagus season is coming to an end and I have to admit the crop has not been as large as I would have hoped. Still, just having some is nice. Sun flowers, sweet corn, popping corn and a second row of Champion of England peas have been sown in the garden. The corn was up within a week. Most of the tomatoes are now well 

Latvian soup pea

established and I have started to remove side shoots. I had to buy another hundred and eleven metal tomato poles! Could be a glut of tomatoes. The cabbage and sprouts are looking good and fingers crossed, maybe, hopefully I will get some decent sprouts this year! The beetroot grown in modules is now well established as is a good row of carrots. There are lots of pea pods on the Oskar peas so hopefully soon I will be picking outside peas. The potatoes just look grand. I do enjoy the foliage of the potatoes each variety a different shade of green.

   In the poly tunnel cucumber, melon (musk, water and troubadour) and pumpkin have been sown and have germinated! First lot of purple spouting have been sown and I am having a go a growing calabrese but from what I read they are not an easy plant to grown by any means. 

   Out of a packet of white sage seeds I managed to get one to grow and establish itself. I have been waiting for the plant to produce enough shoots for me to take cuttings. I have now taken six cutting and fingers crossed I may get a couple more plants.

   Of course, the grass is growing and I managed once more to break the handle of my petrol mower. As it happens we have acquired a low cutting bush whacker so the grass will still be cut.

   After a period of really nice weather, sun and very warm, it has turned cool and it has been raining. If I am honest as a gardener the rain came just at the right time. The ground was getting dry and newly transplanted crops and seeds need some moisture to help get them established and growing. Must not grumble!

Haricot and sweet corn

Runner bean poles

   My rustic, mostly hazel, runner bean poles! I have sown a Greek variety of runner bean from the Real Seed Company called Greek Gigante. You eat the beans rather than the pods and beans. The beans can also be dried for storage. The first strawberries have been picked - three! One each for the grand kids! Behind the poles is a bed of Rosebelle potatoes with Franceline potatoes in the distance.

Now the threat of frost is fast rescinding I have sown haricot  - Cupion (yellow), and Borlotti. Cupion is one of those haricots that you can eat young. You steam the beans when small but also you can eat them as they develop and even leave them to store the seeds. The last of my tomato plants, Stupice, Champeau Giant yellow, Latah , Galina and Ethel Watkins Best have been transplanted to outside beds and I have removed the fleece from those already out. There is a lot of tomato's in my garden this year! Sweet corn and pop corn (yes pop corn!) have been sown with fleece over the soil to stop the chickens from scratching them up! Last year I grew most of my sweet corn in modules and some directly in the ground. In the end there was not a lot of difference between the methods. Least growing them inside the poly tunnel I know I will  get a good germination. Heck, I am running out of room to sown stuff! Of course, I am mowing the grass, oh too frequently. It will not be long and it will slow down (fingers crossed!). My summer cabbage, Louvier, and Golden Primo are looking good. The potatoes are a picture.

Bed of Belle Fontenay Potatoes

  In the poly tunnel and tomb lettuce predominates along with some nicely establish tomato plants. Wautoma cucumbers have germinated and I am expecting the courgettes and melons to follow. The weather is helping by being in the 20's (centigrade) for a few days.

Good grief! Two weeks has gone by.

   Well, I do not know! The time has flown away again and two weeks has passed since I posted anything. Apologies about that!

Rhode Island red, Cuckoo Renne and a Limousin

    Lots and lots has been going on. In the chicken world three new birds have joined the egg laying flock. Thirteen (should have been twelve (it would seem the french cannot count!) hens have arrived which will be grown on for our consumption. There has been a bout of chicken conjunctivitis with one hen having a bad time. Treatment with human eye drops has sorted them out and all are recovering. 
   In the garden I have taken a gamble and I have planted out under fleece a large number of Roma and Ethel Watkins Best tomatoes. Two reasons. Firstly the spring has been unusually mild with very few hard frosts and a calculated risk (oh boy that brings back memories of work!) was called for. Secondly again due to the mild spring the plants have grown well and needed to be transplanted! Two rows of Sangine beetroot grown in modules and more Evesham Special Brussels sprouts have been transplanted. A row of Lisbon spring onions has been sown. We are going to look like onions this year! The field beans are now over six feet high! Crazy! The scent from the flowers is really nice. Of course, grass mowing is now a regular chore. The asparagus has been good although not as heavy cropping as I would have liked, however, we are only about one third of the way into the season so hopefully it will improve. The last of the winter leeks been dug up with some going to seed. Time to prepare the runner bean trench and set up the poles. I have a Greek variety this year to grow. Instead of eating the pods you leave the pods to dry on the plant and you store the beans. 
    In the poly tunnel lettuce is being harvested (Little Gem and Salad Bowl) along with radishes (French Breakfast and Pernot Clair). Another row of radish, this time, Candela di fuoco, a long rooted variety. Tomatoes have been transplanted, Gardeners Delight, Dr. Wytches tomiltillo, Millefleur and Galina and are now well settled in. This year I have concentrated on growing grape varieties in the poly tunnel. 
   Round two has now been entered with squash, pumpkin, melon, cucumber and courgette being sowed in pots. 

Excavation in progress!

  I decided that I was fed up of walking on a slope when looking at my strawberries, which by the way, are doing just fine. So I embarked on a task to level out the paths. The two photograph's are of the top path. The lower path had to be cut through yellow/orange clay! 
  Phew! Well the above is most of the things I have been up to in the last couple of weeks but I am sure I have missed out something. I will try to be a little less tardy with my posting!
  

A more level path!

   

Round 1 ends?

   Over the last week the weather had turned from warm and sunny to wet and windy. The  ground once again is saturated so guess what? Yes, the  grass is growing fast! The difference is the ambient temperature. Night time temperatures are well above freezing and there has not been a frost for a while now. I fear I am going to get to eat those words. Frost can be expected in my area up to the middle of May. With the mild winter and early spring this year I have taken a chance and I have a lot of produce outside of the poly tunnel in the ground growing well. The long range weather forecast is for the mild weather to continue. Two weeks to go!
   I have transplanted Evesham Special Brussels Sprouts to a well prepared outside bed. I am determined this year to grow some decent sprouts and I have made an effort to use the best brassica growing patch in the garden. These two beds have produced very good cabbage in the past. So, forked, weeded, limed, compacted, planted and covered over to protect them from the chickens the first lot of sprouts and summer cabbage has been planted out and are well established. The next lot of sprouts are about ready to go out. Also I am again trying to grow Asturian tree cabbage and I have planted out  a number of plants. The Champion of England peas mostly gathered from last years sowing have germinated and are under way. Oskar "so called dwarf" peas are well established but no flowers yet. Sanquire beetroot,  grown in modules, have been transplanted and the wet weather has helped to establish them. Nantes 4 carrot have germinated and I am counting the days down to sowing the next row. Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes. I have a lot of potatoes in this year and they too area showing their heads. So far I have kept them covered up but they are beginning to get too big so will soon have to take their chances. Early sown lettuce has been a great success in the poly tunnel and the tomb (French glass house type cover for graves) and a succession sowing has been made. My Tender and True and Guernsey parsnips are well established and I have thinned the rows. Again the recent rain is helping. The field beans are now over five feet tall and full of flowers and buzzy bees. I am hopeful for a large crop. The rain has also helped my onion seedlings to establish themselves just as I was getting concerned about them needing to be watered. I am cutting asparagus regularly although not in large quantities. I have transplanted some 147 tomato plants to outside the poly tunnel beds (Roma and Ethel Watkins Best) and my fingers are crossed. End of round 1?
 In the poly tunnel more space is coming free as the spring cabbage is eaten and lettuce is consumed. I  have tomatoes to plant out in the poly tunnel and they will be cherry types. Several varieties of basil have germinated and I have foiled a slug attack!
   Round 2 will be the sowing of the more tender plants (melons, cucumber, squash, courgettes and pumpkins).
   I could not resist it and I have dug another bed. This time a round one at the top of two rectangle beds. This new bed will be planted with vegetables. Well, at least this year.

   In the chicken world we have purchased some more hens - a Cuckoo de Renne, Rhode Island Red and a replacement Limousin. This brings are laying hen total to thirteen which is as many as we can really have in our chicken shed. Also purchased some hens for eating.The sheep have now finished lambing and we have five healthy lambs, three ewes and two rams. Next job with them will be to use the new electric shears!

Over winter veg, lambs and goose!

   We are now into the second half of April. I have been very pleased with the vegetables that I have been able to grow over the winter, particularly in the poly tunnel. The mild weather helps, mind you! My "Christmas" potatoes turned into Easter potatoes but still an early crop. 

Easter Sunday dinner.

I managed to grow peas, leeks and spring cabbage along with the spuds in the poly tunnel to have with our home raised goose for Easter Sunday dinner. 
  The potatoes that were planted just over a week ago are putting their heads up. I am going around covering them up as fast as they are showing.
  I have been taking cuttings of marjoram, parsley and blue sage to hang up in the poly tunnel to dry with the idea of making mixed herbs. A sowing of Champion of England peas (they grow to over six feet tall!) has been made and they are now showing. The Oskar dwarf and Latvian soup peas are standing well and should soon show flowers. The asparagus is growing well and I have cut a number of spurs with more to come. General maintenance continues with edge tidying and getting ready to sow runner beans. This year I am going for a Greek variety that are good for drying. 
   In the poly tunnel tomato plants are in abundance and I fear I am going to have to plant some out under fleece before too long. Mid May is the last frost day here in La Creuse but I think I will have to take the chance. I have been putting off sowing cucumbers, pumpkins, melons and the like until the end of April. I may chance my arm on a cucumber though! Ha!
   The fifth and final lamb has been born. The ewe needed a bit of help with the birth. My daughter and I were sheep mid-wives! We have lost one of our new Limousin chickens. She disappeared one day so we have bought three more chickens. Two will lay chocolate brown eggs and the third is a Sussex. They are young birds and are not laying yet so our egg count is low at the moment.    

Number five lamb, a ram