Mow, mow, mow the grass....

   Ok, maybe I am a little obsessed with the grass. It seems to me that this year it is growing faster than before. Seems to me that every other day I am mowing the  grass! I am sure it is not true but certainly I am mowing every 5 to 7 days. Madness. The weather continues to be kind with cool sunny days and the odd hot one! Excellent for working outdoors and of course consuming the odd bottle of cold beer and glass of wine.

Asparagus in the outside bed

It looks like it is going to be a good year for the asparagus. In the outside bed and in the poly tunnel the asparagus is growing well. This is the first year where I have had asparagus growing inside and outside at the same time.

Thinning salad endive

   In the poly tunnel as one would expect with the warmer weather everything is putting on growth. The red salad bowl and salad endive is being picked with consumption just about keeping up with growth. I am continuing to sow small amounts of 18 Jour race Velox radish and so far my succession planing is working well. Famous last words there I fear. Basil (good chap Basil!) (lemon, Mammoth lettuce leaf, sweet Genoese) has been sown along with some flowers - African marigolds and nicotiana. African marigolds are good companions for the tomatoes in that they keep aphids away and attract pollinating insects. I have now transplanted cabbage (Precoce de Louvier) and aubergine (Barbentine and Harflinge Violette) to pots. The peas in the poly tunnel are proving to be a disappointment this year. Lots of growth, no flowers! The tomatoes in pots are now well established and starting to grown on and as always I have more plants to transplant than I know what to do with! So far over 140 tomato plants in pots.
   In the outside garden more lettuce has been put under cloches. Panic is starting to set in as I need more of the beds to be ready to sow/transplant in over the next couple of weeks. A number of the tree onions have gone to seed. That is annoying. Shallots and onions are growing well. They like the damp soil I am sure. Garlic looks good, parsnips I fear are going to be a failure this year.
   On the sheep front all our ewes have now lambed. We have six lambs, five rams and one ewe. That is disappointing as we will not be able to retain the rams. Some will have to eventually go to new homes.