Those little ********

    It was a good start to the week. Another of our ewes had twins, both ewe lambs. That is two of our ewes that have had twins this year.  Only two ram lambs has been born which hopefully means we can more easily sell on the ewe lambs in the autumn. 

   As for the "little ********?" That is the chickens. They have been creating havoc among my potatoes and transplanted tomatoes. If it is one thing a chicken seems to like and that is a mound of loose earth to scratch over or young green leaves. They are very  good at reducing a heap of dirt to a very level piece of ground. It is quite impressive really.

   In the poly tunnel I have tomato's in flower and there two varieties of lettuce, beetroot and three varieties of tomato growing away. I am pulling little gem lettuce along with radish. There are many seeds in modules and pots that have germinated. There are several varieties of cucumber that have now reached the two or three leaf stage. Cauliflower, more lettuce, peppers, squash and all sorts either sown or germinated. I have now transplanted to pots one of the more unusual tomato plants, Noire Crimee (Black Crimea).

   In the outside garden the sugar snap peas are going well and to my delight the chickens have stayed away! With the first row now up and established I have sown another along side. I have also put up some wire fencing to act as a support for the growing peas. Most of the transplanted beetroot has survived a warm spell and has also survived the attentions of my feathered friends. The haricot vert I sowed has mostly germinated but some seedlings have been munched probably by slugs so I have resown in the gaps. I have sown sweet corn, a variety called "Zea May Maize". I just happened to pick it up from my local agricultural dealer when I was getting some wheat for the animals. When I looked it up I was surprised to find that it is the most grown variety in the world! More tomato plants have been transplanted to the outside bed this time Millefleur and Galina. I have sown Gigante runner beans this time directly into the ground rather than starting them off in pots in the poly tunnel. It will be interesting to see the results as long as I can keep the chickens off! Of course there has been the usual grass cutting, weeding and forking which never ends. The asparagus continues to go from strength to strength with more spurs being cut.
  So it is all go and will be for the next couple of weeks no doubt.