BLANK...

   Umm. Well, the garden has taken a back seat this last week or more. Pulled a few carrots and swedes, dug up a few leeks but other than that, nowt done! Yes it has rained and boy did it rain the one day! My neighbour was out and about unblocking the culverts. Other days have been damp and miserable but some have been mild enough to go do some work but did I? No. Shame on me! I did today (19/12/17) clear some brambles and leaves etc to allow me better access with the wheelbarrow to feed the sheep.
  I am now having to feed the rams hay. I had to get our local farmer to drop me off a huge bail of hay. As it happens he owed me for damaging my fence back in the autumn so he let me have the bail gratis and said there was another if I wanted it. He is a very kind and generous person. We have lost another chicken. No idea why. It just gave up and went into a corner and died. Guess it was its  time. Hopefully there is not anything infecting the birds. The rest look fine at the moment. Egg production is pathetic. They do not like the short days. One chicken is in moult and she looks a site.
   Hopefully it will stay mild and I will have the will to go out and do some work, however, Christmas is around the corner and I have baking to do! Lol! 
   Next blog entry will probably be in the New Year rather than next week

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL.

Buff Orpington hen avoiding Mr. Ixworth

Forthsythia bud starting to burst

Snow?

   What can I say? The week has gone by and to me it seems I have done in the garden. It has been wet and the odd morning of frost but really the weather should not have stopped me getting on with stuff! We even had a sprinkling of snow. There were a so some late migrating Gru (Common Crane) that flew over. Guess the wind has been in the wrong direction for them. Mind you short days do not help in the slightest! Hey ho. The branches of the pine tree have now been cleared and a bonfire is waiting to be lit. Needs to be dry though. I continue to pull carrots and swede, cut cabbage and dig up leeks. Much to my surprise the peas I sowed which are now about two/three inches high are surviving the frosts. Goodness knows if they will get through the winter. There has been more going on on the animal front than the garden front.
   One of the hens has died, the only Rhode Island red. No obvious reason. I am now having to feed the rams hay as they have managed to eat down the grass. I need to  get rid of some of them.
   Christmas is just around the corner and we will have Champeau veg with our turkey crown without doubt. Sprouts, parsnip, potatoes all home grown.
   I have now started to think about next years seed sowing. The online catalogues of both my favourite seed merchants are now available so I need to put some serious thought into what I may plant and sow next year.

First snow of winter

Almost full stop

  Another week has flown by and now December is knocking on the door. Once more the general garden has taken a back seat. Mind you the weather has not been favourable for a couple of days but hey the weather can always be an excuse. Talking of which the forecast is for colder and wet weather here in la Creuse over the next week. Might even snow.

Ginger Plant

The picture of the ginger is of one of my little experiments. It is a ginger plant grown from a bit of organic ginger. It has been in the pot since last February! I have now transplanted it as it has a good root system but not a lot of ginger! Maybe in a  years time? 
  I continue to clear the pine tree I had cut down. I have now had a nice bonfire and I would  guess I am about half way through. I continue to pull carrots, swede, leeks, parsnips and pick spouts. I have a very 

Amusing escapade.

good crop of carrots this year even better than last year which was also a good crop. That is about it as far as gardening goes for this week. Plenty to do but somehow time defeats me. The picture of the chickens amused me. The Buff Orpington is on the coop roof having run and flown away from the cockerel (in the foreground).
  All the other animals are fine. The chickens seem to be starting to lay again but only one or two a day so far.

Oh dear. Oh dear.

   Another two weeks has gone by. They have been eventful but not from a gardening point of view. My youngest daughter got married so I was back in the UK for almost one week and the weather has been wet and miserable.
   I mowed grass, cleaned out the fowl (ducks and chickens) coops and moved a bit more of the cut down fir tree to the bonfire site. I have now taken the netting off the sprouts and I have picked the first lot. These are the first sprouts that I have been able to grow successfully in France. Pulled some carrots and dug up some leeks. Shifted a few weeds. There is plenty to do in the garden. Just have to do it! Still lots of vegetables. Sprouts, cabbage (two types), leeks, beetroot and swede. Oh, lots of weeds. With November moving along the air temperature has got several degrees cooler. That means the grass is giving up growing! For now anyway.
   I made butternut squash soup today. First time. It was quite nice. 
   On the animal front today the hens honoured me by laying two eggs!!! Looks like they are pretty much done with molting so here is hoping for more eggs. One our rams is getting himself well and truly beat up. His eyes are swollen and he has some cuts. Really all over girls!
   Ok, I am just babbling here so I will close and fingers crossed a more productive week ahead.

FULL STOP!

   So what excuses can I make for not doing much over the last week or so? My youngest daughter was out for a couple of days, the weather (nope!), shopping, short days? Anything else? Cannot think of anything. Must just be lazy.

    What has been done? Well, I mowed grass. I picked pumpkins with the grand children. I pulled some beetroot, cooked and pickled it. I moved Mr Jumper (a ram that has an inclination to jump fences!) well away from the ewes. I cleaned out the duck coop. Mucky critters these ducks. There was a good frost. Finished off the sweet peppers, aubergines and haricot. Cleared some of the pine tree that I had had cut down. There is a lot of it!

    I am having trouble finding a couple of pictures too! Dear oh dear. Must get back into doing stuff. There is plenty to do.
    On the animal front the chickens are still on strike. One egg, every other day! Not good enough I say but they just cluck and wander about. The new hens, the buff Orpingtons, have grown and are now confident enough to come out and wander their pen. They are still weary of Mr. Ixworth, the cockerel. Sheep are being sheep. Ducks are being ducks.
     Here is a picture of the ducks have a snooze and another of the moon rise on the third of November. 

Moon rise 3rd November 2017

Slow down

   What can I say? I just do not know where the last two weeks has gone. Cannot say I have been particularly busy but the short days seem to make time go quicker. So it has been two weeks since the last blog. Apologies for missing a week but looking at the gardening log there has not been much activity in the garden.
   A reasonable number of nice looking butternut and blue squash harvested. The grand children enjoyed picking the pumpkins for Halloween. One nice big one and several small but useful sized ones harvested. Quite pleased with them considering that all I did this year was put seeds directly in the ground instead of starting them off in pots.I have sowed some peas in the poly tunnel. You never know! My nice crop of lettuce had grown to the size of small footballs and have been fed to the chickens. They loved them. There are still some sweet peppers and chili's and I guess they will continue until the first frost. Plenty of beetroot, swede, carrots and spinach! The very last Gardeners Delight (Champeau) were picked and put in the freezer. The garlic planted two weeks ago is up and going well.
  On the animal front all are fine. Herr Jumper ram is being a pest but I have constructed Stalag III and that seems to be containing him for the time being. Plan is to move him out of site of the ewes. The chickens are not laying well and I guess that is partly due to the short days and the fact that they are coming out of their annual molt. 
  I have read that the grass will keep growing until it regularly below six degrees C. Could be mowing grass well into November then! Lots of weeding to do but I sometimes wonder if it is really worth it at this time of year as there is nothing to sow or plant and they will only grow again!
  Below is a picture of the end result of forking ground, sowing, weeding, digging up, drying, peeling and pickling shallots!

Blue squash

Pickled onions

New arrivals

New arrivals pair of Buff Orpingtons

      Starting this week with the animals. New arrivals at Watermeadows. A pair of Buff Orpington hens bought mainly because Mr. Ixworth needed more female company! Another reason was to get some fresh hens in and up the egg count which lately has not been exceptional at all! The sickly lamb looks very much on the mend after her worm dose and we are hopeful that she will fully recover. Ducks are being ducks and it looks like Mrs. Runner has finished laying for this year. 
      In the garden more weeding, more gathering of mini and normal sweet peppers, aubergine, lettuce, chili's, cauliflower and the start of harvesting the squash. I did not know that I had sowed blue squash. I think I must have mixed up some seed somehow. Still, they have done well. The sun has been shinning and for several hours of the day and the weather has been just like summer. Just to remind me that it is not summer there was one morning where there was a frost. A hint of winter? Well, maybe and anyway I bought some garlic bulbs and divided up the bulbs and planted the cloves. I am hoping for a better harvest than this season just about gone. Sprouts! Yes I have sprouts. First time in years whether in the UK or in France. The winter crops are loving the mild weather and are growing well. Cabbage, swede, carrots all going great guns. Here is hoping.

Garlic bed

Weeded squash bed

Chili, aubergines and sweet peppers

Blue squash

Autumn rain and sun rain and sun....

   The weather has been wet and sunny. What does that mean? Yep! Growing grass! But grass that is too wet to mow and the days are shorter so there is less time for it to dry off enough to allow me to mow it. Also it means that the slugs are on the move and no chickens in the garden to keep them under control. Upside? Yep. Winter brassicas, beetroot, leeks and swede are all growing well. Harvesting continues with aubergines, tomatoes, beetroot, spinach, sweet peppers and chili's all being picked, cut and pulled! More chili's for the freezer. The tomatoes are now really coming to an end with some stragglers hanging on and me with fingers crossed that those tomatoes still on the vine will at least start to ripen. If they start I have a good chance of finishing them off in the house. Fortunately there are not many and the weather is looking favourable over the next few days (warm and sun). I also been  collecting tomato seed. So far Noire Crimee and  Andene Corne have been done with Potiron Ecarlate close behind. These are all french heritage varieties that have done well and we have really enjoyed. I still want to gather some Champeau Gardeners Delight that this year have been exceptional. The pumpkin patch continues to develop and there are various sizes of pumpkins from just formed ones to a nice big one turning a lovely orange.

   On the animal front we have now wormed and trimmed all the sheep's feet. We have a sickly lamb which we believe and hope was being affected by a large worm burden. She certainly has picked up since worming. The female duck is still laying the odd egg but all the fowl have been moulting and growing new feathers. So egg production is very low!

   So onward into autumn and early winter we go!

Pumpkin patch

Ripening pumpkin

Three growing pumpkins

The first pumpkin 

More goodies from the land

   Its been a mixed bag of weather over the last week. As I sit here writing this the sun is shinning and it is very warm, however, first thing it was misty and cool. There has been thunder, lightening and every thing from light to heavy rain. A real mixed bag. Autumn colours are now showing. So, what has this meant for the garden?

     Well for a start cutting, picking and pulling of various vegetables. Aubergines, mini sweet peppers, sweet peppers, cauliflower, lettuce, chilies, carrots, beetroot, haricot buerre and yet more tomatoes of various types. The Gardeners Delight have done well and much to my surprise the French heritage varieties have also done well too. Also the last bed of potatoes has been dug up. A very good crop of Desiree red main crop potatoes. Good size.

Digging up potatoes, the last bed!

    Of course my old friend the grass has been growing with the mild wet and warm weather we have had. Out there mowing again and I dare say that there will be a couple more sessions before winter really kicks in. Oh, I forgot to mention. There were two water melons left to pick. The plant has only just decided enough is enough. Home grown water melon at the end of September. Cannot be bad.
   Winter veg is well established. Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, carrots, beetroot, swede, parsnips and spinach all looking good. I have not yet dug up the tree onions. I am thinking that I may leave them over winter. I am concerned about the poly tunnel soil fertility. I need to think about what I am going to do about that.
   I have a pumpkin patch! There are at least six pumpkins ripening up. Quite amusing really to have a pumpkin patch.
   On the animal front the chickens have been moulting like there no tomorrow. Feathers everywhere. The ducks are being ducks and the sheep are being sheep. Noisy and rams starting to eye up the ewes. We need to keep the rams away from the ewes this year. We do not want lambs next year. With that in mind I have put up some barbed wire on on length of fence. Those rams can be jumpers! 
   Here is hoping for continuing mild weather!

Pumpkin

Autumn gathers pace

  Apologies for the delay in this blog. I returned to the UK for my youngest grand daughters second birthday bash so I was away for a few days. This entry more or less covers the last two weeks. The weather has varied from warm and sunny to cold and wet but stuff is still growing well. Autumn is here, the leaves are turning and falling.
   Lots of pulling, cutting and picking going on. Carrots, sweet peppers, chili's, courgettes which are now finished, haricot buerre, cucumber, tomatoes (various varieties), purple cauliflower, white cauliflower and much to my surprise aubergines. The aubergines had been devastated by Colorado beetle and I was not expecting much from them but they have recovered and are producing a good number of aubergines. Autumn is gathering speed with the squash and pumpkins ripening and the courgettes now finished. I have picked a reasonable crop of haricot buerre  much to my surprise. There is one large water melon that I must pick soon but the plant is only just starting to give up. The tomatoes are coming to an end with just a few hanging on that are very slowly ripening on the vine.Of course the  grass continues to  grow and requires mowing again!
   The tree surgeon has been and the second large conifer outside the front of my house is now cut down. There is a significant increase in light in the house.
   All the animals are doing fine. The chickens are not laying so well probably due to the shorter and much cooler days. Many jobs to do, digging up the final bed of Desiree potatoes one of them.

Purple cauliflower

  

Time to harvest.

   After last weeks statement on tomatoes the plants are continuing to produce. Lots of Gardeners Delight (grape tomato) with a good number of Roma and French heritage. Another two lots of litre size freezer bags of Gardeners Delight put into the freezer and at least one more to go. The round courgette plants continue to produce with at least six more courgettes since the last blog. Too many courgettes! I have continued to dig up potatoes with Cherie now done. A bit late really as they are designated as earlies. Several rows of Desiree still to do. What else is being picked, cut or dug? Marketmore cucumbers, sweet peppers (Washington giant red (they are not), yellow and orange mini stuffing), chili (Nigels Green outdoors, Basque), beetroot (Cheltenham green top, Sanguine), 5 Dessert melons (delicious!). 

Ouessant ram

As we are keeping the chickens out of the garden my spinach is  growing well as are the beetroot. I have now thinned out the spinach and sown a few more seed to complete the two rows. Carrots have been a disappointment this summer but there are a lot still showing a good growth of leaf in the ground and I am hopeful for some over the early winter. Of course weeding is a must and I should be doing it every day really. At this time of year, just like in spring, weeds and grass grow quickly. My winter cabbage looks good both savoy type and what in the UK we know as Dutch cabbage (large white, often made into cold slaw) are doing well. The swedes are putting on a lot of leaf and I am hopeful of a good crop.
   I am sure the ram in the picture is about to stick its tongue out at me. Chickens are on protest strike. Very few eggs being laid at the moment. Ducks are fine, the female continues to lay one egg a day, the ewes and rams, well, are being ewes and rams.
   Autumn is well underway with the first delivery of wood arriving. Many, many black berries and they are big and juicy. I need to find some time to pick some.

Tomatoes are now...

Sweet courgette relish

    The tomatoes are now passata! Well, some are. Like to think most are but I took a look outside this morning and I suspect that there will be a few more seed trays worth to come yet! So far three bags of Gardeners Delight (grape tomato) in the freezer, eight jars of passata and six jars of sweet courgette relish. Oh! Forgot the dried bay leaves. Good start. Shallots to make into pickled onions yet to do!
 This has been a good year for tomatoes despite the onset of blight. Rain and sunshine has happened at the right time.For me it has been a poor year for french dwarf beans. Potatoes have been good and I look forward to digging up the main crop soon. The melons, both water and 5 dessert have done well. I really like the 5 dessert melon and will be growing them again next year. A lovely taste and texture.
    Is it a record? Six round courgettes picked of one plant! The courgette planting this year has been about right. Still overrun with them but not excessively, well not yet anyway. I notice there are still more coming, however, the plants are showing signs of giving up. There is butternut squash, vegetable spaghetti and I think another type of squash which for the moment its name escapes me. Much to my surprise and delight my pumpkins are producing fruit and fingers crossed I should have a few pumpkins for halloween. On my return from New Zealand I thought I had lost them.
    It is still a very busy time in the garden. Maintenance, that is, weeding, mowing grass, preparing and planting winter crops (leeks, winter cabbage, swede, beetroot, carrots), watering and harvesting . All requiring ones time and effort at the same time not to mention the need to process tomatoes into something that will keep for a while. 
   One thing is that the weather is being good. Cool early mornings, hot middle day, warm late afternoons and evenings. Wonderful sky at night. Sheer magic. I love this time of year. The season is changing, autumn is on our doorstep. There are black berries to pick. Big and juicy this year as it rained at the right time for them. 
    

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes

   The weather has been a bit of a mixed bag over the last ten days. One day showers, one day sunshine, one day cloud and an odd thunder storm! A whole mixture. Mind you the garden likes it particularly as I have just planted out Champion Red Top swede and Sanguine beetroot. They need a few days of cool weather to get themselves established.
   What has been exciting in the garden this week? Water melon! Picked and eaten the first couple of water melons. They are always a exciting crop and for once we ate one on a hot and humid day! Yum! Other produce beside tomatoes of all types (Gardeners Delight, Ukraine purple, French heritage, Jens orange) have been round courgettes, Touchon carrots (love them Touchon carrots such a nice sweet flavour), beetroot, Marketmore cucumbers, the last of the outside Wautoma cucumbers and the last of the Belle de Fontenay potatoes. This variety of potato has been quite a light crop. Seem to remember this happening in previous years. In the squash bed the spaghetti plants are showing signs of autumn and the butternut squash is turning that corn like colour. A good crop of butternut Waltham butternut squash this year. They are a good size and they even look like a butternut squash. Strange thing to say but often I get ones that do not look like butternut squash at all! The sweet peppers and chili's are now coming into their own. The cooler weather will also suit them at this time but a little sunshine very soon would be nice. That would ripen them up beautifully. Still 5 dessert melons to come and there are still a few water melons. Haricot vert have been a disappointment this year. Note to self. Try a different seed merchants varieties.
   Tidying up and weeding continues as produce is removed. There are some spaces now so I am thinking of getting more winter leeks. The winter produce, white cabbage, savoy cabbage, sprouts, carrots, leeks are doing well. There could be sprouts in September! Looking a little ahead a major job to do is to dig up the Desiree potatoes. They still have green tops and I am reluctant to dig them up until the tops have died.
   So lots to do and the autumn is coming on fast. 

Champion Red Top Swede

Time to enjoy the fruits of ones labours

   Well I am glad to say that the last lamb has been born on the 1st August 2017. We are really going to make sure the rams are kept away from the ewes this September!

Last lamb to be born 2017

   August is a magic month. The garden produce is rolling in! Tomatoes, cucumbers (by the tens!), potatoes, beans, beetroot, onions, shallots, tree onions, carrots, sweet peppers, chili's, water melons, 5 dessert melons, cabbage - wow!).  The outdoor cucumber Wautoma has exceeded all expectation this year. I have picked over forty since returning from New Zealand.
   The end of July and the start of August is the time to think of the winter crops. I have planted white cabbage (dutch type you make cold slaw with), savoy type cabbage, leeks, sown swede and beetroot in modules for planting out in a week or so and lots more carrots! I am determined this year to have lots of carrots in the ground over winter. As an experiment I have sown some peas and more haricot (Bollotti) to see if I can get another crop in before the frosts come.

One bed full of weeds

  The picture on the right shows what the vegetable beds were like when I returned from New Zealand. I was away for four weeks at the start of the growing season! Weeds, lots of weeds, some almost four feet high! Now after a couple of weeks I have pretty much regained control and all beds are now weeded. Lost a lot of sweat doing those weeks. Beer shandy has never been so good! I have to thank my son in law for cutting my grass short while I was away. It gave me time on my return to get on with the weeding and the planting of the winter crops.
  Here is a picture of some of the tomatoes that I have picked. Gardeners Delight (grape type variety) has been particularly successful this year, followed by Roma (plum type variety). Others have grown are a Ukrainian purple tomato, Jens orange tomato and a couple of french heritage varieties.

   Haricot vert (french dwarf bean) and buerre (yellow french dwarf bean) have not been very successful this year. Probably because it was too dry when the beans were setting. Also the cauliflower has not been as good as it promised. The sprouts are still on course to produce a reasonable crop. Still, one cannot win them all!

Back home and a jungle to face!

   I have been away from the garden for over a month. The last blog was written over five weeks ago. This is a long time to be away from ones vegetable patch especially at this time of year. From June onwards everything grows rapidly and one starts to reap the rewards of the hard work done earlier in the year. Well, I was not here. My daughter and son-in-law did a sterling job and Paul, bless him, mowed my lawn short and instead of having to spend three or four days mowing I was straight into clearing weeds and getting ground ready for winter planting.

Chili and Sweet Pepper bed

   The picture to the right shows what the beds were like. This is the chili, sweet peppers and aubergine bed. Weeds three and four feet high and this is just one bed. Having now set the scene on what the vegetable garden beds were like when I returned from my New Zealand adventure lets go back and start from where the last blog was publish, June 8th 2017.

Blacktail Mountain water melons

Vegetable spaghetti

  Back at the first week of June I was trying to get vegetable garden together for I was  going to be away for along time at the wrong time of year. I transplanted vegetable spaghetti, celeriac, Provence thyme, pruned the vine, did a little weeding and tied up tomatoes.Then I left. I returned to work on my vegetable garden on the 15th July. That day I dug Anais potatoes, cut cabbage (oh wonderful fresh cabbage!) and the inevitable tying up of tomatoes. On the 16th a lamb was born. I collected coriander seed, parsnip and horse radish seed. Cut another cabbage. On the 17th I start to weed in earnest. Dug up the shallots, weeded my large squash patch and weeded the 5 Desert melon patch. Now we really get going. I planted out savoy cabbage (for the winter), lettuce and weeded the rhubarb bed, tided up the manure heap (the chickens had made a right mess!) and weeded the rhubarb bed. The weather, much to my relief, turned cooler. That meant I could attack things with more vigour. Tied up tomatoes, dug up small onions, pulled carrots, picked a pile of tomatoes and cucumbers, planted out leeks and white winter cabbage (the sort you make cold slaw with), cleaned out the chicken and duck coops. So, what was left? The pumpkin patch for one! Lots of grass but I managed to clear it and also sowed Touchon and Long Lisse de Meaux carrot, cleared and weeded the chili plot, that is, the one in the photograph! Finally tided up the poly tunnel, sowed beetroot and champion red top swede in modules. There are still more weeds to pull and more ground to prepare for winter planting and sowing but hey I am getting there!

Chou Cabas winter cabbage

Winter leeks

Its going wild and .....

   The weather has been ideal for the garden. Warm and wet. Everything is growing including the weeds. This will be the last blog for at least four weeks. I am taking a trip with my best mate to New Zealand to see the British Lions rugby union tests. Bit of a trip of a life time. So what have I been up to? Planting out more lettuce, tying up tomatoes which are doing really well, weeding (always!), transplanting vegetable spaghetti and finally pruning the vine! You will note that grass cutting is not in the list. I should have. I know I should have but I did not get to it. It is going to be a jungle when I get back! Just for fun I counted up the number of different plants I have in the vegetable garden including multiple varieties of tomato and potatoes and the total came out at fifty six. My small sowing of broad beans has produced a worthwhile crop and I have had several helpings of nice young beans and parsley sauce.
   On the animal front we finally got to finish the shearing of the sheep for this year.  Two ewe lambs have also been born and the flock has made a few attempts at trying to get into areas they are not supposed to. The female duck continues to lay and all three really enjoy the pond when the water is changed. On the chicken front we lost a Limousin chicken to fly strike, not a nice way to go. She died as I was trying to clean her up. Guess it was just too much for her. Our broody hen, Mrs Chick, failed to hatch any of her eggs. Not really surprised, however, another hen, Mrs Sussex, is now sat on a batch of eggs. When she gets to her hatching time we are going to introduce some day old chicks.
  Well that is it for now. Back in four weeks!

Steady as she goes!

  New arrival! First lamb to be born this year. Ewe and lamb doing just fine. We are now in the middle of shearing our Ouessant sheep. This ewe gave birth the day after she was sheared!
   In the garden the never ending round of tying up tomatoes, weeding, grass cutting, edge cutting, transplanting and cursing chickens continues. Added to this mix were sheep! The little blighters broke down a gate and got into the garden The worse damage they did was to eat three out of five of my celeriac plants and they ate all the tops off the carrots not to mention leaving foot prints over the beds! Could have been worse. The best thing they did was eat the weeds around the apple trees. First picking of broad beans has been done. Very nice they were too with a bit of parsley sauce. I have been fighting the Ambassador peas. They are not germinating well, least that is what I think. Could be mice I suppose but I am having to resow into gaps. The mangetout which is next door to the peas is doing just fine! I have now transplanted 5 dessert melon plants into an outside the poly tunnel bed. It will be interesting to see how they do. I also transplanted Provence thyme plants and should have a nice bed of thyme in time (pun?). Where allowed to by chickens and sheep vegetables are more or less growing well. It looks like being another disappointing season for the Gigante runner beans. Potatoes are thriving! Sprouts are thriving . Never grown sprout plants like them. Still a long way to go though. Parsnips and summer cabbage looks good as do the next lot of lettuce and the beetroot. Outdoor tomatoes are looking better than the ones in the poly tunnel! Now that is a turn up for the book!
  On the chicken front we now have two broody hens both sitting on eggs. Mrs Chick if she is going to hatch any it should have happened by the next blog. Mrs Sussex has only just started so she has a few weeks to go.

Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!

   Oh boy! So much to do, so little time to do it in. I am off to see the Lions play in New Zealand in nineteen days time and I need to leave the vegetable garden in a reasonable state otherwise it will be just one mass of weeds! So, I have to get on top of the weeding and stay on top until I depart!

Beetroot

Tomato set in the poly tunnel

   Vegetable spaghetti. Tried to grown it in the UK a number of years ago without success. As I was given the seed by my youngest grand daughter I thought it was beholding on me to try again! Seed sown, germinated and three leaves all within a week. Scary. "5 Dessert " melons sown to pots and they are up also. Wautoma cucumber transplanted to an outside the poly tunnel bed. These are an American style cucumber which does well outside. "8 ball" courgette transplanted and are well now well established. They are a round variety. The remaining Nigel's Outdoor green chili and Basque chili plants have been transplanted outside the poly tunnel. I bought some polish seeds, yes polish, and discovered that they were a type of chive. I have also sown more lettuce, butternut squash Sank Martyn pumpkin and Justnyka pumpkin directly outside. Transplanted Blacktail Mountain water melon to my prepared melon bed. More carrots, more spring onions and haricot buerre sown! Its go, go, go. Grass cut, tomatoes tied up. In the poly tunnel Marketmore cucumbers have been transplanted to a bed. Of course grass has been cut and weed weed weed!

    On the animal front we have finally got around to starting to shear the sheep. Always fun and games. Mrs Chick continues to sit on her eggs and fingers crossed we may get some chicks. 

Transplant, transplant and yes transplant!

Our snoozing Ouessant sheep flock

Poly tunnel tomatoes

    The weather has been variable with sun and showers. Still, it has not been too hot to work in the garden.
   The last week has been dominated by transplanting. Tomatoes, sweet peppers, (orange mini bell, yellow stuffing, Wisconsin Lake red, large orange) cauliflowers, cabbages (Precoce Louvier, Golden Acre), chili's (Basque, Nigel's Green Jalapeno pepper), basil (Lemon, Mammoth Lettuce leaf, Sweet Genoese) with still more to do. Also Gigante runner beans, Borlotti beans, dwarf french beans (haricot vert), radish, winter squash and more basil sown. Amongst all that asparagus was cut, radishes pulled, lettuce cut, last of the leeks dug up, weeding, fence fixing and mowing the grass! Phew! Busy time.
  On the animal front one of our hens, Mrs Chick, has gone broody and was sitting on six eggs. Unfortunately one egg was nibbled at by another chicken and had to be removed. We will be very fortunate I think to get any chicks. Mrs Duck continues to lay daily and the sheep, well are being sheep.

Country things....

    Living in the depths of the french countryside has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the disadvantages is having bullocks living in the field next to yours and the "gate" between your field and them is nothing but three pieces of vertical wood connected by barbed wire and sheep fencing! It is very common here for entrances to a field that contain cows just have a piece of string across them. Seems to work most of the time, however, these bullocks decided that the grass was greener on the other side of the fence and they pushed the "gate" over and came into my field and ate my grass! This happened three days running and they destroyed one of my fence lines.I had got in touch with the farmer who came and got them out of my field. Pretty large animal a bullock! On the last occasion the farmer replaced the posts the bullocks had demolished and moved them to a field further away from mine. Oh what fun! In the past I would never have gone near a bullock but when you are mad and trying to get them off your grass ones fears goes out of the window! Alls well that ends well I guess.
    So, what else has been going on this last week or so. "Evie" sprouts, (seed was given to me by my youngest grand daughter for my birthday present) have been transplanted to an outside bed along with Precoce Louvier cabbage. They are now well established and looking good. Over eighty mixed variety tomato plants have also been  transplanted. I am trying a new idea this year. Instead of having one large bed of tomatoes I am planting nine or twelve plants at the ends of various beds. The idea is to avoid blight. If one batch of plants get it hopefully the others may not. In the poly tunnel early purple spouting and a winter savoy type cabbage have been sown. I have also sowed another variety of cucumber, marketmore into pots.
    I have managed to break the handles on my mower again. I am obviously using it in a way it is not designed for! Lol! Fortunately my bush whacker will cut the grass to a reasonable level although not as short as the mower.
     On the animal front chickens are being chickens. The ducks are being ducks and the female continues to lay. The sheep are looking fed up with their fleeces and need to be sheared. The rat population has taken a major hit with our new neighbours cat catching a good number of them.

It went quite...

   This  blog is covering two weeks. The first of the two weeks was very quiet with odd jobs being done, like a little wood splitting (tiring!), fix to a gate and moving sheep from the large field to a paddock to allow the grass to grow for hay making. Other work done that week was changing the duck pond water and I transplanted some Provence thyme to pots! Oh, not forgetting the cutting of a lettuce and mowing the dreaded grass.
   So the second week has been a little busier. I cleared a small bed of weeds into which I think I will put courgettes or melons. Maybe a pumpkin? Umm. I continue to earth up the potatoes to protect against any frost which is now becoming rarer, however, last frost date is not until the 15th May! More sweet peppers and aubergines have been transplanted to pots leaving just a few sweet peppers to do. The various types of basil, lemon, mammoth and sweet Genovese are growing well. A good number of asparagus spurs have been cut although the chickens got on the bed and I think have done some damage to the plants. I noticed that the first lot of carrots have dared to show themselves so it will not be long before I will need to get the second sowing done. The chickens have taken a fancy to the pea bed so I am resowing and trying to protect them Chickens are a double edged animal. Good for bugs etc bad for anything green and succulent.

Evesham Special Sprouts

First lot of outside the poly tunnel lettuce

Jersey Royal Parsnips weeded and thinned out

An uncertain time, take a gamble!

   At this time of year one is always trying to get ahead of the game. Unfortunately there are risks. Frost is a constant danger until the middle of May yet there are many seeds that need to be sown and the resulting plants protected from the potential frost until that time has passed. Still every day that  goes by should and I say should mean a less chance of frost. Currently the skies are clear and the frost comes every morning. The  temperature has been around zero first thing in the morning but once the sun comes up the frost is soon cleared. So far I have had only one or two plants suffer and no losses, yet. There has not been any rain for some time now and my water butts are all but empty. Time to pump water from the well.
   In the outside garden the potatoes were growing well with me earthing them up every evening and I will continue to do so for the next couple of weeks at least .The onset of the cooler weather they have stopped growing so fast.  I have transplanted Brussels Sprouts to an outside the poly tunnel bed and covered them in horticultural fleece. They are the best sprout plants I have managed to grow since being in France. 
  In the poly tunnel melons, squash and cucumbers have been sown and placed in the poly tunnel fleece cloche. My tomatoes are now outside the cloche but well covered up over night. I am cutting lettuce and pulling radish. The lettuce has been very good. Sweet peppers have been transplanted to pots along with Basque and Nigel's Green chili.
  On the animal front the female duck continues to lay and the chickens are being a menace by taking dust baths in my vegetable beds. The sheep are being sheep but soon will need to be sheared.

Ambassador peas

Spring sunshine

   The sun has shined a lot this last week. It has been nice to wake up before dawn and wait for the dawn chorus to start before getting up. There have been a few days of frosts but every day that now goes by means less of a chance of a frosty morning. That does not mean I lower my guard! Potatoes which are now putting up shoots need to be earthed up every evening and the more tender plants like peppers, chili's and tomatoes need to be protected in the poly tunnel.
   In the outside garden more forking, more weeding, more grass mowing and a bonfire. Only a small amount of ground to fork and weed left and that is in the area where the courgettes and pumpkins will go, so not urgent! I have sowed Touchon and Long Less de Meaux carrot along  with a row of salsify. Shallots, tree onions and onion sets are growing well. There is a good show of parsnip seedlings.
   In the poly tunnel more Evesham Special Brussels sprouts transplanted along with Provence thyme, Basque chili, White sage, Moss curled parsley, Roma and Gardeners Delight tomatoes. I am now regularly pulling lettuce (Batavia) and radishes. There is Moss Curled parsley, chives and coriander that is being used in salads. Lemon, Lettuce leaf and sweet Genovese basil has been sown, hopefully not too late.
  On the animal front the female mallard Indian runner duck is laying a lovely duck egg blue egg every day. The sheep look like they need shearing and the chickens, well, are being chickens. We have had a campaign against the rat population in the chicken coop and have killed at least six of which three were mature adults.
  So lots done, lots still to do. It never ends. LOL!

The pace quickens even more.

   What can I say? The pace in the garden just gets faster and faster at this time of year. The grass almost needs cutting twice a week! 

   In the poly tunnel I am pulling lettuce and radish as required. So far demand has not outstripped supply! It will at some point I am sure. Yet more radish sown.  I have sown a row of cauliflower seed given to me by my youngest grand daughter Evie. They are white and purple, yes purple, cauliflower. Should be interesting!. As an unusual sowing I have sown woad and have plans to make a woad bed next to my comfrey. The last of the over winter beetroot has been dug up and cooked. Tomato plants in pots are growing happily in the poly tunnel fleece along with Brussels Spouts, summer cabbage, spring onions, beetroot and white sage! Up in the house I have various varieties of sweet pepper and a couple of chilies growing slowly but surely.

   In the outside garden the potatoes are starting to show. I now need to go round the beds each day and cover up with soil any that pop up their heads. I have sown a main crop pea,variety Ambassador and I was disappointed to find that I did not  have any sugar snap peas! Need to find some quick! First lot of lettuce planted outside and covered with a cloche. I am still forking and weeding but there is less than there was!

  On the animal side the main chicken coop and duck coops have been cleaned out. The duck pond has been emptied and refilled and made just as dirty by the ducks by the time I had left the paddock! The sheep are being sheep and it will soon be time to sing the sheep shearing song again.

Row of Ambassador peas