A little late...

  I am a few days late with this posting, sorry about that. 

Runner bean poles

  In the outside garden I have dismantled and re-erected the runner bean poles. Yes, I know they should have been taken down last autumn but what with one thing and another I never got round to it. Lots of forking and weeding getting beds ready. Early (variety CHERIE), second early (variety ANAIS and BELLE DE FONTENAY) and main crop (variety DESIREE) have been planted. Planting potatoes is always a tiring job. Mark out and dig a trench, put in manure and ashes, cover with a layer of soil, plant seed potato and cover over! Then watch the chickens having a go digging them up! I have also continued to clear a large patch of brambles. The grass is growing like a weed and is in desperate need of cutting. I continue to dig up leeks and swede.
  In the poly tunnel transplanting tomatoes continues with variety ROMA (plum), UKRAINE purple and JENS TANGERINE done. I have also transplanted some thirty EVESHAM SPECIAL Brussels sprouts plants to pots. The seed were given to me by my youngest grand daughter, Evie. She must have put a good luck charm on them as I have never had much success with sprouts in France. Still more tomatoes to do if I want them. Lettuce, radish and beetroot are being harvested from the poly tunnel. The lettuce are now really getting underway.
   On the animal front the chickens continue to lay well. The sheep are being sheep and are being a pain rubbing themselves against fence posts and pushing them down. The ducks are fine but not laying yet.
   Oh, we had a severe storm here. It took the top out of the pine tree that grows outside the front of my house. Fortunately no property or other damage done. I will now need to get it taken down. It will open up the front some what.

  

Oh my!

   That time of year is creeping up on me. Given a little bit of warmth and everything starts to grow. I sowed some Brussels Sprouts seed, a birthday present from my youngest grand daughter Evie and they germinated in two days! Two days! I ask you. Since the photo was taken many more have come up.

Evesham Special Brussels Sprout

  It is all go go go. The poly tunnel fleece is up and there are already seventy transplanted tomato plants in there plus a host of other sown seeds.
  A big disappointment has been my garlic (Violet Brut). There is no sign of it growing at all. The only garlic I have are bulbs that were not dug up last autumn. These I have transplanted to one bed in the hope of getting a few bulbs!
  Forking and weeding continue. This last week there was a gale. This caused the the top of the fir tree outside the front of the house to snap off. Fortunately no one hurt and very little damage to property. Luckily the whole tree did not come down and what did missed the telephone line.

Result of high wind

  So what has been sown? Moving on from tomatoes and sprouts I have now sown Basque chili, Nigel's Green Outdoor Chili, Orange bell, Wisconsin Lakes, Mini Bell sweet peppers, Jalapeno pepper, Thyme de Provence (never had much success with thyme from seed. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!) De Barbentane aubergine, Golden Acre and Precoce de Louvier cabbage, Cheltenham Green Top beetroot, Jaune De Poitou leeks, Red Salad bowl lettuce and Giant Prague celeriac.
  Harvesting in the poly tunnel continues with over wintered lettuce and beetroot both acceptably edible. In the outside garden there are leeks, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips and green top swede. The parsnips need to be eaten soon as they are starting to  grown again.
  The chickens in there wisdom have taken a fancy to my broad beans and I have had to resow a lot of them. Annoying as they looked really good. 
  On the animal front we lost three chickens to some critter that just bit their heads off. They were replaced by three rescue hens but  unfortunately one of them died. The high wind caused the lid of new duck coop to fly off and I have now repaired it. I have also replaced the duck pond (a children's paddling pool) with the last children's paddling pool we have. The ducks were ecstatic!
  So onward with plenty to do. Soon be time for planting the early potatoes!

Oh no! Mowing again.....

   Two things mark the start of the growing season for me. One is the sowing of parsnip seed, the other is the planting  of onion and shallot sets. Of course this is not all that is  going on right now. Tomato seeds are up and hey I have three white sage seeds that have germinated. I have been trying for several years to get white sage to germinate. Success! The radish are doing well in the poly tunnel and there is some late sown beetroot growing which look like they might produce something. I suspect they will be inedible. One never knows! There are still parsnips, leeks and green swede in the garden and they now need to be eaten up and the ground cleared for this years crop. No one wants to eat the Jerusalem Artichokes. Wonder why? Work in the garden has been fork and weed beds getting them ready for the early potatoes. Daffodils are in flower as are crocus. A real sign spring is here. 
   On the animal front some critter got into the Ixworth/black hens coop and killed them all. That was very annoying as the hens had just started to lay again, however, a friend offered some ex battery hens to replace them and they have been fetched and are settling in with our main flock. These hens were so called free range. I suspect it will take a little while for them to settle in and start laying. Ducks are being ducks but no eggs yet. Sheep are being sheep.
  I need mild dry weather so that I can crack on with getting the beds prepared. Over the next week I expect to be sowing more seeds and probably potting up tomato plants. Time to get the poly tunnel fleece cloche up! Oh  yes. I cut the grass. Man!

Beetroot and radish