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