That time is creeping closer

   What can I say? The last week weather wise has been abysmal! Snow, rain and wind one after the other. The ground is now well and truly saturated. My daily log shows...nothing. Chickens are laying well and my daughters pair of dogs are enjoying sitting and laying in front of the wood burner.
   End of next week should see the seed potatoes and onion/shallot sets in the bricos and garden centres (Bricos are hardware shops of various sizes and they sell garden stuff). So I will plan a trip to see what is on offer. A fellow contributor to a gardening Facebook group is sending me some Crown Prince squash seeds and I am looking forward to growing them.

First snow of winter in my neck of the woods

Up and ......

   Ok I finally feel like I am getting going! Over the last week the weather has been reasonable, that is, not too wet, not to cold, not to frosty! So, what have I got done? Well I have started to tackle the poly tunnel and I have sown some early peas and some 18Jour (18day) radish!. Outside I have sown a small number of broad beans. More as an experiment that anything. It is really too early or too late depending from which end of the season you look at it. Anyway if I do not try... As long as the ground does not freeze or it pours with rain I will be out there over the next week getting some plots ready for onions, shallots and potatoes. By the end of next week I fully expect onions, shallots and seed potatoes to be in the shops!
   Garlic, broad beans, onions all doing nicely. Chickens destroyed the early purple sprouting. Really my fault as I did not repair the hole in the netting quickly enough. 
   On the animal front the Ixworths are laying and I am putting the eggs to one side. We intend to try to incubate them and raise them either for the freezer if coqs or to increase the flock if hens! The other chickens are laying well and the sheep..well are being sheep.
   So on I go. Spring is around the corner. Unfortunately for me the worst of the winter is yet to come! February and March tend to be the worst winter months. 


   

A new season begins

   Well,  yes a new season does begin. What have I done? Nothing. Oops. I cannot even blame the weather. Yes, been damp but not impossible to garden and yes it has been on the cold side but again not that cold. Must be getting old.
   So that is Christmas and New Year over and done with once more. It has been a good Christmas with just about the right amount of food and to honest to much to drink although if you looked at the collection of bottles for recycling you would not think so.
    Winter vegetables this year have been a complete disaster. No leeks, no cabbage, no carrots, no swede, chicken devastated early purple sprouting, very few sprouts and only a few parsnips. Must do better! It is time to turn to thinking of getting those early radishes sown in the poly tunnel and maybe some peas? Umm. I have some beetroot in the tunnel that looks good so I am hopeful for early beetroot. Outside the poly tunnel there are good looking broad beans, about an inch or so high. I reckon that is perfect for this time of year. My experiment with over winter onions is looking  good with all the sets having grown leaves. The garlic looks good but I suspect it will be a mediocre crop. So I am set up well I guess. Another couple of weeks and it will be onion, shallot and potato purchasing time. How the year flies.

Growing garlic

Over winter onions

Broad beans

Devastated purple sprouting