Things are moving in the poly tunnel

    A few frosts over the last two weeks but nothing really serious. More rain of course! Reasonable amount of jobs done. 18Jour radish and Jack Ice lettuce are germinating in the poly tunnel. There is a bit of coriander coming up too. "Banana" shallots planted but I have failed to plant out the onion sets and my round  Red Sun shallots. That is now a priority job to get done. I have never grown banana shallots before. My usual shallot is a round one that I use for pickling. Finally got around to moving my well rotted compost heap into the poly tunnel and spread it over the long bed in there. Parsnips have been a disappointment this year with many "forking", that is, growing more than one root. Still, a reasonable number harvested over the winter and turned into soup or used in casseroles. One can still use a part of a forked parsnip. Couple more small white cabbage cut with only two left now but I still have the large winter cabbage! I have also been harvesting early purple sprouting which this winter has grown exceptionally well. Sowed some Bedforshire Champion onion seed. The few that made it last year were exceptional onions so I figure it is worth it for just a few to succeed. Managed to also get round to getting down the hop vine and prune the grape vine. Also a flowering vine cut back. 
   Usual chicken tasks carried out, that is, cleaning out the coops! The birds are still laying well. I have lost one to some critter so they are all currently under lock down.

Germinating tomato seed

Germinating 18Jour radish

Oh boy decisons...

    Well crunch time is close. Next week end (29/2 --01/03) weather permitting I will plant out my onion sets (variety Sturon) and shallot sets (variety Red Sun which are ones I pickle!).  Following last years success with a few Bedforshire Champion onions grown from seed (There were prehaps six very large onions that successfully grew). I have sown a half seed tray of Bedfordshire Champion onion seed. Lets hope the success is the same this year! The seed potatoes are chitting well in my dinning room loving the warm atmosphere. More preparation done to the long bed in the poly tunnel. Good compost added, more water and forked over. It will still require more water no doubt. I bought some "banana" shallots by mistake thinking that I would not be able to get the variety I prefer and so I have planted those this last week. Never grown these before but it seems that it is a preferred shallot for the French. Need to start thinking about sowing other seed but in reality I need to resist the temptation poly tunnel or not! Two more white  cabbage cut. These have been a good crop although on the small side which to be honest does not worry me but still, there were a good number of them. The chickens got one! They hollowed it out!. The first sowing of over winter broad beans are really in flower now as are the daffidols! The weeding continues and I swear the weeds are starting to grow more quickly. 
    Normal chicken coop maintenance done. The hens are still producing between eight and ten eggs a day and Mrs. Bramaha continues to pretend she has eggs to hatch although I think she is starting to come out of her brood spell.
   First sign of germinating tomatoes!

Andine Corne tomatos (pointy ones!)

Aurora bush type tomato

Yes or no or hold on a bit...

    The weather continues to be mild and even warm at times! Not that unusual for this time of year and makes for wanting to get on with stuff and yet one needs to be cautious as in this part of the world last frost date is the middle of May! I spotted bees busy around what I thought was a dead colony bee hive. Maybe they are ok? Time will tell. I have been preparing my large poly tunnel bed which has require forking and watering, forking and watering several times to make sure the soil is damp and while there is plenty of water and the threat of more to come it is a good time to do it. Thre is a few lettuce in the poly tunnel that have survived the winter and I am hopeful that they will produce some early lettuce. Experience has shown that lettuce do well in the poly tunnel at the start of the season Once it gets too warm it is time to move outside! I have recovered a small vegetable bed that had been left more because I was not one hundred percent well than anything else but now it is done and waiting to be planted up with first early potatoes. More weeding (does it never end?) and more thoughtful processes being made as to what needs to be planted where and in the mean time there is purple sprouting, leeks, parsnips, onions (stored), potatoes (stored), and winter squash (stored) to be consumed! There is only one of me! Going to have to turn vegetarian for a while methinks! LOL! 
     Also added to the food pile are hens eggs! My two flocks of hens are still producing upto ten eggs a day! One flock of nine birds and one flock of seven birds (one cockeral in each flock) with one bird trying to act as if she is broody but is not laying on any eggs at all! I do not think I am going to starve.

Working on the second bed

Second bed is ready

And they are off!

   And so it begins in earnest. The rain has held off. The ground has dried out a little and I have been shopping! Seed potatoes varities Desiree (usual main crop), Agata (a Dutch early variety new to me) and Dolween (Brittany, second early variety also new to me) and they are now set up in my dinning room chitting. I have had a go at clearing more weeds from my old daffidol patch but I fear the wet weather has destroyed a lot of the bulbs in this area. Those that were on higher ground and under the apple trees have faired better and are starting to come into bloom. Had a go at a small herb bed, cleared weeds and forked around. It will not be long and it will be time to start drying the thyme, marjoram, sage and rosemary. In the poly tunnel it is time to take chances and I have sown 18jour radish and Jack Ice lettuce under a cloche. I have also sown  coriander. I have also sown tomatoes which I will keep in the house and porch for now to help them geminate. Varities (Champeau seed) Jens Orange, Gardeners Delight, Poitron Ecarlate, Andine Cornue and REAL SEEDS varities Auroa ( a bush type) and Feode Riogordo (vine type). I have managed to dig up a couple of parnips but overall I have been disappointed in the crop with a lot of promising plants roots forking instead of being straight. I guess that is a problem with seed that one gathers oneself although it could be the richness of the soil. Oh well, I have had enough for my purposes. Oh yes my little friends that hollow out the root have also been active.
   So on we go the closer to March the more to be done!

 Standing water and this is on a slight slope

My feathered helpers.....

Squelch!

    Ok I know we needed a lot of rain in this area of France. There was a long period of drought last summer and there has been concern that the aquifer's were running low. The major city, Guéret, was pumping water from a recreational lake at one time.Yes, I know that  it takes a lot of steady rain and time for a geological feature like an aquifer to refill but man there has been a lot of steady rain and the ground has once again turned almost liquid and in some patches in my vegetable garden IT IS! No doubt come summer I will complain of lack of rain. Anyway, rain means higher average temperatures and thank goodness there has not been any serious frost or any snow (yet). Still time I guess but as we head into February it is unlikely to last if it happens.
    In the garden I managed to dig up some parsnips and cut a few small white cabbages. The cabbages maybe small but they suite me to be honest. One lasts me two to three meals and that's fine by me. I have another variety of winter cabbage which has not yet hearted up but it is getting there. They are going to be a lot bigger than the white ones. Then there is the early purple sprouting and despite the chickens efforts are eating them are starting to produce some shoots of purple sprouting. Not my most desired brassica I must admit but it has its use and this lot of plants have done exceptionally well. My over winter onions and garlic has stood still for a while now. I do not think they like the saturated ground much and I had to rescue an onion the other day and replant it! It has been washed out of the ground by the rain. Another issue is that now winter is well underway and we are on the downward path to spring the stored vegetables need to be eaten up. I have noticed potatoes and onions are sprouting. As long as they stay firm they will be edible but will I mange to eat them all in time? Man!

Standing water in a bed

Broad beans in flower