Return to cool and damp

   The grass got to a point where I just had to go and borrow my neighbours mower. I am very impressed with his machine and am on the look out for one. All the grass cut within a significantly shorter time than usual and I was not so worn out! 

   I finished forking and weeding the winter brassica bed and populated the last third with Brussels sprouts. With the cooler and damper weather later in the week they have settled in well and the whole bed does look good. I have started to dig up new

Winter brassica bed 

 potatoes (variety AGATA) and very nice they are too! I have transplanted Mammouth leaf basil seedlings which have been transplanted between tomato plants. It will be interesting to see how they do outside the poly tunnel. I have also transplanted Champion Red Top swede seedlings some grown inside the poly tunnel and others in a bed outside. The poly tunnel seedlings are a little bigger but have suffered from flea beetle unlike the outside ones which have not. I guess they will catch up with each other eventually. My grandsons and grand daughter pulled the first carrots much to their delight. Oh what a difference in taste to shop bought ones. Most plants are doing ok but there is plenty to do and I would now like a few days of cool but dry weather.

   Chickens are being chickens and the chicks are growing fast. Unfortunately when we came to move Mrs Bramha and her eggs to a new nest (more secure and less likely to be predated) we found she had not been brooding them well and on the move she abandoned the eggs. None of the eggs were viable. We are now going to incubate twelve more in the hope of getting a second batch hatched.

Chick hitches a ride

New potatoes variety AGATA