Smell of freshly cut grass

    This blog is being published on the first day of spring! 20th March 2022. Yes, spring has most certainly sprung along with narcissi out in full bloom, cherry tree buds swelling and apple tree leaf buds splitting to mention a few signs. Of course the old foe, the grass and weeds, are also putting in a effort and the first major mow has been done. 

    The autumn over winter compost heap has been dismantled and the contents spread in the poly tunnel and on the new seed beds. A new compost heap has been started. More forking and weeding done still more to do! Some carrots dug up but they are rapidly coming to their end!

    Chickens are being chickens being a right pain scratching any piece of loose soil they can find. One hen is still sat tight on eight eggs. In theory the eggs should start to hatch in another eight days (27th March). Average of 5.8 eggs a day this last week, up by one egg a day!

    Next blog will be in two weeks as I am off to see my youngest daughter and my three grand children in the UK.

Rhubarb patch

FROSTS

     Frosts. Four out of seven days there has been a morning frost. That has delayed getting out into the garden and getting on with stuff (ok it is an excuse, lol). 

    The ongoing task of forking and weeding beds continued this week with some good progress being made on two larger beds. I even managed to clear my small round flower plot! Pulled up all but one swede which is a reasonable sized one and hopefully has not been attacked by slugs etc or has some form of internal fault! Never know with swedes! The overall crop has been poor but I am happy that I at least got to make some swede and mash. As with it would seem all brassicas and derivatives of brassicas the chickens love the leaves and completely eat the them leaving just the ribs and will make every effort to get at them no matter there is netting over the plants. No doubt I will try again this year. Continue to dig up/pull carrots that were sown last year and they are an edible size. Always good for this time of year, however, they need to be eaten up as they are starting to produce tops and that means they are going to seed. Dug up a few leeks, again, a disappointing over winter crop. In my opinion they have not stood the frosts well despite being a winter leek variety. Thinned out some more self seeded parsnip just because they were there in the bed. Long row of peas sown. Always worth sowing peas early.

   The main chicken coop cleaned out and we have a broody hen! She is sat on eight eggs and who knows if they are fertilized or not. Time will tell. Daily egg production down this week with 4.8 eggs per day.

Bulb bank narcissi starting to flower

Broody hen

FIRST LETTUCE IN!

     Quite a bit done this last week. Only one morning of frost and a little drizzle but nothing serious. Mikador shallots planted out. Not my usual variety but that is all there was! My favourite onion set, Sturon, planted out. Some parsnips dug up and some self seeded parsnip seedling transplanted. Tomato seeds sown in seed trays and modules and placed in the poly tunnel fleece cloche. Probably still a little on the cool side but it does not take much to get the temperature up in the poly tunnel with a little sun. A few miserable swedes pulled to make up a Champeau mixed veg roast. Swedes seem to be one of those plants that is a little hit and miss. Still one or two that are edible is a result! In the poly tunnel the small beds were cleared, forked, watered and fertilizer added. I bought the first lot of lettuce from the local market and transplanted them into the small poly tunnel beds. Variety Batavia Doree de Printemps. Not my usual variety but the guy I usually buy from was not at the market this week and I wanted to get some lettuce planted. A little forking and weeding of an outside bed done but in reality the soil was a little sticky.

  My bulb bank is starting to come into flower and with a bit of luck it will look a picture. This is its second year so the bulbs are now well established. 

    Chickens are being chickens and a daily average of 6.8 slightly down on last week.

Poly tunnel small beds with transplanted lettuce.