Here we go, here we go, here we go!

    Fingers crossed, the worst of the winter is behind us. Currently the sun is shining and the air is feeling warmer. That means the weeds will grow even faster! I have been out in the garden planting shallot and onion sets. The surviving autumn sown onion sets have been identified and gaps filled in with fresh onion sets. First row of Early Nante 2 carrots have been sown with a fleece put over them mainly to keep the chickens off.  A couple more days of sun and I will risk the first sowing of beetroot.

   The seed potatoes, which are currently in seed trays in the dinning room, are sprouting away and I guess within two weeks I will be planting the first earlies. The pace is picking up! 

Left to right - x4 trays Rosabelle, x2 trays Desiree and 1/2 tray Bleue D'Auvergne

   We have guests for three weeks of April so I am now turning my attention to tidying the house garden and its borders while still having one eye on the vegetable plots and seed trays.
    It is time to consider taking herb cuttings. My "by the poly tunnel" herb bed is growing rapidly.  This consists of cuttings of common thyme, lemon thyme, rosemary, golden oregano and lemon balm taken last year along with a blue sage, Bolls mint, and chives. I think I may take one or two of the thyme plants out and put them in pot to display outside the house. 


POLY TUNNEL UPDATE
   Onion, shallot, leeks and the odd cabbage and lettuce seed planted in the poly tunnel fleece cloche are growing away. No sign of the tomatoes yet.  A small row of Early Nante 2 carrots have been sown in the poly tunnel. It is looking like I have only lost one of the six All the Year round cauliflowers. The Early Onward peas in the loo rolls are growing and I will shortly plant these out with the hope of some really early peas. No sign of the Limousin turnips germinating but Salad Bowl lettuce is up and the 18 Jour(day) radishes that survived the freeze are picking up and moving on. A few purple sprouting plants at one end are looking perky but I fear they were planted too late to be productive. Some Celtic cabbage, again planted late, look good so even if they do produce late I should get something to eat.


More later time permitting!!