We are underway!

Yellow Rynsburger Sturon and tree onion

   Yes! The season is underway. Yellow Rynsburger and yellow Sturon onion seed has been sown into half seed trays and modules. Tree onion sets have be sown in a pot.  I finally got round to getting a dead oak tree by the river cut down. The tree was cut up into 50cm and 30cm lengths. That included the trunk! It was straight forward enough to stack the cut up branches but moving the pieces of trunk required brute strength and took over four hours over two days to get them up from the river bank to a more level area. Next job is to split them up into stove burnable pieces. Hopefully it will form part of next years wood supply.

Oak tree being stacked after being cut down.

   In the outside garden the weather has relented and it has not rained much for a few days. It is in fact quite mild. Herbs do not stay looking fresh and good for ever so I have rearranged my herb beds. In my new herb bed I have  transplanted rosemary, chives and sage from the old beds. In one of the old beds I have dug up the horse radish, split it and replanted it. That bed will hopefully now become a bed of horse radish and one old sage plant which I am expecting to remove at some point. In the other old bed my Bolls mint has pretty much taken over. No surprise there. The thyme, lemon and common, is looking ragged. The lemon time in particular has not fared well in the wet weather. I have taken some cuttings of the lemon thyme but I think I will be on the look out for a plant in the garden centre. I will remove the thyme eventually and allow the mint to take complete control. I have some golden oregano to dig up and move but I also want to take some cuttings. Much to my amazement several marjoram plants are surviving the winter and actually look quite well. I need to research as to whether or not one should keep this plant from year to year as I understand it is supposed to be an annual. The rhubarb patch has been cleared and manured and I noticed a crown looked ready to sprout. It will not be long now. I have finally managed to start forking and weeding the vegetable plots. The soil is damp and a little heavy in places but workable. 
   In the poly tunnel french shallots (banana shaped) have sprouted and are growing well. My, ahem, Christmas potatoes, are once more showing their little heads so I guess it must be a little warmer. I have taken sage and rosemary cuttings and pushed them into the soil. Experience says at least fifty per cent will root! More winter leaves have been sown and fingers crossed I may have a cauliflower or two!
   So, on we go! As always lots of clearing up still to do and I get the feeling that things are about to start growing.