POTATO PLANTING

Potato planting. This plot is main crop DESIREE

   Well between dodging tempest and chickens I have been planting my potatoes over the last week. Varieties I am growing this year are early NICOLA, second early RIKEA neither of which I have sown before and main crop DESIREE. I have also sowed a row of early peas. This variety of pea I have overwintered in the poly tunnel and tried to grow outside over winter. Poly tunnel sowing is very successful, outside was good until the pigeons found them after the wind blew off the netting. So I am hopeful for an early harvest of peas. Sprouts, cabbage, sweet peppers, aubergines and Tyme de Provence has all been sown and placed in the poly tunnel fleece cloche. Tomatoes, cabbage, thyme and beetroot have all already germinated. 

   All quiet on the animal front. The chickens egg laying seems to be picking up and the rams are more or less behaving themselves. 

  The weather has not been very kind. Mild but rain and rain showers have kept me off the garden. There is plenty to do and time is marching on. 

Sowing in ernest!

        So onwards and upwards! Good number of seeds sown over the last twelve days. De Louvier, Golden Acre, Piacenza (savoy type) cabbage and Brussels sprout, Sanguine beetroot, sweet peppers, Alberto Locoto pepper, Tyme de Provence, Aubergine and white celery all placed in half seed trays or modules in the poly tunnel. I have once more constructed a poly tunnel cloche to give added protection and warmth. The weather remains cool with warm sunny days and also rain. 
I also bought some Batavia Blonde lettuce plants from the local market and transplanted some into the poly tunnel and some outside  under cloches. Maintenance jobs also done. Replaced fence posts and cleaned out the fowl coops. The first mowing of the grass has been done, here we go again!
        On the animal front one of the sheep spiked herself above the eye and an infection set in. We managed to clean it up and pumped anti-infection stuff into the wound. As far as I can tell as I cannot now catch her the eye looks good. Two new arrivals - a pair of Light Sussex hens. The hope is to improve the egg count as these two are about a year old and were laying before being moved. The number of eggs being laid has improved but should still be a little better. The decision has been made to remove the Ixworth coq.

Spring has sprung

BOING!

   As seems to happen here is la Creuse winter has switched into spring within a few days. The days are longer and warmer. Of course, there is still a threat of frost up until the middle of May but every day brings that month closer and lessens the change of a prolonged cold spell.
   So with the milder weather I have taken the plunge and sowed my parsnips under cloches. I learnt that parsnips will germinate at two degrees centigrade. I do like to sow them early and give them the maximum amount of time. Last lot of onion sets planted, a variety called Sturon. I have grown them before and I am hopeful that they will be a larger onion but who knows? Tomato seed sown. Seven varieties. Lettuce sown. Moss curled parsley sown and a hot pepper. The hot pepper, purple Tiger, I have brought into the house to germinate as they require a much higher temperature. Dug up carrots, parsnips, swede and leeks. Cut cabbage. The winter vegetables are now coming to an end.
   On the animal front the hens are laying 2 to 4 a day. I discovered that one of our Buff Orpingtons is a coq! So now the decision has to be made as to which one gets the chop! The buff Orpington or Ixworth coq? My bet is on the Ixworth as I am convinced he is infertile. The sheep are being sheep. I have had some interesting episodes with escaping rams. I think there will be one or two late summer lambs. The female duck has not yet started to lay but it cannot be long.
   So onward with the garden. Lots to do and fingers crossed it does not rain!

Cold winter days

    Since the last blog the weather has not been kind. It has been cold particularly when you take into account the wind chill factor. Having said that I managed to get one day on the garden and planted my shallots and most of my onions. I also hand forked and weeded the garlic bed with my new patent pending hand fork! In the poly tunnel amazingly coriander is starting to grow. The cold weather though has slowed up the 18 Jour radishes.
    As I write this the weather has taken a turn to the milder side. Yesterday it was a freezing -7C today a balmy 13C and the outlook is for the milder weather to continue. No doubt it will rain and once more stop me from getting on. I have dug up more leeks and carrots. The carrots are now pretty much done. I also managed to cut down a small fur tree that has been annoying me for years. Now need to get the stump out! More fencing posts obtained which means work in the fields putting up posts before the ground gets too dry. 
   On the animal front the hens are laying more regularly with the longer days and now a return to milder weather. At least two a day, more often three and now and then five. I expect to be getting four a day soon. The chickens are being chickens and turning over any ground I dig or fork. The sheep are surviving and grass is  getting very short.

Garlic bed

Shallots

Onions and shallots

   Well that reasonable day to plant onions and shallots over the last week has not arrived. There has been a couple of dry days unfortunately not contiguous and the ground is so wet it is impossible to work or sow unless there is a few days where it does not rain.
   On one short of dry day, it drizzled a bit, I managed to get my bonfire lit and the branches etc from the cut down pine tree burnt. It was a good bonfire and I am pleased that I have managed to get it done. I have replaced a number of posts in the fence lines with the idea that our "jumpy" rams would be kept in. They had to be moved from my daughters next door neighbours garden as there really was no grass for them. I moved them and guess what? Two of the so in so's jumped my efforts at making Ramstag IV. I got them back but one is a persistent so in so. One sniff and one look at a ewe and he is off! Cut a long story short three times he jumped higher and higher fences. The third time the fence was at least five foot ten high, that is, as tall as me and he still got over it. I spent a half day trying to catch him and had to give up however I finally got him through his own greed and desires. So now he is back in my daughters Sophie's garden away from the ewes. He has to go.
   In the garden it has been a case of digging up parsnips and leeks, picking sprouts, cutting cabbage and getting muddy! I tell you digging up a parsnip when the soil is liquid mud is not a pleasant job. Now is the time I need to make the decision to sow tomato and sweet pepper seeds. Onions, shallots and parsnips are going to be late this year I fear.

Cress grown on a piece of kitchen roll!

Male pheasant in the field

Where did that time go?

   Well I do not know! My last blog posting was on the 2nd February and here we are at the 13th February (shrove Tuesday in the UK). So where did those eleven days go? 
   The weather has been mixed. Cold, ice, snow, rain, sun. Had the lot! On the animal front one group of rams has been moved from one paddock to another. Grass is getting short now. Four of last years lamb rams have been moved to my back  garden and they are doing a great job of getting the grass down. Usual maintenance done, that is, cleaning out coops!
   For a laugh and because I remember doing it as a child I sowed some cress on a piece of damp kitchen roll on a plate and hey presto up it came. Looking forward to egg and cress samwiches. Not a lot done in the garden generally other than dig up leeks and parsnips, pulled carrots, cut cabbage and oh yes I took down an overgrown small fir tree and removed the stump. That was a bit of an effort but now I have a good view over the front garden, not mind you that is much of a view!
   I am now looking out for a reasonable day to sow the onions and shallots and parsnips. In the mean time I have a bon fire to light and to give some thought to sowing tomatoes! Few more days maybe? Umm.

Now you see it!

Now you don't!

The removed stump

Mud! Glorious mud!

   I have bought my seed potatoes, onions and shallots. I had a nice surprise in that I did not have to pay anything! My fidelity card paid for the lot.
   The wet and miserable weather has given me an opportunity to clear the cobbles from grass and mud outside the front of the house. Normal maintenance work done despite the weather, that is, clean out the coops! As well as that the ram lambs have been moved from the neighbours garden to my garden! Also the adult rams who were living in a paddock at the back of the main chicken coop have been moved to a fresh paddock where they have taken great delight is having some grass to eat! This means I have two big piles of dirty, wet and smelly hay to move to a compost site in my garden. The chickens are also very happy as they are being allowed to wander the garden and they have already found my spinach. No great loss as far as I am concern! 
   In the garden carrots are being pulled, as are swede and sprouts are being picked. The sprouts are coming to an end now and I will probably give most of what is left to the sheep. I had  left my tree onions in the ground over winter to see what result I would get. I have weeded and gently forked their bed. They look ok so far! My over wintering peas are still thriving but I fear the next week will test them. The weather forecast is for several nights of below zero and so I expect there will be a frost. I have pruned the japonica. Probably the wrong time to it as it is starting to produce flowers and leafs. Needs must! I need to have a bonfire!!
   Nothing to say on the animal front that has not already been stated. All continue to thrive but the darn chickens are not laying as many eggs as they should be. Spring is just around the corner. I have daffs in flower and the snow drops on the ditch bank are out in full splendour.

Snow drops 24/01/18

Daffs in flower 29/01/18

2017 Ram lambs in my garden