Other activites....

     Other than contruction the Hugelkultur bed with the help of my grandsons, I have been busy sowing seeds in the poly tunnel. With the CORVID-19 situation it is unlikely that I will be able to get any plants from the local market. More tomato seed planted, cabbage, sprouts, lettuce, basil and french and White Lisbon spring onions sowed. I found a couple of tomato plants that I do not know what the variety is but they are strong plants so I have transplanted them within the poly tunnel with the hope that I may get some early tomatoes. They have been protected with a plastic water bottle with the bottom cut off! Nothing ventured nothing gained! I have also moved what I believe are Japanese bunching onions sowed in the poly tunnel but never harvested to an outside bed.  They may do something. I am fearful for my wonderful looking broad beans as they are suffering from rust and the daily frosts. I fear the crop will not be as heavy as I had first hoped. I have also started to dry herbs. I have dried thyme, marjoram, sage and parsley to make a jar of dried mixed herbs. More to do! 
   More purple sprouting picked with two lots frozen. Still lots of leeks to consume! The over winter onions are looking good as is the garlic. Onion sets and shallots are well established with leaves now showing well. Batavia blond lettuce in the poly tunnel is growing well and there are couple close to being ready to eat. There are some radishes but not as many as I would have normally expected. Maybe the soil was too cold? Anyway, another row sowed and have germinated! I love these 18Jour(18Day) radish.
   More grass cutting done. So the season is now well underway with probably a little more urgency than normal. Still plenty to do.

Poly tunnel seed bed

Batavia Blonde lettuce in the poly tunnel

Tomatoes in the poly tunnel fleece clouche

Special edition Hugelkultur construction

    Over the last week I decided to turn my melon bed into a Hugelkultur bed. Took a little bit of effort but hopefully the rewards will be worth it over time. Usually a Hugelkultur bed is steep sided but the principle of the construction is the same, lots of wood, cover with earth, layer of compost, more earth, (in my case), hay (straw would have been better but I only have hay), more earth to complete the bed. 

1. Digging the trench

2. The trench is completed 

3. Filling the trench with wood 

4. Covering the wood with earth

5. Adding a layer of hay

6. The Huglekultur bed is finished

Cracking on!

Poly tunnel cloche

   Its that time of year again! The poly tunnel fleece cloche has been set up. This year something different. I have used three pallets for the sides and covered those in horticultral fleece. A little more robust than the ones constructed out of hoops, string and clothes pegs! It is time to move the tomato seedlings from the house porch to the poly tunnel fleece clouche.
  Weather wise it has been a cracking week. Early morning frost and then sunshine most of the day. Of course the days are getting longer. Here in France the clocks "spring" forward on the 28th March 2020 so the eveings will be longer the morning a little darker! 
  Early (Dolween, a Brittany variety), second earlies, (Agata, a dutch variety), and main crop (Desiree, a firm favourite of mine) potatoes all planted. Beetroot seedlings transplanted in the poly tunnel and Mamouth leaf basil sown as an experiment directly into the soil in the poly tunnel. The french equivilent of White Lisbon spring onions have been  sowned outside and I have managed to find a space to put the rest of my Sturon onion sets. More weeding and of course grass cutting done. With my grand children being with me I have mowed pathways in my large field which my youngest grandson, Toby, thinks is just the bees knees and runs around the large field full of the joys of spring.
   The chickens are being chickens still laying well. 

Variety AGATA potato being planted 

First broad bean to be spotted

Basking in the sunshine

    Well I forgot to finish and publish this blog so there will be almost two weeks worth here now. France is in lockdown due to the corvid 19 outbreak. My eldest daughter and her children are with me and she is not allowing me to leave the premises! The weather has taken a turn for the better with sunshine and really nice day time temperatures. Spring has sprung and time to really get cracking in the garden.
    Finally I have managed to plant my Sturon onions sets. There was two relatively dry days and so I went for it and got them in. Had some help my my feathered friends, the chickens! Now I need to keep them off until the onions have rooted!
    The shallots have rooted and I have uncovered them. Of course the chickens took the opportunity to explore and scratch about. Fortunately not a lot of damage done as most were well rooted. Leeks, cabbage and lots of purple sprouting gathered. First early potatoes  (Dolween, Brittany) planted along with the help of my youngest grandson Toby! This is a variety I have not planted before. Started on planting the second earies, variety Agata, another type I have not grown before. Finally managed to sow own gathered parsnip seed and Touchon carrots. A little late by my usual timing but hey ho they are in! With the drier weather than meant another round of grass cutting.
    On the chick front nothing unusual just normal weekly tasks.

Chickens helping to prepare the onion set bed

Early purple sprouting

Banana shallot bed

Wet and very cool

   Well what can one say? More rain and it is on the cool side. The vegetable beds are all but impossible to do anything with and by my own schedule I am now late with onions, shallots (for pickling) and parsnip seed. Not a disaster yet as it is still early but I really need the weather to be a little kinder for a few days. Famous last words. Decided to bite the bullet and planted out my Red Sun shallots. Still have the onions to do though.
    So what is to be done? I need to think more about sowing in the poly tunnel beds. Least that way I may (I say may because I have had mixed results with sowing seed in the poly tunnel) be able to stay ahead of the game as it were. Food for thought.
    Broad beans are in full flower although I have not noticed any beans set yet. My early purple sprouting is the best crop I have ever had in my years of vegetable gardening and I cannot eat it fast enough!. Over winter onions and garlic look a little drowned to be honest but they are hanging in there.
     Seed potatoes are chitting well and there are a good number of tomato seedlings. Sods law though the ones I would like to germinate so far have not!
      Chickens are being chickens. Usual weekly maintenance done. Mrs Brahma has finally decided that she is no longer broody and has started to lay again. Still getting five to eight eggs a day.

Chives in the poly tunnel

Provençal Thyme in the poly tunnel

Things are moving in the poly tunnel

    A few frosts over the last two weeks but nothing really serious. More rain of course! Reasonable amount of jobs done. 18Jour radish and Jack Ice lettuce are germinating in the poly tunnel. There is a bit of coriander coming up too. "Banana" shallots planted but I have failed to plant out the onion sets and my round  Red Sun shallots. That is now a priority job to get done. I have never grown banana shallots before. My usual shallot is a round one that I use for pickling. Finally got around to moving my well rotted compost heap into the poly tunnel and spread it over the long bed in there. Parsnips have been a disappointment this year with many "forking", that is, growing more than one root. Still, a reasonable number harvested over the winter and turned into soup or used in casseroles. One can still use a part of a forked parsnip. Couple more small white cabbage cut with only two left now but I still have the large winter cabbage! I have also been harvesting early purple sprouting which this winter has grown exceptionally well. Sowed some Bedforshire Champion onion seed. The few that made it last year were exceptional onions so I figure it is worth it for just a few to succeed. Managed to also get round to getting down the hop vine and prune the grape vine. Also a flowering vine cut back. 
   Usual chicken tasks carried out, that is, cleaning out the coops! The birds are still laying well. I have lost one to some critter so they are all currently under lock down.

Germinating tomato seed

Germinating 18Jour radish

Oh boy decisons...

    Well crunch time is close. Next week end (29/2 --01/03) weather permitting I will plant out my onion sets (variety Sturon) and shallot sets (variety Red Sun which are ones I pickle!).  Following last years success with a few Bedforshire Champion onions grown from seed (There were prehaps six very large onions that successfully grew). I have sown a half seed tray of Bedfordshire Champion onion seed. Lets hope the success is the same this year! The seed potatoes are chitting well in my dinning room loving the warm atmosphere. More preparation done to the long bed in the poly tunnel. Good compost added, more water and forked over. It will still require more water no doubt. I bought some "banana" shallots by mistake thinking that I would not be able to get the variety I prefer and so I have planted those this last week. Never grown these before but it seems that it is a preferred shallot for the French. Need to start thinking about sowing other seed but in reality I need to resist the temptation poly tunnel or not! Two more white  cabbage cut. These have been a good crop although on the small side which to be honest does not worry me but still, there were a good number of them. The chickens got one! They hollowed it out!. The first sowing of over winter broad beans are really in flower now as are the daffidols! The weeding continues and I swear the weeds are starting to grow more quickly. 
    Normal chicken coop maintenance done. The hens are still producing between eight and ten eggs a day and Mrs. Bramaha continues to pretend she has eggs to hatch although I think she is starting to come out of her brood spell.
   First sign of germinating tomatoes!

Andine Corne tomatos (pointy ones!)

Aurora bush type tomato