Late Merry Christmas

    Eleven days since the last blog. It is getting a bit of a habit only producing a blog nearly once a fortnight. At the end of the day there has not really been a lot going on. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year readers.
  Well I guess you get what you wish for sometimes. The weather has been very damp and mild to date (27th December 2019). In fact so damp that when I went to fork up the parsnips for Christmas dinner the ground was almost liquid mud! So, little work done on the vegetable garden. There is some to do in the poly tunnel but I have not get there yet!

Christmas dinner parsnips

I do not know what has got into the chickens. A new record set for this lot! Nine eggs laid in one day at the end of December! A record. Confused chucks methinks!
  I am looking forward to some drier conditions and to be able to get on with clearing the vegetable beds. The leeks are looking generally a little sorry for themselves. The broad beans look good but will a sharp frost knock them down I wonder. Colder nights are forecast. Early purple sprouting is taking everything in its stride and is looking very good. Still some cabbage left and the garlic is well established as are the over winter onions. It will soon be time to think about sowing tomato seeds! Where does the year go?

Cluck! Cluck! Cluck!

   Well I got a tree and its up and decorated.
  This years chicks are really coming into lay. I am now getting up to five eggs a day from them and they are coloured white, blue, light brown and dark brown.
    I am still  getting produce from the garden. Cabbage, few small carrots, parsnips, leeks and various herbs. Be nice if the chickens left the beetroot alone but those leaves will recover eventually. Broad beans are standing the weather well but their testing time is yet to come. A little more weeding but the ground is really saturated and I really need to avoid stepping on it. I have straightened up edges of beds taking advantage of the soil being diggable! The chickens love me when I do this. Lots of worms get turned over and they dice with being speared or chopped by fork or spade!
  The weather remains wet and mild. There was one morning of frost this last week but so far it has been a mild winter. Trying to get out there and fork/weed what I can. The coldest part will be in January to March no doubt.

   Not gardening but it is interesting. A grey partridge came to visit as per the photograph above.

Damp and cold

The rising sun

   The cold mornings (there were a couple of mornings of frost) and damp weather along with the days getting shorter and boy are they shortening fast now are a big discouragement to going out and doing stuff in the garden. 22nd December is the shortest day. Anyway, despite that, I have managed to do some weeding and forking along with help of my feathered friends, the chickens who have merrily run the risk of being spiked by my fork to get a worm or two. I have cut another small cabbage left over from the summer drought and there are still a few more that are of an edible size. Plenty of leeks and a few carrots by the look of things in the ground and in storage I have onions and potatoes. Oh, must not forget the squash! Must make soup!
   For reasons only known to a chicken I am now getting five eggs a day. Usually at this time of year one expects one or two if one is lucky. I think it must be because this years chicks are coming into lay.
  So, still much to do but hey ho what gets done gets done. Next years vegetable seeds have been ordered and arrived post haste much to my pleasant surprise! Christmas is starting to take over and I need to go get a tree!

RAIN!

    This last week the weather has been miserable. Heavy showers, wind and too wet to work the ground. Well, what can I expect for November? Least it is not cold and snowing! Temperature wise it has been above freezing and into the teens. Not unusual for November in this part of the world.

Two forked and weeded plots

Big Plot waiting attention!

   Despite the wet and cold progress has been made on weeding and forking beds. I have even had some help from the chickens! I have taken the opportunity to straighten up the beds as over time the edges tend to creep in narrowing the bed.
  Took a look through my seeds and went ahead and ordered more for next year from Real Seeds. It is my assumption that I will still be here next year. Just cannot resist buying vegetable seeds.
  On the chicken front hens continue to lay reasonably well despite the short, wet and cooler days. Usual cleaning out of the coops done.

My helpers....

FROST!

   Well there has been a couple of days of frost this week. I am not surprised it is about the right time of November for frosts to start in my neck of the woods. These two days have been proper frosts, icy and wide spread. Broad beans hit but they will survive. Very tough plants broad beans.

Serious frost

   My bushwhacker has been fixed! New belt put on and off I went and cut the grass. Not before time! Nothing done on the actual veggie beds, too wet and the days too short to be honest!
   On the chicken front the new chick flock has started to lay. Found four eggs but unfortunately  no idea how old. I will now be keeping a daily eye open. Of course whichever hen it was and I have a good idea which one it is, did not lay where she should have! 
   It is about time to start planning next years seed sowing and I think I will be looking to get fresh tomato seed for starters.

More rain and its turning nippy!

   Well it is the middle of November after all. Below zero temperatures forecast for the week end which if I am honest with myself is pretty normal for la Creuse at this time of year. There is a hint of snow and ice in the forecast but if it does then I do not think it will last.
   I have actually had a productive week in the garden. A couple of outside beds forked and weeded. The soil is a little on the heavy side but still workable but I am getting on with it.  I have cut another "summer" cabbage. It was a useful size for one person and will do me a couple of meals and that will actually mean a half plateful of cabbage for each meal. There has been a little wind and my early purple sprouting having managed to survive the heat of the summer and growing a little tall were blown over. I have had to tie each plant to a tomato stake. They should straighten themselves up.

Tied up early purple sprouting

   On the chicken front the "chick" flock have now moved into a new phase. Well one or two have. The coq is now showing more than an interest in them so maybe some eggs soon? He is also crowing. All the chickens are enjoying being in the garden and there are happy hens bobbing up and down finding bugs and worms.

Got what I asked for

      The rain continues. I must not complain but the grass is now getting so long! Hey ho!  The weather continues to be mild and wet but the forecast is for the temperature to drop below double figures over the next few days. Pretty much the norm for this time of year. A  new arrival at Watermeadows. A Brahma hen. She is a nice bird and is settling in well.
    In the outside garden the winter vegetables have really welcomed the rain. My first sowing of broad beans have taken off well and I now fear they will be too advanced to over winter well. Time will tell. The second sowing has just put there heads up. The garlic and over winter onions have put down roots and are sprouting. Good sign. In the brassica bed the winter savoy cabbage is playing catch up and the early purple sprouting is reaching for the sky! The summer cabbage (that's a laugh!) is also playing catch up and I am about to cut the first head. Winter leeks and parsnips have recovered well from the drought and I am expecting a good crop assuming that critters do not eat them first!

Latest addition Brahma hen

First sowing of broad beans

Garlic and onions

Savoy winter cabbage and early purple sprouting

Cabbage

Winter leek bed

Parsnips