Last week on the plot

Some form of witchcraft had occurred and the sky had changed colour for the first time in a month. I was so giddy I didnt know what to do first!

Obv running down to the allotment was top of the list

and with the main crop spuds going in a month later than planned that was the first job of the day

A row of Kestrel and Rooster went in. Neither of which I've grown before.

The blue lake French beans I started a weeks ago and which have been hardening off in the garden for the past 2 weeks were desperate to get in the ground. However, this called for desperate things such as lashing and tying knots, which given my girl guide time I should have been a lot better at, but maybe the scouts got too much of my attention!

Was also given some stringless runner beans, which I'm not overly convinced about, but I'll give them a go, and if nothing else will add nitrogen to the soil. I'm kinda hoping that as they look a bit like Jack's beans that they grow into the sky and I get me a golden goose (might be mixing fairy tales now)

Last year, if you recall, or maybe I didnt write about it, but anyway, my cauliflowers did look vaguely like this

However, I forgot to net them sufficiently and the flippin pigeons had them stripped to stalks within minutes.

I forgot to take a photo but they are all under the green net tunnels so can hopefully get to a really good size unscathed.

The asparagus that I moved last year (either 8 or 10 crowns, I forget) is doing well and is producing some much nicer spears that it was doing in the old location. I'm not going to harvest anything off them this year to give the plants a good time to establish. Next year though there should be a really good crop, and the bed should then work for about 20 years or so!

(I have weeded since this photo was taken)

This spot nearest the shed I am going to turn into a semi-permanent salad bed. I'm planning on planting through the weed membrane with chilli's and peppers in a month or so and also making a wind break out of the plastic bottle's I've been saving for ever! We'll see how it works out. I'm pleased with how its turning out, and I just need to construct a few more beds.

I was given a crab apple tree, which probably need moving as I think it maybe a bit close to the boundary of my neighbours plot. Will reassess when I'm next down there. Its only on a small plug root at the moment, so moving wont be an issue.

Also sown (but not photographed) another 3 or 4 rows of carrots, and 2 rows of beetroot, and a row of spring onions.

These are 2 varieties of swede. I've not had any luck growing them straight in the ground before so thought I'd try and experiment germinating on kitchen paper and then transferring to cardboard tubes to grow on before planting out like I did with the parsnips. Speaking of which they are looking fab.

There is so much ready in one of the greenhouses to move either into bigger pots or to plant out, but the weather could do with warming just a little bit more, and there have been rumours of frost at the weekend which wont do most of them any good.

Busy and productive couple of days. Have harvested lots of purple sprouting broccoli, rhubarb and leeks this week

Greenhouses and Compost

First job this morning was to get the cover back on the greenhouses ready for plants to go out into them in a few weeks when its warmed up a bit more. The 6x4 wasnt as difficult to get the cover back on as I thought it would be

Also got the covers on the two smaller ones so they're all ready now to bed filled up with plug trays.

Just behind the smaller greenhouses is the worm composter. The bottom section was completely filled and not allowing the water to drain so I scooped the worms and the associated compost into one of the other sections. I may need to transfer some of the worms down to the allotment compost bins as they have really been breeding over the winter and I think they may have reached critical mass.

There are a couple of snowdrops out in the garden and the snowflakes are opening as well. Also the quince tree has flower buds appearing which is really exciting. 

The liquid (tea) that had drained from the worm bin I have decanted into squash bottles and took to the allotment. It is a really good liquid feed and completely natural for the veggies and is used diluted 1/10.

The first job on the plot last year was to sort out the compost bins and the same has happened this year. I'd covered them at the end of last season and they were literally bulging over the top of the bins when everything was cleared. Today, their volume had reduced by about half.

Six barrow loads moved from this bin

 The bin where everything has been moved that was not completely rotted down has been recovered with black plastic to help keep it warm and damp and hopefully it will rot down quite quickly.

I'm now home, absolutely exhausted and slightly achy. Its a good kind of tired though.