Progress has been made.

The weather, as expected, has been cold, wet and dull mainly, although the weekend was OK, which let me make some progress. Everything is now dug, but it was very wet underneath, so it was not possible to cultivate the soil to give the kind of fine tilth I need for sowing seeds. So that is to do, possibly this coming weekend. There are of course more pressing things to do (aren't there always?) like putting down some concrete in our greenhouse at home. At the present, it has a path down the middle with soil at either side, but the last 2 years have been bad for tomatoes as there is a virus in the soil. The plants come up, then wilt away and there are no tomatoes. So this year, I'm concreting over the sides and using growbags, and this is now quite urgent, as my tomato plants must be put in.
I helped out at the composting site on Saturday. Hard work, but worthwhile seeing waste turned into black gold.
Also at the weekend, I finished off putting boards round on of my mini-plots to raise the level, and put together a plastic cupboard to keep the bits and pieces - string, trowel, labels, fertiliser, slug pellets, mesh etc - that I normally manage to leave at home. So some progress has been made! Now, if only the weather would perk up....

Ne'er cast a clout....

 It looks like a fine ev ening (and so it was) but the weather man says it will be a cold night, then a cold, wet, windy few days. So I've put a fairly fine mesh cover over the cabbages/lettuces/sprouts. This should protect against the wind and maybe even a little frost. And of course the cabbage white butterflies! (There were lots last year, but it's a little bit early for them this year, so hopefully I've got in first.)

I can't cover up my beans, with their poles, so they will have to take their chances. The French beans are under the green cloche, which will help. The broad beans have been in for a while now, so should be OK.



This weekend, I shall be helping at our composting site. I have mentioned this before - they have an area just inside our main gate where they receive green waste from members of the public (Horticultural Society members only, of course!) and put it in bins with manure and grass to make compost, which is then used on various gardens and plots, for a donation of £1.20 per bag.

We need warmth - but it is cold and wet

 This is my 'mini-plot' for legumes. I planted out broad bean plants and pea seeds a couple of weeks ago, and have just removed the cloches, since there is no frost forecast this week. In front of them are rows of runner bean and French bean seedlings that I have just planted out, but I have covered them with the cloches until they get established. I also have some leek seedlings, which will fill the plot completely, no room for anything else!

This is the onion and root 'mini-plot'. Onion sets are sprouting, as are the parsnips, which I have just covered with a very fine mesh to - hopefully - keep the carrot fly off. Also in this plot are carrots, beetroot and spring onions. No more room here either!







In another 'mini-plot' I have cabbage and sprout seedlings, soon to be joined by some lettuce plants that I have started in a seed bed. In my last 'mini-plot' I have potatoes - which are now showing - and I will have sweetcorn, although it's too soon to plant these out yet. I have just planted the seeds in a propagator, so hopefully they will be big enough to plant out around the middle of June. I also have some courgette plants to put in later, so things ARE happening - at last! IF I can find the room somewhere, I will make successional sowings of carrot, beetroot and lettuce. Also winter cabbages and swedes will need to go somewhere.....

All this of course depends on the weather, but despite there not being frost this week, it is wet and cold - more like March or possibly April