Spring, maybe

These are the first of my broad beans. I planted the seeds  in the greenhouse some time ago, but the weather has been so good recently that they have been outside hardening off, and were planted out today. I have put some blood, fish and bone fertiliser round them, also of course some slug pellets, and they are now covered with the fine mesh that is hanging over the fence. I have another 20 coming up, which will be planted out in a week or so.
I have also planted some pea seeds, and it is almost time to plant out my potatoes, which have been chitting in a cool but sunny spot indoors.
Still harvesting purple sprouting broccoli! An excellent crop, no bugs etc, very tender and tasty.
Almost time too to plant carrot, beetroot, lettuce seeds. Too much to do at this time of year!

Strawberry preparations

This is my strawberry cage, now complete, so I can - and have - put slug pellets around the plants. I shall also plant out my 'new' plants that I grew from runners in the autumn, so, weather permitting, I should get a good crop this year.

Lettuce, carrots and beetroot are now germinating in my hotbed, and the broad bean seedlings are doing well, so I will plant those out in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, there is always the purple sprouting broccoli, and a few miserable leeks, plus of course the produce that I froze last year.

I attended our garden club this week, where the speaker was very generous - as he always is - with seedlings etc, so I shall also be planting out some cabbages and some more onions.

Early spring

The first of the season! Small, but very tender, very juicy, very tasty. I have two varieties of rhubarb, and this is the earlier. I don't force it, but am quite happy to wait  until March for the first picking. The later variety is showing, and will be ready in a couple of weeks.
So things must be happening, and it's time to start planting. I have already planted some seeds in my hot bed, which are coming up, but an animal - rat, mole? - has burrowed underneath and the soil looks like the surface of the moon, all craters.  I have also planted some broad bean seeds at home, which have started to come up, so I'll be planting them out in a month or so. Potatoes - they have been 'chitting' for a month - have now got short green shoots and will be planted out next month.
I have started tidying up my strawberries, which have all survived the winter and look very good. The small plants that I grew from runners last year are now ready to be planted out, and I have managed to finish the strawberry cage, so the birds cannot get at them, and I can put slug pellets down.