Spuds are in, a glorious Sunny day

Finally got all my potatoes in today.   various crops (see previous post for this years bought varieties).

 

Also dug up these Parsnips today,   a nice surprise.

 

The Plot coming along.   next week will need to dig the onion zone.   

After a hard days work - the joys of a harvest

I picked the very last of my winter/spring crops today.

So this is it now, until the new sowings come to fruition.

Today I picked all the leeks.  They were late in, but thanks to a mild winter they have grown.  But talking to some of the older gentlemen, they were advising me to pick all the leeks, with some of the leaves turning yellow, its a sign that they are ready to be picked and a danger of going to seed.

So I decided to up the lot.    We will decide tomorrow what to do with them,  but will probably freeze half of them.   Going to make some very different leek dishes this week!!

After giving them a rinse in the sink,   i put them into a bowl to soak for a while before trimming and cutting off the roots.



Also had a nice surprise today.   I thought I had picked the last of my sprouting brocolli a few weeks ago.  But some new shoots had come,  but this is definately the end of the brocolli now.  you can tell some of it is too tough, so a lot went to waste,   but this is what i retrieved for my final brocolli picking of the season...

 

 

This winter has been terrible for white fly.    it hasnt been cold enough to kill the white fly off.  Dont think mum was too impressed with me filling the kitchen with the white fly (LOL!)

So after washing,   you need to soak in SALT WATER for a while,   before giving the brocolli a really good wash.   

Next year, I will definately be growing my brassicas under netting.   (Brassicas are cabbage, cauliflower, kale, brocolli, etc)

Saturday afternoon - Trees a cropper!

After my friends left me,  i decided to crack on with some other jobs.

One of them,   chopping down my Tree.    I used just a hand saw   (Yes! - not ideal but its cheaper!!!) and i am suffering this evening writing this.  The gym definately is not needed.

Left : The Tree's still standing tall and proud/

I cant believe i used just a saw!!

 Half way there.  Blimey!!!

Dead proud of my effort.       I do need to cut a little more off the left hand stump. I am then going to create a bench, by nailing a flat piece of wood across the top of the stumps.

Happy knackering days!!!

Saturday morning - Paths a laying

What a fantastic Sunny day (although it looked like i may be rained off at one point, im pleased to say the rain stayed away).

Busy,   is a understatement for the day I had today.

Cracked on laying my paths.   Ann Feary came down and gave me a hand, and then Kev McDonnell followed and also gave me a hand for a hour or two, helping to cut the wood down.

ABOVE :   Busy, section A of the side path layed,   and splitting the plot into easy to manage segments

 I am splitting the plot into easy to manage sections aswell.  each section will have a small path for me to get down.  hoping this effort now will make it easier than it has been previous years.

.
 For the main path, i am using black cloth weed control sheets, and then laying wood chippings on top.

   Thanks Kev and Anne for helping with this.

This next photo shows one of the plots (obviously digging needs to be done again, even though its been dug one this year already!!.   I will be back down tomorrow to dig this section over.  Looking good though.

Spring has sprung - the first leeks are picked

I cant believe its march the 1st already.  fortunately we have had a nice couple of weekends so for once, i dont feel like im chasing my tail (so to speak)

I decided the ground was too wet in February to sow anything, so the broad beans are in the conservatory and looking good, will transplant them when they are big enough to handle.   The november sown broad beans, have survived the mild but wet winter, and they are looking superb at the moment, ready for their february sown sister plants to join them.

I did harvest my first leeks of the year today, i picked the four biggest, so i think i will leave the rest until easter to let them get a tad bigger,  but the ones picked today, do look good.     Leek and potato soup or cockaleeki coming up, i feel.  (I am considering doing a harvest, cook n store blog - to run alongside this blog)

Back to preparing.  on my windowsill i have got my potatoes chitting,  and if the ground has dried up somewhat, then i will look to get these into the ground over the next couple of weekends (if signs of heavy frosts have gone, lets face it we havent had too many this winter (although i did need to use the deicer this morning)).   Onions and garlic are also ready to be sown, again just waiting for the ground to dry out a tad.

Today I decided to start laying a path.  bought some edging in morrisons (only £2) and quite impressed, should do its job.  would prefer something stronger but then you would pay through the nose too, and this should do its job for a path edging.

I laid my old weed covers (wasnt impressed with these and wont buy them again - but will be good enough to hold off weeds and be a underlay for a path).

I then bought some wood chippings, and laid the wood chippings on top.   but several bags will be needed to be purchased.

Also today, dug out a lot of awful nettle roots around the tree.   i am planning on chopping the tree down and using the two stumps to make a bench.

Behind the tree stump, made a mini flower bed,  1 rose bush, 1 red current bush and 1 black currant bush sown, and then a load of blue flower seeds chucked down.   just a little rest area.