Full blown Spring Bits and Bobs. - 2017

[Monika]

Planted our last broad beans from root trainers today - not ideal weather as it is very sunny and warm, but I puddled them well in and hope that the rain expected over the weekend will do the rest! The celeriac is also in the ground, so we had better not get any heavy frost ....

[Monika]

Any rain in the offing with you? We had some drizzle at noon but that's all so far. Desperately need some.

[tigerburnie]

No rain up here just a cool east wind and a sea haar, I can't see more than a few hundred yards just now

[Westi]

We got rain last night! It was great as started off nice & light (very) for an hour or so before getting heavier & as it was fairly cloudy today the soil is still nice & moist. Some more to come as well so might see some development & growth start finally!

[robo]

We have had a couple of light showers nothing worthwhile

[Geoff]

0.51 mm so far, I suppose it's a start, means the watering dries up more slowly!

[Stephen]

On the BBC website http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39897774
I'm not in the least surprised, we could all see this coming a couple (or more) weeks ago.
Like Primrose in Bucks, here in the western fringe of Herts, it is bone dry.

[Clive.]

Seeing as I made a re-appearance on the forum earlier with ref aeroplanes......Whilst I'm about here's an update of KG progress at home here this year so far.
Bunyards Exhibition Broad Beans sown in situ now have stakes and strings in place and are 8 inches high and moving well. Early Onward Peas sown again in situ, I'm sure every one came up and I have a very full row, best looking I've had for years. post and wire net up on one side, canes against this as out of ash and/or hazel sticks.... Touching wood, the Pigeons are busy stripping the whole field of Peas at the bottom of the garden and have no need to hit mine at all.?...silly thing to write............

Radeo Pea row using 2015 seed is not such a full row as the above but looking better already having lifted off the wire cover today..and put up the posts and wire net.

Runner bean canes about to go up...This year my regular comment of waiting to see the first person returning from Boston May Fair before sowing the Runner Beans has actually happened...as the other Saturday when calling in the town for a takeaway there was one of my work colleagues and his little lad...Just come back from the Fair at Boston he said...

Early Potatoes moving well, Casablanca, never grown before so unknown quantity, just caught frost on a couple of leaves only.

Regular Kestrel up and hilled along with Nadine which I don't recall having grown here before.?

No Carrots or Parsnips sown and greenhouse and frames out of use.

Spent some time on the cordon fruit trees earlier in the year, thin out and replace of canes and repair of posts...other small root stock apples have been/are full of blossom. I bought a new plum whip, Purple Pershore, but didn't get it to its planting location so it's going to have to remain in its heeled in location pending later in the year. I have a hunch that it might be the same as the unknown ones that we had at at my grandparents.

Trip out needed to local nursery for a few more canes for the beans.

Clive.

[Ricard with an H]

Perfect day for drying out the soil today, 50% cloud with a stiff (20 knots plus) breeze from the south with a titch of east in it. The roof slates are rattling so that suggests easily up to 35 knots in gust speeds.

My main concerns for water are the hedging bare root plants I planted in the top of our garden banks, they are sprouting and they need to search for water so is it a good idea to water daily once they show signs of life ?

I'm embarrassed to tell you that only half of my kitchen garden plot has been planted, I'm so embarrassed I may even give you some photos of the neglect the bees are still feasting on the kale blossoms so how about that for an excuse for neglect ?

[oldherbaceous]

Evening Clive, lovely to see a post from you.....you have been missed.

Richard, it's still early in the year, so you still have plenty of time.

[Monika]

Richard, don't worry about being late. Our allotment and vegetable garden at home is still amazingly empty but we daren't sow anything until we have had some rain - it drizzled for about 20 minutes here yesterday but nothing else. It will all catch up, it always does.

[Clive.]

The extra canes for the Beans have been purchased, a few Red Sun shallots too that were needing a good home, a Helenium hoopsii and a Genista, houseplant....

Beans now sown at the canes and ground worked for the few shallots, a job for the morning.

The Radeo Peas, released from under the wire, I'm sure have grown an inch today already and were happily waving about in the wind strengthening up ready for the climb.

Clive.

[Ricard with an H]

Ok, photos today when the sun pops up and thanks for support. I do have French climbing beans about four inches tall that were sown direct and kept under cloches, garlic is sprouting nicely though some didn't sow so I planted more in the spaces. My onions are just starting to show, and some direct sown dwarfing Cosmos isn't doing much.

I've given up on germinating and potting under a Velux window in my man-cave. They do germinate but just get leggy. Same with the cold frame I built, because it has timber sides and thing growing in there initially gets leggy.

I'm now looking at alternatives to the time consuming raising from seed indoors, I have identified a suitable greenhouse to be fitted on the west side of our shed but as soon as the fun-starts looking healthy something else becomes more important.

To buy a greenhouse that is a permanent asset to the whole property I need over £3000. I doubt it's going to happen.

[Pawty]

Hi,

Wow - everyone's been so busy! I have seedlings in every window of the house but not planted out yet - we often get a frost mid may.

We had rain - and lots of it. Fantastic!

No lotty this weekend - had to visit my mum in laws to clear out a barn which is being used for a family wedding soon. Having to remove a 20 year old wood collection in a covert operation.... I'm sure they won't miss it. We also found every part needed to build a metro ..... apparently it was my husbands 'project' when he was 16... he didn't finish it and I'm wondering what my chances are of him finishing my raised beds at the lotty.

Potting on tonight - cucumelons and courgettes.

Pawty

[Geoff]

1 mm yesterday followed by sun and wind so it soon disappeared, 1.3 mm overnight but the sun's out. Looks like I've got to wait until Monday and Tuesday for proper rain. Lining up inside jobs, Tomatoes might get planted early and lots of potting on of flowers.