Kitchen Garden Forum

Lovely post, Westi….

Beautiful morning out there… was hoping to start some Winter digging but, the ground was just too hard, so will have to leave it for another few days.

O.H. Suppose to get milder next week.

Dear Shallot Man, on your advice, i’ll get fork and spade at the ready for next week then…

You may have to decide whether you are on the East or West side of the Country to get the correct digging weather though....

C.

Heatwave already here out in the West, got up to 2.1° today but everywhere is still white.

Car was stuck on the drive today. We had the borehole water treatment system serviced on Thursday, never thought they would turn up in the frost and snow even though it was due, so they ran gallons on water down the drive to create a large ice floe. When I came back from buying potatoes yesterday I went a bit too far down the sloping ice and couldn't get back to my parking spot, in fact the car was slowly sliding further until I put a couple of bricks in the way. I retrieved it this afternoon with hot water under each wheel, sand under the front wheels and a couple of old mats under the rear wheels. Once I got going it was fine, it is 4-wheel drive and it is the first time it's let me down but it was a bit of an extreme test.

Bit bored with the heavy frosts & inability to dig anything but at least I can notice the longer day length. I haven't been down all week so got the itch & tomorrow looks like it will get scratched. Won't be my usual early bird start but the yellow thing is out so should be OK late morning, whether it is a soggy mess or just thawed waits to be seen.

I see we've got a suggested -3C with fog for a long stretch overnight, then still forecast to be -3 on the 9am hour but only mist by then, top tomorrow of 2C and back to -1C by 4pm..
The sunshine today was lovely, very nice in the greenhouse and polytunnel, but not much give outside.

C.

I’ve been out playing in the greenhouse, planting up the last flower bulbs (given as gifts) and having a general de-spider and tidy up! I’ve also moved all my outdoor succulents inside. I’ve lost a couple of lovely cacti, but there is no where else they could go. I’m hoping they may re-sprout from the base, you never know.

Been and had a bonfire and put very well rotted horse manure around my fruit trees….now just having a coffee.

It was colder than suggested, at -5C when I popped in to work at 9am and -2.5C upon return at 10:30am, in foggy enough to put fog lights on. Very spectacular frost on everything and back home sun now breaking through with -1.4C showing.
Coffee next and washing into the drier...

C.

Not sunny as predicted but not raining. Soil still frozen so a bit of change of direction in the chores planned so the 2 apple trees by the shed pruned, & that length of the back fence where they are weeded between the dog proof fencing & the corrugated iron fencing the farmer has in. The rest of the time was sorting out the tunnel where the weeds continue to grow & 11C (was -8C min at some point during the week)! Then a tidy of the seating area which gained me another 2 bags of leaves to mulch down.

No rain predicted for a week or so, so I think I shall get cracking on sorting & doing an inventory of the shed & rebuilding the plastic garden box thing at the back I store the netting/fleece etc in. It didn't fare well with the branch that fell on it from the hedge row but the sheets are intact just the frame bent so a chance to play with the new drill! Then just to paint the shed - nothing on the paint tin but is there a min temp when you shouldn't paint? It quick dry Cuprinol fence paint.

Westi stir the paint thoroughly, as shed stored paint sometimes separates out a bit.

It was above zero today but still lots of frozen ground and ice.

I did dig over one bed, just to allow the frost to penetrate further. I hope it will crack some of the clay and kill a few slugs & snails (is that rather nasty?)

I have to say, Poppy Okotcha who is on the front cover of the February issue of the KG Magazine, is very pretty…

Just sown 54 pots of De Monika broad beans, so you can guess who I have had in my thoughts….precious memories!