Early Witer bits and bobs.

[Elaine]

Oh that's good Dear OH and Pa Snip

Oh my giddy aunt...I didn't notice it!

[Monika]

I know it's still winter and the worst is presumably still to come, but I have started to sow things! Because I buy a number of gardening magazines as well as the KG, I always end up with lots of surplus free seeds and, although I try to give them away to other gardeners, there are usually lots left, so I have sown some today as "micro-greens" (beetroot, spinach, broccoli, turnip and rocket). They are on a bright windowsill in a fairly cool room and I await developments ....

[Motherwoman]

Good way to use up old seed that might be dodgy on germination too I should think. I tried it once but in the greenhouse where it got slugged, perhaps I'll give it a go indoors. Let us know how it does.

MW

[Ricard with an H]

I know it's still winter and the worst is presumably still to come, but I have started to sow things! .

I'm going in the other direction this year Monika, last year all the seeds I sowed direct-and-late did much better than the ones where I made an effort to get ahead of nature. In-fact I was harvesting French climbing beans in October/November and only just lost my coriander.

Today is day of extremes, wind at 30-plus knots. The rain starts up the valley and is continually horizontal for about 500 metres before if starts to fall to the ground.

Amazing to walk amongst that.

[Monika]

I know, Richard, I am being rather forward, but as the seeds would probably be wasted in any case, I thought I might take the risk. and I have never tried 'micro-greens' before.

Overall, I certainly agree with you that it is much more sensible to sow later because things always catch up and are much happier in warmer weather.

[PLUMPUDDING]

I've just seen a large clump of snowdrops flowering next to the pond.
They must have only just opened because I didn't see them when I walked round the garden a couple of days ago.

The winter flowering honeysuckle and viburnum bodnantense are also flowering well but it was too windy to enjoy their lovely perfume.

[Geoff]

Proper Winter - white over this morning.

[Pa Snip]

No sign of snow here yet, light wind this morning, temperature feels slight chill but quite mild.

We noticed some local roadside daffodils in flower over the weekend

[PLUMPUDDING]

There is a covering of snow today and the roads are very icy but it is a lovely sunny day. Our TV aerial snapped off in the gales on Friday night, the fence blew down and some slates came off the roof. Hope it doesn't cause more damage tonight it is another bad forecast.

How has everyone else fared? I hate it when it is windy day after day with the wind roaring in the trees.

[Monika]

I walked to the allotment this morning in lovely winter sunshine on the white fields. A bit dicey underfoott, but I kept to the fallen snow rather than pressed down by cars or shoes and it was fine.
Luckily, there was no damage on the allotment from the recent horrendous winds, but, having had the allotment for more than 30 years, we are used to the winds there and everything is securely fastened down.
By tonight, the snow has almost gone and it's working up to a stormy night again!

[Shallot Man]

Went and self selected my seed potatoes yesterday. Some 40 varieties to choose from. Also picked up my Red Baron onion sets.

[oldherbaceous]

I'm going to give Monika a go this year, as i have heard good things.....
And yes. i am on about the variety of Broad Bean.

Looks as if we are in for a chilly old spell of weather, i might even roll my shirt sleeves down.

[Monika]

You had me worried there for a moment, OH!

Yes, I grew broad beans de Monica this last year and they performed very well, better than Masterpiece Green Longpod and Witkiem Manita which I also grew. So I am certainly growing them again this year. On our windy site, a shortish plant with lots of beans is always important (hence previously growing Witkiem Manita), but de Monica was better. We are still eating the frozen ones at least once a week.

[Motherwoman]

Well winter came indoors yesterday and we flooded. Came downstairs to find water running in around the west side of the house and within 15 minutes we had 2" of water across the sitting room floor. Spend 4 hours sucking it out with the workshop vac (half a gallon at a time!) the first hour and a half only just keeping pace with it coming in. It was just coming up through the stone floor. Himself was outside trying to find the source and it appears that the water table has got so high that we've got a new spring just to one side of the front porch, bubbling up through the ground and depositing right by the house wall (no foundations in that section, just sat on a rag stone base)so it went through the gaps and up into the floor.

Luckily there is a step down into that room so we were able to contain it and it was clean water, must be awful to have sewage coming in, this was bad enough. Rug looks a bit sad... and furniture has wet legs but it'll recover.

So trench dug and now the water is heading out through the front gate, just like someone has turned a tap on. In nearly 20 years we've not had that one before. Electric went off of course on the bottom ring main so electrician came out (bless him) to isolate the trouble spots and get the kitchen back on. So all in all a funny day yesterday.

MW

[Pa Snip]

MW
Sorry to hear that you experienced that

Definitely not funny in a haha way.

Hope everything returns to normal for you soon MW and that this is not the start of a recurring problem.