Kitchen Garden Forum

Westi wrote:I'm assuming the lack of posts is entirely due to everyone taking advantage of the wonderful weather we have been having?

Well I was away, I'm training for a charity walk I am doing in June (I did a lot of walking when young - DofE, Ten Tors etc when young but that was four decades ago and this is 18 miles in Snowdonia), the 'lottie is looking good and I am aware that it is too early for most things, so haven't got much to say.

Stephen. Best of luck.

Well the wee taste of summer was short lived but greatly enjoyed by me. Fortunately I wasn't tempted to go silly & plant anything & everything, but still relieved the long range forecast is not showing any minimum temps to indicate a frost down here but keeping the fleece handy!

Good luck with the charity walk Stephen!

I seen the first cabbage white butterfly today

Seems rather dark this morning…..

Four 30' rows of spuds went in yesterday.

Distinctly chilly here today compared with last week. Ni wonder how many newby geowers will have rushed out and sown their seeds.
Our magnolia bush petals have overnight shown their displeasure at the temperature drop and are now scattered over the grass.

We are both suffering from the aftermath of Covid here so staying tucked indoors with the heating on. Even with triple jabbing it can still leave you feeling very washed out.

Bit tatter's here this morning.

Forgot to mention that we yesterday received a DEFRA notice for our area about Avian Flu, informing us we must keep any chickens, ducks,geese etc under cover due to rising cases in our wrea. Doesn,t affect us but wonder how much of the country is now affected by this horrible disease. I did read that all supermarkets are now having to label former free range eggs as "barn eggs" now most birds are having to live under cover. A shame for the birds now that better weather is coming when they would enjoy being outside.

One three day weekend and nearly all of 17 & a third of 18 dug and rotovated. The dug part of 18 now full of spuds, eight by thirty foot long rows, Foremost 1&1/2, Charlotte 4&1/2, Desirée 2.
Next job the onion sets and elephant garlic on 17.

Oops! Latest weather predicting possible snow - my phone is saying sleet & -1C min on Thursday. I've nothing planted that I should worry about, but I will protect just in case as they won't be happy. Definitely protecting my broad beans, it's my 6th sow, with rats & mice taking the rest (both seeds & baby plants) & these are just up, under 3 layers of netting & every brick or block holding it down as well as metal staples & chilli spray. Considering the length of time waiting for them I don't want to loose these as well.

My my Peter that's an awful lot of spuds!

Westi, I'm sorry to hear of the predation of your broad beans. I certainly get birds attacking them, chopping the seedlings off at ground level. Mine are OK under netting (so far).

I hurriedly put in about the same amount of early potatoes as Peter yesterday to try and plant before rain was forecast. Incidentally when cutting large tubers in half to plant do people cut then longways or sideways?

Barney

Cider Boys wrote:I hurriedly put in about the same amount of early potatoes as Peter yesterday to try and plant before rain was forecast. Incidentally when cutting large tubers in half to plant do people cut then longways or sideways?

Barney

I always did it longways.

Cider Boys wrote:.....yesterday to try and plant before rain was forecast. ...... Barney

Looked at the forecast this morning, every day out till Monday has a chance of rain.........