Late Winter Bits and Bobs - 2017.

[tigerburnie]

I don't only grow for cost benefits, flavour is my main driver, last year I built a tall "igloo" from canes and covered it with fleece to get some Sweetcorn, as we don't get enough heat up here to ripen a lot of crops outside. My greenhouse will have a dozen or more sweetcorn in it this year, I'll also have strawberries under glass and even sweet peas for early and late cut flowers. It is a hobby first and foremost, just a happy advantage that I can eat tasty crops as a side benefit.

[Monika]

For the last three years I have been growing carrots under a 'grow frame' (1mx3m), covered with very fine mesh to keep out carrot root fly. Unfortunately, the little blighters still found their way in, presumably whilst it was open at weeding time. The fine mesh also prevented the rain, other than really hard downpours, to get through. So this year I am not bothering to grow carrots at all, as much as we like the young, tiny ones.
Luckily, we are not often bothered with cabbage white butterflies and I only protect the young brassica plants against bird damage.

[Ricard with an H]

The enviromesh didn't survive storms when I just laid it over hoops and weighted it down with stones but it doesn't ,over at all now trapped and clamped between slate battens one of which is screwed to the edges of my beds. I had to keep improving once I started, or give up. My first cabbages were just blown away after being uprooted by the wind. My first garlic was so desiccated by the early spring winds that the foliage went yellow and was leaning on the soil.

[Westi]

What a day at lottie. Went down in bright sunlight & got a bit done, then along came the the squally showers interspersed with sunshine & then amongst this 2 hail storms. Even though in & out of the shed managed to get the 1st earlies in, cleared the kale bed & 1/2 the Frilly Sprouts that had gone to flower, managing to get a plastic shopping bag of crop from them first, harvested 2 cauliflowers - one huge monster weighing over 3 lbs - just 2 more left, but they are well behind the others fortunately, as freezer is a bit full of today's harvest & that's after giving 1/2 away. PSB is heading nicely so something else to look forward to very soon.

A cold, very damp & muddy day but very satisfying.

[robo]

Terrible day here none stop heavy rain and sleet all day , I went to a local farm for a bale of straw to put in the chicken run to try and get them out of the mud I got a thorough soaking for my troubles

[Geoff]

That'll teach me!
Sowed Masterpiece Green Longpod Broad Beans in rootrainers in the greenhouse yesterday. This morning I found they had been excavated. I had suspicions there was a mouse in there as I had lost a couple of Sweet Peas so I had set a trap but they obviously prefer beans to cheese. I usually put the plastic covers on but didn't this time. Looks like today I shall have to check and re-sow, luckily I haven't emptied the packet, find some more traps and put the covers on. I did catch a mouse in the tunnel last night beside where I had spotted a hole.

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[Ricard with an H]

Try peanut butter rather than cheese, or a regular two or three stations with tomcat blocks which are very palatable to mice and rats.

[tigerburnie]

Should we not be on an "Early Spring bits and bobs" now?

[Westi]

Perhaps we should Tiger, but Mother Nature keeps reminding us not to be too keen!

Still feels late winter on some days, but then she teases you into thinking it might be time - just to remind you it has to be Early, Early Spring bits & bobs as then goes & ruins that celebration as well! OH will guide us through the seasons, but expect he may be snowed in & lost internet connection!

[tigerburnie]

I've been on the local beach fishing for flat fish all day in the sunshine, passed the gritters on the way home, no sign of a frost outside though

[robo]

We had heavy sleet yesterday mixed in with rain we have not had anything resembling spring
Tigerburnie any plaice showing up your way yet

[oldherbaceous]

It is forthcoming!!!!!

[tigerburnie]

We had heavy sleet yesterday mixed in with rain we have not had anything resembling spring
Tigerburnie any plaice showing up your way yet

No just flounders and the one Turbot, Plaice I had last year were June and July time