Today was supposed to be the driest day of the holiday weekend… instead we have had just about every type of weather in rolling successions. Still, plants had to be planted and seeds had to be sown.
Jobs completed today:
- Planted my parsnips… first time I have tried these
- Planted some more fennel plants
- Planted out my Rainbow Chard
- Planted my cos and salad bowl lettuce
- Finally planted my leeks from last year.. however I beginning to think they may be spring onions… I will have to wait and see what they do.
- Sowed Picante peas, white beetroot, red beetroot and radish.
I have covered the new planting with metal mesh, not environ-mesh. This will keep the pigeons off but let the rain and the sun in.
One more bed completed:
A New Bed of Parsnips, Chard, Fennel, Peas and Beetroot.
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There is something compelling about the ritual of tying our holidays with the demands of the agricultural year.
- My potatoes were planted at the Easter Break and now their little leaves are poking through the ground and needing to be covered up again.
- The first May bank holiday means planting the climbing peas and beans directly into the ground… so that they will break through after the risk of frost has all but past.
- The next bank holiday at the end of May will allow me to put the more tender vegetables out.. the courgettes, sweetcorn and squash.
These breaks in the routine of work to concentrate on the routine of nature are very satisfying and every hour invested now in preparing the soil, weeding and planting will reap rewards at harvest time.
Unfortunately I only have one three metre bed left to sow, and have got parsnip, fennel, chard and lettuce ready to go in it, as well as more peas, beetroot and radish seeds to plant. I am going to be waiting for crops to finish before I can find room for the tender plants…. this is a yearly problem.
Summary of the jobs completed today:
- Planted Brussels Sprouts which we will have with our Christmas Dinner
- Planted Purples Sprouting which we can have later in Autumn and should see us through the ‘hungry gap’
- Planted Black Kale.. which I love.. and apparently taking a few leaves at a time from each plant means a long harvest
- Sowed three 1m rows Nantes carrots in with the Brassicas
- Assembled the mesh cover for this bed.
- Sowed climbing peas (Telephono), climbing borlotti beans and climbing purple French beans
- Weed all the bed.. concentrating on the obliteration of the pesky couch grass- cut and pull, cut and pull.. easy when it has just been raining…
- Harvest yummy rhubarb.. I have a lot on the plot, so I cut the thin tender stalks which are the nicest. I have no fear of killing the plants as I have been trying to reduce their footprint for two years, and frankly they are winning.
Here are the progress pictures:
Huge Cloche for Brussels, Broccoli, Kale and Carrots
Pak Choi, Kohl Rabi, Fennel, Lettuce and Broad Beans
Currants, Gooseberries and Raspberries covered in flowers
The 'Before' picture of the Monster rhubarb
And here is the results of the first harvest of the year, served with Rachel’s Organic Rice Pudding
First Harvest Rhubarb and Rice Pudding
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Nutty as a Fruitcake 