All thanks to Claire...

...that I'm starting up this blog again. As you can see from the new title photo - things have changed quite a bit in...ahem...5 years.

And about time too...

...that I updated this blog. Not that everything has stopped on the plot in the last 6 months - far from it. It just seems I lost the desire to keep it updated. Well there's an imminent arrival that's distracted me rather slightly. Yes a tiny pair of wellies has been growing in my belly and should make an appearance in the next 2 weeks or so. So until then I'm going to catch up with some blogging now that I'm a lady of leisure.

April so far

Last weekend (4th/5th) was a busy one - two full days on the plots.
I planted out the broad beans...And transplanted the peas into the same bed. I love the way they almost instantly know where and what to curl their tendrils around.

I also planted out the yellow mange tout up against the hazel and chicken wire frame I'd put together.

And on Sunday we put in most of the potatoes - Nadine & Charlotte, with only the Pink Fir Apples to go.
I also sowed lots of flowers - poached egg plant, love-in-a-mist, cornflowers and two kinds of poppies.

Patience is...

...having to wait another 2 years before I can harvest any of these.

There will be fruit

Over the last 2 weeks or so the fruit bushes have been showing their minute flowers to the outside world and I noticed this evening that the bumble bees were doing the rounds.

The gooseberries are covered in tiny, delicate blooms and if the frosts hold off then it looks like we should get a decent crop (dare I say it maybe even a glut? I hope so).

The reliable blackcurrants are putting on a good show too.

The redcurrant that I moved out from underneath the Bramley apple is thriving and has lots of tiny trusses of flowers.

And the most exciting of them all is that the cordon apples have hints of blossom.

March

Seeing as we're almost half way through April I'd best write down what we managed to get done on the plot last month. All the weekends were spent at the plot (apart from the last week where we skived off for a week's snowboarding!!).

We finished the asparagus bed and planted the crowns....hopefully we've done it right.We set up the wires and posts for the cordon apples and planted them.
Decided on where the plum, gage, damson and crab apple should go - top of Plot 85 and planted them. The soil on that section hasn't been dug (as far as I know) for at least 3 years and it's solid clay. So we weeded where we were going to plant the trees as best as possible, filled the holes with compost and then have covered the whole area in weed suppressant fabric and wood chips to stop the docks and other nasties in reappearing.

Sowed an early sowing of carrots (under fleece), beetroot (white & red) and some fast growing turnips (for something new) and when we visited last weekend there are signs of seedlings.

April so far is proving just as busy....

Gourmet Lunch

The lovely thing about being able to go home for lunch is that some days you can treat yourself to something like this.



Steamed new season purple sprouting broccoli with a poached egg on homemade toast....it was really yummy! This is definitely our asparagus stand-in until we start producing our own...