Things are looking good

Hey guys, how are we all. Ok, so I forgot to charge the camera batteries again, so I'm afraid we're stuck with photo's from the mobile, so please forgive the quality. As you can see, the entire left side of the plot is now turned over and covered, ready for next season. This pretty much means I can start sowing and planting on time next year, which is an improvement on this year, when what I did sow went in late. The greenhouse has been emptied and cleaned, with shelving installed, and the cauliflowers started, as per the last entry. So what's new. Well, I have started work on turning over the right hand side of the plot, which you can just make out at the front of this picture (again, apologies about the quality). This actually turned out to be a nice surprise. After raking all the flotsam off the top, which mainly consisted of weeds, burnt wood and broken glass, the soil appeared to be in quite good nick. This was confirmed when I started to turn it over. The spade went in quite easily, and the soil falling of the spade crumbled into a nice loam. Bonus. This means a bit less work for the start of next season, as the soil will be pretty much ready to work straight away. Hopefully I should have the entire right hand side turned over by the end of the month, to allow it to be covered with plastic.

A little bit of growth progress. The picture above shows the garlic poking its head out of the soil. I have to admit to being a little sceptical about how well this would do at first, as I thought my soil may hold a little too much water, causing the cloves to rot, but the preperation work incorporating plenty of organic compost into the ground first seems to have donet he trick, with the 'Marco' cloves germinating very well, and the 'Tesco's' cloves follwing slowly but surely. The picture to the lower right of this shows the Senshyu yellow onions germinating quite well also. There are about fifty bulbs growing here, with about ten 'Jamor' shallots alongside, which should also provide around fifty shallots next year. In the greenhouse, the first of the 'All Year Round' cauli's have hatched, giving about fourteen seedlings. Another two rows of these were started on Sunday (albeight a little late, but with the mild autmun seem to be doing ok). These will be ready to plant out around April, giving early cauli's at the mid season point. I have also started off some winter salad leaves under glass, being Niche mixed and Italian mixed. These will be used on a cut and come again basis for at least a couple of months.

One last photo here. These are my musselburgh leeks, which were started in trays at about the end of June this year, then transplanted into beds following the early potatos. Shortly after this photo was taken, which is the leeks on the shed roof drying slightly after being rinsed, they found there way into a casserole, which incidently was delicious.

Well, that's it for the moment, hopefully the next update will have the ground pretty much prepared for next season.

'Till then , take it easy. P.

Getting ready for winter

Hi guys, I'm afraid there are no photo's on this weeks update, due to the fact that I forgot to charge the batteries for the camera. (D'Oh). I promise that I will remember next week. Anyway, down to business. We had the start of our winter frosts at the back end of the week, with light frosts on Thursday and Friday morning, so I thought that I had better take appropriate action. The asparagus crowns have only been in the ground for a couple of weeks, so will be susceptable to the frost. This bed has now been covered with envirofleece. Hopefully this will be enough to protect the crowns until they become established.
Talking of becoming established, all of the 'Marco' garlic that I planted (the stuff that I bought at the garden centre) seems to have set well, as it has all started to sprout, with nice lilac/purple shoots breaking through the soil. There are a few shoots poking through from the tesco garlic as well (the stuff of the fruit and veg counter if you remember), so I am quite pleased with progress there. The frosts should benefit this, and result in nice big bulbs about next June/July.
The Senshyu onions are also starting to poke through, apart from one that I obviously planted upside down, resulting in roots poking out through the soil. This was quickly resolved, and the bulb was planted the right way round.
A bit more of the soil on the left of the plot was turned over and covered. Hopefully, I will be able to finish this next weekend, and start on the right of the plot.
Undercover, I have started off come all year round cauliflowers, ready for planting out in about April time next year. This is really the back end of the sowing time for them, but better late than never.
Well, that's it for this week. Short and sweet I know, but more to come.
Cheers.
P