It might still feel like winter outside but the planting season is with us again.
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| Garlic looking good. |
The garlic and onions were planted before Christmas in the tunnel and are doing well,
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| Broad beans in the tunnel. |
the broad bean seeds were planted in modules last month, they have grown well and have now been planted, some in the tunnel and the rest outside, we have found that overwintering broad beans gives us no advantage, they don't crop any better or earlier than seeds planted in January. This weekend spinach and leek seeds will be sown in modules, parsnips will be sown directly into the ground the end of next week. We are following the advice given in the 'Planting by the Moon' book, it will be interesting to see if it does make much difference. We have also planted a dozen 'Charlotte' seed potatoes in one of the beds in the tunnel, hopefully they will give us an early crop of new potatoes.
There are all sorts of things coming into flower in the garden, Tete- a-Tete,
dwarf daffodils, plus the larger daffs, so very early this year,
todays surprise were the Anemone Blanda, I had quite forgotten that I had planted them,
and at last the snowdrops are out. The tulips are up three inches so it wont be long before they start flowering.
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| Early primroses. |
There are even primroses out in the countryside banks.
The weather really has been so mild, I just wish it would stop raining.
We even had a bumble bee visiting earlier this week, sunning itself on one of the rare sunny days that we have.
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| Three of the seven rabbit kits. |
The rabbit kits that were born just before Christmas have all grown well and today were removed from mum into their own quarters, we haven't sexed them yet, hopefully we will find time next week to do this.
It will soon be time to get our table birds ordered, possible the end of next month, depending on the weather, we will also be buying in day old ducklings rather than rearing our own, cost wise it makes very little difference.
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| I still need to tidy it up a bit. |
I don't seem to have done much this winter, I knitted one jumper and have made a couple of baskets,
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| Freddy helping me on the second basket. |
plus I made a couple of papier-mâché bowls, it was something I never did as a kid for some reason, it's quite fun and relaxing. I think I have actually gone into a semi hibernation state, waking up to grey skies is not exactly inspiring. Real spring will happen, I just wish it would hurry up.
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| View to the Arigna mountains. |
Like you, I am impatient for Spring to arrive, so that I can get some plants going! Our temperatures are still fluctuating wildly - night-time temp on Wed/Thurs was -4, and Fri/Sat was +8.
ReplyDeleteYes I know what you mean Mark, some nights are warmer than the daytime temperatures, very weird.
DeleteKnitted a jumper and made some baskets...not much, that's great work, well done. I'd be proud of that. Your plants look good. I planted some garlic this year too for the first time. My snowdrops are only just showing through here, your gardens taken off before mine.
ReplyDeleteIt's all very strange here BG, daffs out before snowdrops, Rhubarb ready for picking.
DeleteHi Anne. Someone was asking on the smallholder group on Facebook. Do you mind re-posting the link to your successful setting 2-day marmalade? Most kind. Cheers
ReplyDeleteIt's a bit of a weird feeling knowing that I won't be sowing many seeds this year now that I don't have the allotment. I'm still going to be growing my tomatoes and potatoes though but I don't think there will be much else this year. My tete a tetes have been flowering for a while but the big daffodils are just starting to bloom and the snowdrops are out too. The rest of the bulbs haven't done so well this year.
ReplyDeleteI suspect a lot of bulbs have rotted Jo with all the rain, only half of my crocus have come up and there's big gaps where I planted lots of tulips.
ReplyDeleteHello There. As usual, you are off to a great start and your garden is in bloom. Send us your rain and i'll give you some of our heat. Only one 40 degree day this week. I've returned from my break away to find a crisp veggie garden Big Cleanup and prune tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteAll the early seed planting is now done, next month it will be potatoes, tomatoes and squashes plus first peas and French beans, it never seems to stop once we start planting.
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving me glimpse of Spring in Ireland.. It will be another few months before we can plant anything here. So tulips are poking out of the ground because of the warm weather. Freddy is such a beautiful cat. Did you make the basket from local willow. Its beautiful. The bunnies have grown up. My best to you.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't realised how much later your spring is in New England. Freddy is an absolute darling, he follows me around like a little dog and still has his passions sucking on my jumper or whatever I happen to be wearing. Yes the basket was all made from willow and dogwood growing in the garden.
ReplyDeleteWow, spring has arrived and the garden has already started to bloom! I had to go back to England a couple of weeks ago and I was able to see the daffodils and blossom on the trees..but so cold! xx
ReplyDeleteIt has been mild here but wet. I hope the interview went well.
ReplyDelete