and the start of a forecasted few days of “sunshine”.

So the sweet peas were planted outside, under cane wigwams which were then protected for a couple of weeks with fleece to hamper unwanted nibbling – evident in the missing tops of many of the onion shoots.

The outdoor sown broad beans are really catching up with those grown in a polytunnel, all being in flower.

Home started cucumber plants look healthy and await planting in a polytunnel.

And among the many springtime jobs, posts were erected for the climbing beans’ framework.

26th April, a breeze (coldish wind), not that ideal for rolling mypex but patches covered over the winter, need to be exposed prior to adding manure and rotovation.

Jobs done included the erection of pea supports prior to sowing and that continuous task of weeding; typically weeds continue their onward progress of growing quicker than the specifically sown veg seeds.

Coolish night temperatures mean it’s not wise to transfer eg sweetcorn outdoors, while protected under cover the peas and broad beans are making good progress.

Fingers crossed for the sweet peas to be planted out next week and more fingers crossed the seedlings will not be eaten… please.

A week later and initially indoor jobs were favoured due to the bitter wind. Leaves continued to be harvested, while timber and screweyes were fixed to add support for future tomato plants.

However the wind dropped and it was pleasantly warmer in the sun while carrying out repairs, improvements to the watering system and outdoor veg picked – broccoli, kale, etc.

It’s now the end of March and work progresses well, whether it be chopping hard brassica stems to fine fibres so they can be added to the compost bin, planting strawberry crowns outdoors and picking more salad leaves grown under cover. It’s so good to see healthy green colours at this time of the year.

Let’s hope so, as there was definitely a touch of Spring in the air today.

Last season’s crops are coming to an end but still yielded a take-home box of veg for each household.

Today we were blessed with dry weather and even after recent rain, the claggy soil didn’t stop us from sowing onion sets, many hands certainly speeding the work.

Today was the planned first meeting of the year, chiefly in order to sow onion sets, (far quicker with more pairs of hands). But an overnight frost meant the ground was too hard.

However

veg were harvested to provide good take-home boxes, while looking ahead to this year’s crop, the autumn-planted garlic is growing well.

It’s nearly Christmas, 21st December, a dull, misty day to round off the year but we each took home a box similar to this – a good final harvest for 2017.

Happy Christmas everyone.

I’ve had computer problems, so this is a catch-up.

Mid-November and in preparation for the next year, mypex was removed, patches rotavated and the mypex replaced.

Carrots were dug up, dying leaves of brassicas stripped and cleared, bean vines removed and the cane supports dismantled.

The amount harvested will be decreasing but as can be seen from the photos of veg shares, today we took home carrots, beetroot, rocket, turnip, cauliflower, calabrese and red cabbage.

Adding this on 11th December; we had snow yesterday.