Blue Skies
Hello Everyone,
Well, what a beautiful week of blue skies and warm days not to mention the longer days. More work is completed as the sun increases enthusiasm and energy. Total ‘Wellbeing’ boost.
Everything and everywhere looks better in this light. Not to mention the shoots of fresh new growth magically appearing…like friends from the past turning up to the party.
The Farm
Soooo much work, from the list, has been started or completed. The direct sowing for March is now complete and the seeds have geminated…the Radish are through! We only had to sow the Beetroot seeds for the last tick on this list.
The Onion sets are now in the ground. We plant red and yellow Onions and both are in the Pond Field, ready to root and grow. Once the tiny green shoots show we tend to cover the bed to prevent the pesky pigeons from playing ‘pick the shoot’. The pigeons don’t actually eat them, they must think they are a worm and pick them out of the ground before any roots have established. Fun for them, frustrating for us.
What crops were ready to go out from the greenhouses are now all out. We are left with the summer fruiting crops of Tomatoes, Aubergines, Peppers and Chillies and the second sowings of Peas, Beans and the Celery and Celeriac. These will go out when we can guarantee there will be no more early frosts…usually the month of May. We did have a conversation re the tunnel plantings…do we plant out Tomatoes now? Personally, I think it is a little early and probably do not want to take a chance of loosing the major crop of the year.
We are now watering constantly, especially as the sun creates a warm day. The temperatures inside the polytunnels can be up to 30 degrees plus. The plants gasp for drinks. Even outside, the sight of the herbs returning and the freshly planted crops growing, they all need a drink.
Inside the greenhouses, the temperature can be even higher. Watering the baby seedlings and potted on plants is a must. Now it is April, the sowing plan says more to be sown. We are now into the summer Brassicas, Cucumbers, Courgettes and Squash. As I have stated before, sowing goes on and on throughout the Spring and Summer seasons. We create a sowing plant at the beginning of each year. There is also a planting plant and a harvesting plan. We do try to follow our plans, however, Mother Nature has her own plan which may scupper ours. The weather may alter the schedules. For instance, a sudden drop or rise in temperature during April and May can severely affect plants putting them into a state of ‘shock’, or an invasion of greenfly can wipe out plants without notice…ladybirds will be the solution.
The Crew are all enjoying working in the fine weather conditions…Graham is even in his shorts, me…a few more weeks till my legs are on show.
The Walled Garden
Progress is still slow as we await the arrival of our greenhouse – 7th of July has been agreed for start of construction! Good to see the base of the greenhouse is all ready…we just walk up and down the path…such fun. Our lovely builders have started on the Gardeners Shed or The Office as the builders call it. I prefer ‘Shed!’ We are gardeners after all and which gardener doesn’t love a shed?
The shed will have a loo and sink. Seating and eating area for the Crew with a sink for prepping the harvested fruit, vegetables and herbs. Much like the area we have for the Crew at the Farm.
The shed is directly next to the greenhouse, with access to each other. Beside the shed will be an area for all the small gardening equipment we will be using within the Walled Garden and for the gardens we will care for around the restaurant. Larger equipment will be held elsewhere beyond the meadow (that is the plan at the moment).
We will be preparing more growing beds within the next large growing bed. As mentioned, the red and yellow Onion sets will be planted out here. We will be watching for the pesky pigeons!
Bob and I tend to walk around the ground both within and without the Walled Garden. We want to get a feel for the areas. We are now checking for the top places for sun traps. These may become pleasant seating areas for the future customers of the restaurant and hotel. We will also decide on the planting for these hotter areas compared to shadier spots.
YouTube Channel
In this week’s episode Lucy is harvesting produce for Alex to cook with.
