Sunday, 15th February, 2004

Spring is on its way - there's almost enough light to pop up to the plot after work!   Perfect timing for a week off, with schools on half-term.

Spent a couple of hours, in between juggling kids' "prior" engagements, listening to a song thrush hearting his song out from a sycamore in the bramble patch - magic.

Halla and I cleared the brassica bed of redundant cabbages and the like.   The kales are a bit disappointing - white fly damage has stunted them, especially the Dwarf Green Curled; I'll try cutting off tops and see what comes forth.   The broccolis are doing well, both the white and the purples - several good meals waiting there for later in the week.

Halla has got one of her beds into really good order - clean and ready for sowing.

Still harvesting swedes, parsnips, and leeks - a good soup base!

Monday, 16th February, 2004

Glorious day - spring-time!   At least for a few days, before the next cold spell sweeps in (it was over eastern Canada last night).   Spent almost all day - with enough time to do some of the bigger and slower jobs which usually get left until a bit too late - cleaning the fruit bush bed (in bad need of it after a season's neglect), cleaning the permanent herb, asparagus, and last year's new rhubarb beds (mainly removing the invading couch grass and nettles), pruning the autumn rasps, and turning in green manure on soon-to-be potato beds.

Looks like tomorrow might be the same kind of weather - so could well almost finish the cleaning and preparation bit.   On time for once!

Got the "Dalek" compost bin almost full, just from the fruit bush beds!   I am seriously short of ripe compost this year - a hangover from the few months last summer when we didn't do any more than absolutely necessary.   It looks like I'll have to spend a bit of time speeding up the heaps, turning, turning and turning again; can I get compost to ripen in 6 weeks?   Give it a go!

Tuesday, 17th February, 2004

At long last, my potato/shallot/onion/seeds order has arrived - after many long days trundling back and forth the length of the M1.   Pink Fir Apple, Red Duke of Yorks, and Kestrel - they're all laid out to chit.   Spent the morning sorting out seeds left over from last year.

And re-organising my rotation to reduce possible losses from vandalism.   So I'll rework the plan this evening to have a complete cycle in each half plot.

Another couple of beds - basically edging the beds.   Covers the green manures, catches the couch grass's winter spread, exposes slug eggs - and feeds the compost heap; also gives the old lads a laugh.   "How many people buried today, then?"   Nobody else seems to end up with these tumuli - it just, "sort of ... , kind of ... , well ... ," happens.

Disturbed lots of earthworms; found lots of young millipedes curled up in little balls, and three or four ladybirds.   But interesting (and a good sign?) that I didn't see any slug eggs; caught one slug - an early riser, early "to bed" (permanently) - but not an egg to be seen.   Big question - was it the weather last year, or am I really getting good slug control?