Thursday 27 March 2008

just like a bus ....

you wait for months for an update and then two arrive together !

I finally made it to the lottie for the afternoon .. why on earth haven't I been sooner !! The sun came out and smiled on me as I checked out what has been happening for the last 5 months. Actually it is not too bad at all, considering how little time I've spent there. The greenhouses have suffered some wind damage, but not too much considering the gales that we've experienced lately. Will have to get OH to do some maintenance for me.

brick greenhouse copy

I was very pleased to see my broad beans looking nice and healthy. They are about 5 inches in height and look to have overwintered very well. Curiously the ones in the green manure bed are not doing quite as well as the others - I had thought it would be the other way round.

broadbeans copy

broadbeans in green manure copy

My garlic looks fabulous too - the best I've grown yet. I hope that we don't get a repeat of last season. I've got two varieties and they look very different at this stage.

garlic copy

garlic 1 copy

The beds are amazingly clear of weeds, I think the hard work and time I spent sifting the soil when I first got the lottie has really paid off.

It looks as though I'll be enjoying some rhubarb crumble soon

rhubarb copy

This is my rocket in the glass greenhouse, it looks to be growing with a vengence now:

rocket copy

the salad leaves that I left last year are still flowering, they look great, but I bet the mizuna will blow my head off

flowering salad copy

The cauliflowers that were planted late last year look really good. I need to think about moving them outside, but I've heard they don't like being disturbed. I gave them a good water (the first for 2 months !!!!) I'm amazed they've not pegged it.

Here are my electric onions which have survived the winter. They look OK for now, I guess we'll see what happens over the next couple of months. Last years onions were dismal.

electric onions copy

The raspberry canes have overwintered very well - OH will be delighted when he sees this photo, fresh raspberries are one of his favourite things from the lottie.

raspberry copy

I tidied up the wild flower bed, getting rid of the weeds (dandelions, docks and creeping buttercups) and noticed that some of the flowers are budding up already:

forget-me-not
forgetmenot copy

Cowslip:
Cowslip copy

Foxgloves:
Foxglove copy

Dafodil:
Daffodil; copy

I'd been weeding for about 10 minutes when I noticed a really annoying noise, a kind of weird low, croaking ... and eventually the penny dropped:

frogge eye copy

smiley froggie copy

smiley froggie 2 copy

There were two froggies in the pond, but one of them was very shy ! The pond has lots of frogspawn in it

frogspawn copy

Look at my lovely new potatoes
potatoes and rocket copy

I'm almost too shamed to mention that they are last seasons, nah, who am I kidding, I have no shame. They are last seasons :) Maybe tomorrow I'll dig up the remaining three quarters of the bed ... now I do feel a little shamed. Bet they taste nice tho'. We are having them for tea with leeks in white sauce and vegi haggis

tea copy

5 comments:

  1. Good to see you back! Sorry to hear about the domestic woes but with the recent cold weather I don't think you're too far behind getting things started. Excellent phots as ever, what lens are you using?

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  2. Hiya-the new kitten needs to have a good old welsh name - how about Blodwyn.

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  3. Blodwyn !!! what kinda name is that for a cute little kitten.


    Rob, I don't have a lens, its just my little Cannon Ixus 850IS- its a great camera. It also helps having very good subjects, who don't mind when you accidentally bang them on the head with the camera, cos you are so close!! LOL

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  4. I sometimes hear a low strange croaking when I'm weeding too... generally its my back and knee's though! :)

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