Beds and Weeds

Sunday was a better day weather wise. I had a good breakfast and bidded farewell to she who must be obeyed and went to the lottie with a van full of seed and trays of plantlets. The first thing I spotted at the lottie was the Asparagus. It is poking through the soil about three inches. They will be ready for next week. I still have some Steve's Quial eggs so a posh plateful is in the offing. I might have a couple of shavings of air dried Ham too.

I had a to weed Bed1 and rake it back to a tilth. It is amazing how well weeds grow. Bed1 seems to be exclusively chick weed. It comes away quite easily and make good compost. That done I sowed several rows of Parsnips. In the same row I sparingly planted Beetroot. The Beet will be up quickly so marking the row for the slow germinating Parsnip. In the next row a dozen Marigolds that I had cultivated in the greenhouse. Then several rows of Chantenay Carrots. These carrot are quite short and conical. Another row of Marigolds. Several more rows of Globe Carrots. another row of Marigolds. Then a couple of rows of Beetroots. I like the Chioggia beetroot which when cut across is red an white striped and has a mild flavour. The a couple of rows of Detroit beetroot. Detroit are quite small but deep crimson but do not have a heavy beetroot punch. I watered everything and thought, what next?

Bed2 is what's next. The weeds in this bed are renegade spuds from last year which have started sprouting. It took half and hour to dig them all up. I then back filled the holes and raked it out flat. Then the gardeners shuffle. Heels together, toes apart then shuffled forward a couple of inches for each "step" keeping your heels on the soil and pressing down when the heel lands on the step forward. Up and down, up and down. This way and that way. The idea is to compact the soil because Brasiccas like a firm seed bed. I pulled up the straggly cabbages that had weathered the winter and ran the hoe round the remaining plants. Bed2 , besides renegade spuds, grows Thistle rather well. I had a trayfull of Greyhound cabbage and a tray of Cauli's to plant out. This I did with the plants in staggered rows so the plants can grow into the spaces. I plant quite close together so the weeds get crowded out. I hope to eat the plants so soon as they are ripe and with luck it might act as a thinning process to let those that remain have more space to grow on.

I had a look at Bed3, the spud bed for this year. The spuds are just poking through. There is a random set of weds in this bed. I could not bring myself to hoe this bed. I will probably do that next week.

The Peas and Broad Beans have been ready to plant out for the last fortnight so have quite outgrown the seed tray. You may remember that I had dug long trenches in Bed4 and filled them with manure. Weeding was the first order. This bed seem to like to grow a different weed again. I think it is Plantain. I have left a few to grow on so I can identify them properly. DaveP gave me some chicken wire with thin posts attached. I laid the wire out flat along one of the trenches, with Pete's help I got the posts and wire into the ground which gave me a long vertical fence to grow the Peas up. I transplanted the Peas from the trays into the trench, leaning the Peas against the wire. Then I back filled the trench from the ridges on either side. Where I ran out of seedling but not wire a planted a whole packet of Pea, Greenshaft in this case. I did the same job on the second trench. Pea seedling again but a different variety. When they ended I planted a whole packet of Petit Pois peas. They are gorgeous to eat. So I am looking forward too them. Not many are likely to get home because I usually eat them straight off the plant. The third row was planted up with Aquadulce BroadBeans. Again these were a little overdue planting out but the two trays gave 48 plants. Planted them in a double row in one trench. The ridges either side of the trench provided back fill for the trench. After a day of activity the lottie looks like it is getting underway. I have a whole spare trench in Bed4 and an area reserved for squashes and Sweet Corn.

Time was ticking on so I did not plant out all I had hoped to do. Weather sage Steve, henceforth referred to Sagely Steve, said that we would have frost this weeks so I decided to keep the Dahlia's in the trays in the greenhouse for another week. I pulled a few sticks of Rhubarb and was ready to trundled home but first had to take the trailer back to the stables.

H had made a lovely tea which, by the time I had emptied Degsy, was ready for me. I was exhausted. I ran a bath, got a glass of Mum's 20 odd year old Pear wine and flopped into the hot water for an hour. I did not even have book. I just lay their thinking about the lottie and what I would do next week.