Wed 9/01/2013
What a beutifull day 11 deg decided a few hours on the garden was called for ,my first effort of the year.First we decided on a trip to B&Q as being wednesday was wrinklys 10% off day .First bargain was 60 litre bags of compost for a £1 and only 90p with me 10% off.

Also got me tomatoe grow bags i like to use the contents in me pots i grow tomatoes in and couple of seed compost and parrafin for the greenhouse heater will need that in a few weeks.
Took the last of me Parsnips out and last 2 leeks ,and apart from 6 spring cabbages all beds are manured and covered now apart from the carrot bed ,coverd but not manured.



No sign of me lettuces yet .

Well its the start of another veggie season ,i feel like i have done a bit today .
Will get some caulie,cabbage and leek seeds in pots greenhouse middle of next month,and towards the end set Tomatoes seeds indoors,raddish ,carrots and red beet in the pollytunnel.

You have done well. The fog here has just about lifted and its freezing

Hi Maggie
Thats what we got today Thursday -2.0 and foggy.Glad i had a go yesterday ,surprising the difference between 2 days

Monday 14th January 2013
Hear is a little something you may like to try (if you dont allready do it).While we are sitting awaiting for the off .Plan where things are going to go ,do a rough drawing (and they dont get rougher than this) of your garden and beds etc and scan into your computer you can print a new one off each year or whenever.

The plan for this year is beds 1 and 2 its the erea i had the chickens in last year so are 2 new beds will both be filled with early,2nd early and main crop potatoes.
Bed 3 will be for brassicas cabbage and caulie,will get caulies in as soon as i can as seem to flourish better before the summer gets to hot,well it might do this year.
Bed 4 root crops carrots ,parsnips and red beet,although this erea is covered its free of manure this year to encourage the carrots to go deeper.
Taking a bit of a gamble with plot 5 going to fill it with sweetcorn,was so lush last year wish we had grow more,even after freezing is so much sweeter than shop bought.
My 2 small raised beds for salad crops ,much easier to manage in small beds.
Runner beans have there own raised bed .
Will use the greenhouse for raising seeds and later me tomatoes and cucumbers.
Polly tunnel for a few early and late crops with tender french beans in between.
The shaded ereas are footpaths slowly converting from slabs to crushed granit or type one its called put some weed surpreser material underneath and a couple of inches of type one makes a nice maintinance free path and a couple of grass ereas so i can sit on a hot day and watch it all grow

Friday 18/1/2013
Doesnt the garden look neat and tidy under a few inches of snow ,this was at 10.0am this morning with lots more forcast.
Was thinking of getting me early spuds in maybe will leave it till tomorrow.

billnorfolk wrote: Doesnt the garden look neat and tidy under a few inches of snow

LOL - I was only thinking that about my garden this morning under a fresh blanket of snow - no-one would be able to see the weeds.

Hi Lancashire lass
Thats just what i thought ,sad thing is it will look awfull once the snow has gone .
I expect you more used to it than us,we used to get lots of snow when i lived in Yorkshire,not so much in Norfolk ,still expecting some more for tonight .Sadly dont like it like i used to

Saturday 26/01/2013
There is life in the greenhouse,even with the snow and very cold days and nights ,with a little protection things will grow.I sowed some lettuce seed on new years day in my unheated greenhouse,the first 2 have now broken through,took a while longer this year than last but it has been cold.


With the weather set to get warmer in the next few days ,hopefully will soon have some more through

Monday 4/02/2013
Whent to the garden centre and got my sead potatoes today ,planning on filling my 2 new beds up ,estimate about 8 rows x8 spuds on maincrop tend to put maincrop a little closer than earlys ,stops ground drying out to much in the hot weather.With the earlys will go 7rows x7 spuds .With 30 in a bag and 3 bags, 2 maincrop and one early ,had a couple of rows left ,going to put some early kidney salad potatoes in ,yummy

Earlys i am going to give home guard a try this year ,a reliable cropper can stand wet and dry weather,plus i love Dads Army

Lates will be my favourite Maris Piper good cropers and keep well as long as stored dry.

Acouple of rows of kidney spuds will do me for this year.Will start them chitting over the weekend hopefully earlys in about mid march,Lates will be 3to4 weeks later depending on weather .Will post some pictures later to show how i chit mine

That looks like a great selection of tatties Bill
I tried Beetroots in our wee greenhouse last year but it was disastrous. Not sure if it was the weather or just me I'm wondering if I should try them outside instead, what would you recommend?

May have got a bit to hot for them MissEllie,i grew them in the pollytunnel but dont hold the heat like a greenhouse.When you say they were a disaster what was the problem with them?
Growing outside is fine make sure you thin early to get some nice sized beet ,not many things attack beetroot fairly trouble free and quick growing.
We both love our beetroot and very good for you as well ,mine dont get a chance to grow to big as wife pulls them young and soon fills her pickle jars

Sorry for late reply Billy, I grew them in roomy individual pots but the root never developed into anything other than a longish purple root After reading your reply im wondering if it's because I didn't thin them out or because it was too warm.
Sorry to hijack your thread with questions but if I was going to try them out in the garden when do you think I should plant them?
I love the idea of pickling some too, I've done salad onions in the past with success but would enjoy homegrown pickled beetroot even more

Hi MissEllie
Will grow in any patch of soil ,well dug and lightly manured not to heavy or come all tops and no bottoms,but do need something to make them swell,dont let dry out or liable to bolt and go to seed,seeds of the bolthardy type are best .Thin fairly regulare ,tops can be used as salad leaves and are tastey.Seeds are easy to handle and can get 3 or 4 plants from one seed so no need to sow to thick.Iset into garden about last week in March dependent on weather if you have a sheltered spot that would be fine .One tip when you harvest them dont cut leaf stems twist off and leave about 1" of stem as can bleed and loose taste.Pickled are yummy small ones whole and large ones slice after cooking of course.
Please dont worry about highjacking thread,if i can help only to pleased to

Thank you Billy will let you know how I get on.
Good luck with your plans this year

MissEllie wrote: Thank you Billy will let you know how I get on.
Good luck with your plans this year

And you MissEllie,hope we all have a better summer this year.Got a little snow today .how are things North of the border?