23rd March

We'll start with an update on the vegetable status.

Plenty of lovely Cauliflowers available this week.

A limited number of portions of purple sprouting broccoli are also available.

Next week we should be able to add spinach, chard, and salad onions back to list of available vegetables.

Unfortunately all the overwintered red cabbages (2 beds 🤦‍♂️) have gone to seed, but we have some Savoy cabbages which hopefully aren't too far away

Microgreens will of course continue to be available each week so that you can get your nutrient fix!

With the welcome arrival of the sun, they grew especially well last week and we had quite a few left over after we had fulfilled the orders.

If the exaggerated claims that I have made in jest actually prove to be true then I'll be like an 18 year old after all that lot 😉

Joking aside, I'm delighted that the whole family has grown very fond of microgreens, as they are so full of vitamins and goodness. They have become an addition to most meals, and those that aren't eaten sooner tend to last for approximately a week in the fridge.

We transplanted some cauliflower seedlings to the field this week, but the highlight was getting the early tomatoes into the caterpillar tunnel.

I've mentioned previously that we have a caterpillar tunnel rather than a permanent standard polytunnel because we are in the South Downs National Park and have to take it down in the winter. I actually leave the frame in place and roll the polythene down on one side.

Once the tomatoes were planted I had to get the polythene cover back on. As you can see from the green algae in the photo below, a lot of stagnant water accumulates in the polythene over winter. When I dragged the polythene back over the frame, I got all this smelly stagnant water down my sleeves and over my head. 🤢Not very pleasant but worth it to keep any frost from the precious tomatoes!

Sowings in the greenhouse this week have been Purple Sprouting, Tenderstem Broccoli, Cavolo Nero, and Kale

I have also made direct sowings of carrots on the field. In fact 17500 seeds in seven rows in one bed. No expense is spared with the equipment and methods that I use. I have a piece of string tied to two bits of garden cane to mark a straight line. I then create a channel for the seeds as illustrated below:

This done with a high spec piece of equipment known as a broken rake handle

But it works!

There are 2500 seeds per row and I have become pretty good at estimating the right amount to take from the seed packet then distributing them evenly across the row. In the early days, I'd take way too much and run out less than a third of the way along the row! This meant that the plants were overcrowded and didn't grow so well. Hopefully a bumper crop this year.

Plans for the coming week involve a lot more sowing and transplanting but a major milestone will be getting the first of the new potatoes in the ground. I plan to be planting half a bed of Collen and half a bed of Charlotte potatoes every fortnight for the next eight weeks. Plan is that this should then give a regular supply from the end of May onwards.

I mentioned just over a month ago that I had laid the seed potatoes out to chit, and as you can see below (Collen then Charlotte) they have developed eyes and are good to go!