Another week of sunshine, showers, warm and cold. I dont know how the plants put up with it because I can't. Still picking fresh veg every day, plenty of beans, tomatoes and courgettes to name a few. Below are some 'early nantes 5' carrots. These are a good size and very little sign of carrot fly damage so a great success this year so looking forward to growing many more next year. The tomatoes are 'harginger' variety and have done really well this year no signs of disease and have put up with some neglect but i have been rewarded with some nice tasty tom's. The last picture was collected today (Friday) 'cylindra' beetroot, 'parmex' carrots, courgettes and leeks. The leeks have been picked a bit early but we wanted some to eat right now.

If the weather stays dry tonight i will hopefully get some more veg and tidy up and cut the grass

Dad's little helpers. Matthieu and Elisabeth have sowed their first seeds of the seasin in a couple of raised beds i made for them. Here they are sowing peas mange toute as well as some carrots parmex and radish french breakfast In a couple of weeks they can some some more to keep them going. We only received some of the bbc 'dig-in' packets of seed through the post. They have carrot early nantes, butternut squash hunter, lettuce lollo rosso, tomato gardeners delight and beetroot boltardy. What the kids dont use i can!

These next three are from the garden plot. Alchemillia, Geranium and Eurphobia. Followed by poppies and aqualegia. Finally azalea and apple tree in full bloom

First of March

First of march brings better weather though it is trying to hail! On sunday did a couple of hours on the allotment. Dug over 6 beds and put plastic on the potato bed to warm it up a little before planting. Tidied up some edges and weeded the herb bed. Found some daffodils trying to grow near the gate so moved them to a better place.

In the greenhouse the plants seem to be doing ok. Tulips that were put into pots are coming through now and along with the daffodils i will take them home for the garden.

Sowed: carrots 'early nantes 2 & 5' into 9" pots with multipurpose compost.

These should grow in the greenhouse for an earlier crop and with successional sowing should keep us supplied with carrots. The last time i grew carrots the carrot fly larvae spoiled them all so this year i will protect them with fleece.

I am still trying to work out my planting for each of the beds. There are 15 in total. Beds 1, 2, 3 have strawberries in so they will stay thier for 3 years then they will need moving to prevent diseases building up. Bed 4 has rhubarb in and bed 6 is the herb bed. Bed 10 and 15 are for potatoes and bed 14 asparagus.