As usual the Winter has gone by in a flash. After a brief dry spell we are back to squelching around in the mud. Some of the jobs on the “to do” list have been done, the rest might never get done! The greenhouse has been fixed, it’s a lot warmer, less rattly and we’ve got some extra growing space in there as well. The net tunnel has been improved, all the paths have been dug down to the clay layer so the veg bed is draining well and there should be less weed pressure. At the moment the net tunnel is pretty full of onions and garlic, these should be ready in June or July.
The tomato plants are growing well and it’s boiling in the Polycrub despite the weather so I should be able to plant them out in there before the end of April. The Polycrub already has a nice neat row of courgettes, lots of salad leaves and some bulb fennel. I’ve not grown fennel before, I know it’s prone to bolting but I’m always on the hunt for crops that can provide a bit of variety in June.
Last year was Bornaskitaig Year of the Vole! Fingers crossed there are fewer of these destructive little vandals around in 2024. They are super cute, but really like to eat a nice tender broccoli plant with a beetroot and carrot salad on the side. I’m implementing a variety of anti vole measures. I’ll only be planting yellow carrots as for some reason they weren’t appealing to voles. All the French beans and early mange tout are going to have a protective sleeve round the bottom. There’s not much I can do to protect beetroot, so it’s fingers crossed on that front too. One upside to the high vole numbers is that they appear to have eaten all the slugs and leather jackets – so far I don’t think I’ve lost a single Spring onion to slugs.
The veg beds outside are all waiting for better weather really, we can’t plough or start the potato planting while it’s so wet. Planting spuds into cold, wet soil does them no favours, so it’s better to wait a bit. Our best yield has always been from the second earlies so this year we’re concentrating on those.
This week is the first week of Croft Shares 2024. Spring veg includes lots of leafy greens, perfect stir fries and salads. For the first eight to twelve weeks I’m doing Small shares; Medium and Large will start in June or July once the Summer crops get going.
This weeks Croft Shares will have – mixed salad leaves, pea shoots, asparagus kale, red ursa kale, leeks and chives. The pea shoots can be eaten raw or used in a stir fry, the asparagus kale is a broccoli type spear which can be used in the same way as sprouting broccoli, red ursa kale is a rare variety which has pink ribs and very pretty, frilly leaves. The leeks are a bit of a surprise, I planted them last summer and they’ve grown very nicely over the Winter. Because it’s so cold they haven’t bolted – silver linings I suppose! Although a bit more warmth would be helpful now.