The days this time of year are busy with sowing, planting and weeding. Growth is so sudden and prolific that it's hard to keep on top of it all and the choices for dinner expand by the day (just as time to spend cooking it diminishes!). Gone are the days of late winter when kale and chard were just beginning to fall out of favour and instead we are now spoiled for choice. Everything in the polytunnel is doing well. Melons, grape vines, strawberries, peach, mixed lettuce, chop suey greens, golden and red beetroot, broad beans, peas (pod, mange tout & sugar snap), french beans (purple & golden teepee), runner beans (Lady Di and Polestar), artichoke, chard, rocket, carrot, herbs, tomatoes, pepper, chilli, aubergine (black beauty), courgette and sweet corn are all coming along nicely. I did manage to kill off six lovely cucumber plants (paska and marketmore) by planting them out too early, the cold nights were too much for them so that's set me back a few weeks on one of my favourite vegetables. I just couldn't help planting them even though I knew it was too early! One melon plant also copped it out of three, but luckily I've a couple of spares in a seed tray ready to take it's place. Having a few extra of each thing is a great insurance policy, then if they're not needed they come in as great birthday gifts ... just pop a selection of salads, or a couple of tomato or melon plants into a grow bag or even a hanging basket.
One thing I haven't really indulged in greatly are brassicas. We always have purple sprouting brocolli but this year I've tried my hand at a handful of cauliflowers, cabbage and calabrese. To accommodate these we've been working on a couple of new raised beds. With this extra outside space I'll also experiment with some swede, turnip and kohl rabi, parsnip and leek. Hopefully these things will mean we'll be providing ourselves with food during the winter this year too. It's all been a lot of hard work, but it's well for some ...
Your raised beds look lovely with the stone. And I like the gift idea. You are so wonderful! The sun is so good for ones soul isn't it? I just cannot get enough. It's still rainy here, a very cool spring.
Posted by: Lizz | May 09, 2008 at 09:49 AM
Wow, that's quite a selection of veg you've grown, it makes me hungry!
Love the photo of the kitty in the wheelbarrow :)
Posted by: Christina | May 09, 2008 at 11:26 PM
I came across your site a couple of weeks ago and it's taken this long to read it from beginning to the present as yours is our dream that we plan to undertake in another four years or so. Well done to you for everything you've achieved so far, and I'm looking forward to seeing what this year brings.
Posted by: Tania | May 13, 2008 at 09:51 PM
This is my first time visiting your blog and I just love it. It sounds like you have a wonderful garden planned.
Posted by: Molly's Knitted Teddy Bears | May 17, 2008 at 04:07 AM
Thanks everyone. The stone for the raised beds came from our lovely neighbour, they were left over from a building job.
The best advice I can give to those wishing to live off the land is to start slowly, step by step. Perhaps a five year plan for short term projects is realistic once you arrive on your plot and of course the project will be ongoing as long as you do!
Posted by: Rebecca Hillman | May 21, 2008 at 11:17 AM
love the raised beds, did you get the stones from a quarry? what are they called? i mean, what's the size or shape called?
Posted by: Péitseoga | June 04, 2008 at 10:22 PM
You will like kohlrabi.
Posted by: leslie | June 16, 2008 at 10:47 PM
Interessante Informationen.
Posted by: lieben | March 03, 2009 at 10:37 AM