We're still holding back on actually planting anything on the plot just yet - we tend to err on the side of caution. As Martyn posted we are having our coldest temperatures of the year at the moment so don't feel the urge to hurry things.
We still have crops to harvest including the carrots that just seem to get bigger and bigger.
We still have crops to harvest including the carrots that just seem to get bigger and bigger.
Some are not the prettiest of specimens, have split and have one or two holes but after cleaning them up there is still sometimes more than enough for two servings from one carrot. What's more they still have the carroty flavour lacking in commercially produced vegetables.
In spite of the cold conditions things are moving along. The onions and garlic planted last autumn are doing really well. To be honest I think they are the best they have ever been at this point in the year. Just a little bit of weeding along the rows is needed.
The pear tree that was affected by what we think was fireblight last year and as a result is now a bush shape has lots of flower buds. One of the other pear trees also has plenty of flower buds and the plums and greengages are also showing promise of lots of blossom.
The plums and gages are due for a lean year fruitwise - they tend to crop well biennially - so the number of flower buds is a bit surprising although lots of flower buds doesn't necessarily mean lots of fruit.
Other fruit plants are showing signs of life. Above is the bed containing jostaberries and gooseberries.
Some of the later rhubarb plants are bursting though the soil producing interesting photography subjects. The one below is Giant Grooveless Crimson
Whereas the earlier varieties have stems ready for picking.
The newly planted honey berries are certainly showing their family connection to honeysuckle.
The new raspberry canes are also beginning to shoot. I just love the colours of the new raspberry leaves.
It's always a relief when new plants show signs of life!
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You look to be making a good start to the year. Your onions and garlic are impressive. Lets hope that 2014 is a good one eh?
ReplyDeleteGill
Maybe if we all hope really hard together it will happen, Gill
DeleteSo much promise! I have planted honeyberries too - I got the last of them in yesterday. I will be interested to read how you get along with them.
ReplyDeleteAnd I you, Sarah. We planted ours last autumn.
DeleteGiant Grooveless Crimson, what a fantastic name! I noticed shoots on my gooseberries yesterday too. Your carrots look fantastic. This is what carrots looked like when I was growing up (we grew our own) and I'd choose those over uniform supermarket carrots any day. I can just imagine what the taste and smell is like. Wonderful. I often think that I don't much like carrots, but I think the truth of the matter is that I just don't much like supermarket carrots. I'm really hoping I can grow some this year. I shall be giving it my best shot!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the carrots. We went out for a meal a while ago and I told the waiter that they needed to change their vegetable supplier as bot carrots and peas tasted of nothing!
DeleteThose carrots are huge, you do so well with them. The onions look great, I think they must really enjoy being grown through weed fabric as they hate competition from weeds, it looks like they're thriving. I think I must have different varieties of rhubarb on the plot as one variety isn't far off being ready whereas some are only just coming through the soil. The previous owners certainly planned that well. It's a shame I don't know all the varieties of the fruit which has been left.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you'll enjoy the fruit without knowing the variety, Jo. We do our inherited redcurrants
DeleteThe rhubarb look so interesting. We only use the root as medicine stuff for pharmaceutical industry. No one eat the part of this plant, except some expatriat. I have no idea about the taste
ReplyDeleteIt's quite a sour taste unless sugared, Endah but delicious in pies and crumbles.
DeleteBeautiful! Gotta love spring.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly do tpals
DeleteHave to keep an eye out for that crimson rhubarb Sue looks a super plant
ReplyDeleteIt is David and the 'fruit' is a pinky red when cooked down.
DeleteI've made a note of that rhubarb too.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how many varieties of rhubarb there are, L. I can;t remember where we bought ours from but I've added a link to the Thompson and Morgan page that advertises it as it has some info there too.
DeleteGood grief, the SIZE of those carrots!!! What on earth did you feed them with....one of those would last a week! Ooooohhhh....the rhubarb is looking good, mine has yet to show, I'm hoping I haven't lost it.xxx
ReplyDeleteFor some reason we do seem to have ended up with gigantic carrots this year, Snowbird. Not really sure why!
DeleteThat rhubarb is amazing! About ten times the size of my "Victoria" and "Timperley Early" too.
ReplyDeleteThat particular root is always the largest, Mark
DeleteI have never seen carrots so big! It looks like spring is popping out all around you.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't had spring weather today though, Rachel
DeleteWhat is a jostaberry? Not come across it before.
ReplyDeleteIt's a cross between a gooseberry and a blackcurrant, Jessica
ReplyDeleteOhhh, that’s some MEGA carrots, I would have difficulty chopping them! I agree rhubarb looks very nice just as they are emerging, I miss rhubarb, haven’t had any since I lived in Norway so that’s 15 years ago. They take an awful lot of space and I don’t really know what I should chuck out in order to fit even one rhubarb plant in my garden.
ReplyDeleteIt does take a lot of space, Helene.
DeleteThat's really big carrots! They look so fresh and juicy! The berry plants look so promising!
ReplyDeleteThey were tasty, Malar
DeleteAmazing carrots Sue! What's your secret? I have only ever managed to produce very thin puny specimens. But ever the optimist, I've sown some more again...
ReplyDeleteOnly the carrots know the secret - Jules.
DeleteWoah, those carrots are amazing! What variety are they?
ReplyDeleteThey are Chantenay Royal, Naomi and have produced lots of huge carrots this year.
DeleteSo nice to see things starting to grow. Your onions and garlic look great. I didn't get mine in last autumn so I will see how well they do after being spring planted. Those carrots look great...Trojan would be in his element!!
ReplyDeleteSo Trojan likes carrots odes he? For Tivvy it's apples.
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