Signs of spring

Nearly all the peas have germinated and are growing well. Now they just need some warm weather to help them along.

One of the conkers (horse chesnuts) we planted last autumn has also germinated and so far looks healthy and strong.

The insects are also getting used to the warmer weather. A hardy wasp has started making a nest in the tool cupboard at the side of the shed, and the Maikäfer are in full flight.

Most of the seedlings are also now in bigger pots and will be ready to go into the border soon.

First germination in the allotment and blossom in the orchard

After about three weeks the first green shoots have appeared in the allotment. The parsnips have started coming through in all three rows - not complete germination yet, more like 30%, but a good start.

This evening we also saw the first peas coming through. Still no sign of the dahlias, cann or potatoes. In the orchard the best blossom is on the mirabelle and cherry trees at the moment. You can see our house through the mirabelle tree.

And to bring some balance we only have two sets of pear blossom, one on each tree (Glou Morçeau). Last year we had endless pears, so no cause for complaint.

Actual final end of 2020 harvest

Today I harvested the last of the crops from 2020. The beetroots were terrible (again) - from around 30 relatively healthy plants, we got two or three tangerine sized beets, and the rest were rubbish. I will wait a while befor etrying again ... they never work out. The last two savoy cabbages were more of a success. They survived the hard frost in January and tslugs at the end of 2020, and were still good today. We had them sort of flash fried and served with carraway, duck breast and boiled potatoes.

First planting of the year (and standing stones at equinox)

The equinox has been and gone and the clocks have changed to daylight savings time. These two milestones, together with the sunny waeter today were enough to get me out for the first planting of the year. In the south east bed, next to the two small rose bushes, I have put in six small dahlia tubers and the canna from last year (it over-wintered wrapped up in the shed). I hope the dahlias will make some flowers for cutting - the canna is a 50/50 chance depending on whether it survived the hard frost. In the same bed I have put in three half rows of parsnips. The soil is still pretty stoney but you never know what might work. Next weekend I will put the pumpkin (Atlantic Giant and some tasty variety whose name I have forgotten) and chilli seeds (Apache) into seed trays to germinate indoors.

Perhaps somehow inspired by the recent equinox, we visited the local standing stone site. For completeness, our own stone are here:

Last Kohlrabi turned into curry

Yestreday I harvested the last few kohlrabi. They had lasted really well despite the very hard frost. We will certainly grow some more this year.

I turned them into kohlrabi curry. The recipe came from here: https://cheapandcheerfulcooking.com/kohlrabi-curry-with-roasted-chickpeas/ It was pretty tasty and a good way to use the leaves as well as the main body of the plants.

Final flourish of the winter

We had a cold spell in the middle of February and the temperature drop was too much for the Palmenkohl - they just withered and died. The savoy cabbages were gnawed through at the trunk and at the base of the leaves, just leaving the "soft" flat part of the leaves behind. I expect it was mice or voles looking for something sweet to eat. The romanesco plants just rotted before the hearts got bigger than a tangerine. The only real winner was the kohlrabi.

There are still a couple of good looking plants left before the brassicas are all done. Meanwhile in the orchard, there are a few splashes of colour as the crocuses come through.

I look forward to the leaf buds setting soon.

No obvious effects of snow

There was a modest amount of snow last week which made the allotment off limits - you couldn't see where the beds were and the ground was very soft. Today a quick showed that the brassicas are unaffected, and I could take some kale leaves for tonight's kale and pommegarnate salad.

There was even the first glimpse of the romanesco. Of the six plants, two show signs of a heart, and neither are much bigger than a conker. Maybe baby romanesco is a thing.

Winter brassicas

The six Palmenkohl plants (palm cabbages) seem to be working well.

As I harvest the mature leaves the stalk gets longer, making the palm tree effect. We have had the leaves sizzled quickly in a frying pan. Very tasty. The six kohlrabi plants were a moderated success. They made small kholrabis, but they were tasitier than expected. The disadvantage is that once harvested they are gone.

They will also get another try next winter.