Monday 10 April 2017

Harvest Monday - sunshine! And Eves Hill Veg Co update

We've had some incredible weather this week, sometimes even too hot to be out on the plot. Jan's been helping a bit more too...still lots to do but progress is being made. With the longer days, I've been tending to go down late afternoon for a couple of hours or so, after finishing work.
 
The overwintered chard plants that self seeded last year have been putting on lots of new growth - I might even have a big harvest session then freeze some, because I need to be clearing the beds where they're growing.
I picked a load of brassica flowers too - it's not just purple sprouting broccoli that are tasty - here are red cabbage, self-sown white cabbage, kale and Brussels sprout flowers and a few psb shoots. Ahem, we had these as a side dish to chip shop chips, so kind of healthy?
A previous PSB harvest, topped with poached eggs...
We had some of the chard with leek, plus broad beans from the freezer (and mushrooms) - a tasty quick meal. Tonight we had chard with another quick meal 'posh baked beans' - which I've mentioned in the past - basically a tin of baked beans with added veggies. Nice and easy.
Broad beans, chard and leek
Out in the lean-to, the tomato plants are fairing well. The older leaves have gone a bit pale (cold?) but the new growth looks healthy.
I've potted-on the peppers this week, they look good in their larger pots. We also had a big seed sowing session, sat out in the garden, for sweetcorn (into loo roll tubes), cucumbers, brassicas, lettuces and leeks. Still a few more to sow but that's the bulk of the April seeds done. I'd already sown the squashes and basil (which has just started germinating today).
Pepper seedlings
Down on the plot there are some lovely flowers around, including the Autumn-sown broad beans (super Aqua dulce)...
Rosemary...
Apples nearly out (red currants in the background)...
Blackcurrants...
So delicate...
I actually have a few plum flowers this year as well, so fingers crossed for some fruit. It looks like a good year for gooseberries too.
 
On Wednesday I volunteered at Eves Hill Veg Co again, there was a good group of us so we covered a wide range of jobs, including sowing big ol' trays of various seeds (I did some leeks), weeding, direct-sowing outside, managing the wildflower areas, planting out lettuces and so on. I had a go with the wheel hoe, to clear the paths, quite satisfying though difficult on the really overgrown paths.
 
The older polytunnel full of salad and seeds (polytunnel still a bit wonky after damage from storm Doris)
I found one of the trays I'd previously sown - doing ok, phew
The new, big polytunnel is holding up well (still needs its doors at some point)
More seedlings inside
And some lettuce catch crops before the tomatoes go in later (kohl rabi in the background)
If I'm not working this Wednesday I'll head up there to see how it's all going - a lot can happen in a week, especially with three new trainees getting stuck in - good on them.
 
Thanks for making it this far down the page, I'm linking in with Harvest Monday, kindly hosted by Dave at Our Happy Acres

 

12 comments:

  1. Spring is so wonderful! There's so much promise in all those seedlings. PSB on toast with eggs - yum, that's my kind of meal.

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    1. Hi Michelle, yes when you think how much food is going to come from the seedlings, it's amazing!
      I would possibly eat PSB on toast with eggs every day if I was allowed!

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  2. Your pepper and tomato plants are getting nice and big, and so many things are blossoming around your plot.

    My seedlings still seem so little to me, and yet normal outdoor tomato and pepper planting times are just a couple weeks away for us.

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    1. Thanks phuong, it's a nice time of year. hopefully your seedlings will have a growth spurt, it's surprising how much they can change in a couple of weeks.

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  3. Delicious greens, and the eggs and PSB does indeed look lovely. Your broad beans are doing brilliantly. I picked up some plants at the weekend, I'll get down to the plot tomorrow to get them in hopefully. My tomatoes are at the same stage as yours, another month and I'll plant them out I expect. CJ xx

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    1. Thanks CJ, the PSB flowers are small but tasty. Hopefully I'll get some bean pods forming from all those flowers. Good luck with yours and the toms. My toms will stay in the lean-to now as they've had blight outside before (not sure what I'd do without the lean-to) :)

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  4. We arrived at the plot the other day and the apple blossom was just in bud and when we left the flowers were fully opened. The plum flowered and the blossom was over within about a week. The pace of change has certainly speeded up.

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    1. Ooh lovely sue. Some of the blossom on one of my apple trees has opened now but the tree nearest it is still in bud - hopefully it'll open soon to cross-pollinate.

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  5. We've been enjoying kale and pac choi flowers here. I agree, they're all tasty to me. Your seedlings are looking good too!

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  6. "sometimes even too hot to be out on the plot". I want to live where you do. Ha.

    Poached eggs are fabulous on just about anything - yours look very nice :)

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    1. Ha ha! We were getting a heat wave coming up from Spain, Susie. Back to more usual temperatures now :)

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