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

 

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Harvest Monday - freezer treats and a polytunnel

For breakfast every morning we both have muesli topped with yogurt and a fruit concoction (usually a mix of apples, berries, currants from the allotment). This week though, we discovered several tubs of strawberries in the freezer...yummy. I've still got other frozen berries to mix together too, so there should be plenty to keep us going until the fresh ones come along.

Out on the plot I've been picking self sown chard...

Purple sprouting broccoli and Brussels sprouts shoots....

Leeks....

And the last curly kale, which I've cleared from a bed I want to use soon. There's also been a few Nero kale sideshoots from the plants I snipped the tops off recently...

In the lean-to at home I've picked a bit more lettuce and some more pea shoots, a lovely fresh taste.

We used up some of the goodies in a stir fry. I also really like the purple sprouting broccoli just lightly steamed to soften it a bit, a gorgeous flavour.

Out at Eves Hill Veg Co not-for-profit farm the polytunnel frame was up, and beds inside it prepped. Time for the cover...

With multiple pairs of hands, ladders and some teamwork we got the cover right the way over, hooray

The trenches get filled in a bit with soil to weigh the plastic down, and then plastic is pulled to get a tight fit over the frame

The doorways get cut out and then the plastic is pleated and secured in place with batons on the inside of the doorframes. This sounds easy but the pleating was tricky - luckily one of the other volunteers was really good at it.

Looks pretty good

The polycover team

And here's what's happening in the original, smaller polytunnel...salads coming on very nicely. The sorrel is particularly tasty, a really intense flavour.

Ah yes, I definitely have poly-tunnel envy...maybe one day eh. On the allotment I've planted out my main onion sets (variety Sturon) and have still to do the red onions (Red Baron). I'll also shortly plant out my early potatoes, sow some spring broad beans and parsnips. The summer raspberry canes have been tied in and now I need to mulch around all the fruit bushes with compost. Plus it's not long until the peak sowing month...April...eep.

 

Thanks for reading this week, I'm linking in with Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Our Happy Acres

 

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