³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Well it's a close race, the end of March is here and my cucumbers are not quite big enough, still another few days. My salads are getting nicer now, more fresh greens from under cover, the claytonia (Miner's lettuce), is in full flush and chives likewise, pak choi is good, rocket, spring onions and some young beetroot leaves, all make tasty fresh salad daily.

Ìý

The forced strawberries are starting to swell, won't be long for them, and I've had the first asparagus spear. But the work is unceasing, thank goodness for the extra hour from now on. I've the first bed of new potatoes planted (Amorosa and Casablanca), with three barrow loads of compost and a plastic sheet cloche over the top. They should pick up cropping when the indoor crop in tubs peters out. I've also sown the first bed of carrots. So with some already established beds of onions, garlic, leeks, cuttings, raspberries and strawberries that's fourteen accounted for, only twenty six more to sow and plant up. I've been holding as the soil has been cold despite sunny weather.

Grass seed I sowed last month on bare patches in my 'lawn', and sowed again a fortnight ago has still not germinated. I don't hold with the idea of sitting bare buttocked on the ground to determine if it's warm enough - I just watch the weeds and if they don't grow I don't sow. However the established grass is growing, I've given it a second cut today, looks good and I love the smell of mown grass. I've also been moving some primrose and cowslip seedlings, these come in my grass paths so I lift and move them to the edges around my vegetable beds, along with docks, teasels, , and other wild flowers. The idea is to encourage in as many native insects as these can entice.

I've also been collecting up ladybirds to release in my polytunnel. It was noticeable how these were most frequently found sunning themselves on brambles and stinging nettles, and annoyingly not on wildlife piles where I expected them. I managed to catch about sixty in half an hour. There are noticeably few bees and I fear for my established peaches and apricots, they're too big to hand pollinate more than a few flowers. Oddly the young peach that had it's trunk burst by severe cold in multiple places and was covered in gummosis is looking better and appears to have healed. I'll be astounded if it has.

Most of the new trees have not moved much yet, nor have outdoor grapes though those under cover are already in leaf. I've made a new super cold-frame for one vine from double glazed units - really smart. In fact I've been busy constructing, also making a play house for the twins from old pallets and starting on a new hen house down nut corner. The hens are laying well and I've three sitting - so it may well be chicks for Easter then.