Time for Action

I've got the growing bug and I can't wait any more. Saturday was too windy for anything, but today was warm (for the time of year) and calm. So to work.

The first things to sow are onion sets (Sturon), parsnip (Tender and True) and broad beans (The Sutton).



And here is where they are now. (The parsnips are in the background starting off the roots (alongside my new rhubarb patch) The broad beans are alongside the fireplace. The onions are mostly under my improvised bird protector, although some are outside (and should act as a control for my experiment!)



I also sowed a packet of leeks in two pots midweek at home. These are in the shed with the potatoes until they emerge.



Here's the broad beans going in. I sowed two double rows, 8 inches apart with 24 inches between the double rows. It's worth writing down the distances for sowing on a piece of paper or notebook, written large, before leaving for the plot so that it can be easily refered ro without the need for glasses if, as in my case, you need them for reading.



The parsnips have been sown in clumps of 3 at 6 inch intervals in rows a foot apart. This year as an experiment I have sprinkled a few rocket seeds along the drill so as to easily identify where the drills are while waiting for the parsnips appear. (They are notoriously slow). Will report on whether this works as anticipated!

I feel like a real vegetable grower now!