This weekend I have been busy picking the last of the Winter vegetables from the garden as the weather has been good and I can get on with digging the vegetable patch.

I collected the last brussel sprouts, most of which have been nibbled by hungry wild rabbits. In my raised bed I also harvested the last carrots and parsnips, which were actually quite small but very tasty in my beef and ale stew.

Cold frame lettuce

My coldframe protected the Winter Lettuce from the worst of the Winter weather including the snow and I was delighted to be able to pick some Lambs Lettuce and Rocket as you can see in the picture below. A few croutons and some fried pancetta accompanied my mixed salad nicely at lunchtime.

I am still enjoying the garlic and shallots which I grew last year but supplies are running out rapidly. And in fact this morning I planted my new shallots (called Red Sun) in the area where I grew potatoes last year. The sun was shining and the crocuses near my greenhouse had opened up their purple petals as a sure sign that we are now coming out of Winter.

The broad beans which were sheltered in my greenhouse did not look too good so I sowed some more in the afternoon. I also took the opportunity on this sunny afternoon to feed my fruit trees by sprinkling some organic bonemeal powder around my apple tree, cherry tree and also the black and redcurrant bushes. This should give them a boost during the awakening season of spring. As I was spreading my bonemeal fertilizer I noticed that my cherry tree was full of buds so hopefully I will get a lot of fruits this year.

Still no sign of any Daffodil blooms in the garden which means a delay of about 4 weeks compared with last year.

My sowing plans are well under way and include indoor sowings of red Amaranthus, Cleomes and Cosmos which I look forward to seeing in my new flower borders.