I've not done much at Littlemeadow this past week - it's been either so cold, or I've had things to do back at the house.
The mesh continues to be slowly removed from the frame of the olf fruit cage. Slow, because there's still lots of mud and the ladder keeps sliding and sinking. But it's getting there, and that's the main thing. I keep reminding myself, when the mesh cuts my hands, that it'll be worth it when I can access the beds properly and the area looks better for being clear.
The bulbs are growing their first sprout of growth, and I have mini irises flowering in the beds near the chicken enclosure. I planted various bulbs in the perennial sides of the beds back in the autumn, between all the other herbs, fruit canes and bushes and other flowers...and promptly forgot what and exactly where, so it'll be a lovel surprise when or if everything comes up.
The Muppets (my older daughter's name for my chickens) have started to lay eggs more regularly, which is a good thing, as some of our church friends have been asking when I'll be selling them again. I have high hopes that Monty, the cockerel, has been doing his job and there'll be chicks this year. Some of the hens have had muddy spots on their backs, so I'd say he's at least been trying.
The broad beans and peas are almost ready to go out under a layer of fleece. The sweetpeas are looking very delicate, but I'm hoping they'll improve. According to my Charles Dowding calendar, sowing can start proper this time next week, so the stack of mushroom crates under the table in the bedroom (the only out of the way place in the house my younger daughter won't mess around with!) will be home to paper pots growing spring onions, lettuce, spinach, coriander, early cabbage, broccoli and parsley. There will be more broad beans and peas, but I'll probably put those into pots before then and into the greenhouse. They're much more hardy than most seeds and can cope very well with sprouting in cooler environments, just more slowly. Sweet M, my husband, loves broad beans and our eldest will only eat peas if they're home grown, so there'll be lots of both in Littlemeadow this year!
I managed to forage for a salad this week! I thought it a mad idea, that I'd not grown any winter salad and there'd not be anything to eat, but out I went with a basket and picked parsley, small kale leaves, lemon balm leaves, small broccoli leaves, some overwintered beetroot leaves and some bits of top growth from florence fennel. Now, I know most reading this would think urghh, but, with a little drizzle of salad cream and a poached egg, it was really nice! And very satisfying, to think that I'd grown that, and that the egg was from my hens.
Finally, I've posted a photgraph of the top view of the old fruit cage, where the deconstruction is going on. This was taken last year, when the netting went up for the bird flu restrictions and there was nowhere else for the bachelor drakes to go. Hopefully, next time I can show you some of the cleared structure ready for the beams to come down!
Until then, take care of yourself!
Comments
Post a Comment