Back to normal

Monday 27th March
Having taken my grandson home yesterday I came down to the plot for my normal Monday session.
I started by lifting the strip of landscape fabric I left to warm the soil for sowing my parsnips and other roots. I sowed Gladiator F1 seed I got from Tuckers seeds through the Association. I sowed a few seeds at 5 or 6 inch stations then added some radish seed to mark where the parsnips are as they often take a while to germinate.
When I had tamped down the soil in the drill with the head of the rake and watered the row, I sowed a row of beetroot, Detroit 2 (Crimson Globe), at about an inch between the large seeds. Each seed is actually a cluster of seeds so they need to be spread out thinly.
​With the row tamped down and watered I moved on to digging the path next to the summer raspberries to remove the wayward roots. Slicing with a spade along the row cuts the roots off so I can use the fork to turn over the soil and tease out the fine roots. I managed half the path before my back suggested I leave the rest for another day.
Before harvesting I removed the net tunnel covering the broad beans which had had time to harden from being in the greenhouse and drew a bit of a ridge over the emerging potato shoots. I have just read that one should plant 'Earlies' late and 'Lates' (Maincrops) early. The argument is that Earlies have a short growing season and are hit hard if cut back by a frost. Maincrops, with their longer growing season, can cope better if caught by a frost and will grow on afterwards. Too late for this year but worth thinking about!

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​I then gathered a couple of (misshapen) parsnips, a couple of leeks, a large amount of purple sprouting, and some Swiss chard. I also had to pick quite an amount of forced rhubarb as it was lifting the water butt base I am using as a cover. There was so much that a nearby new tenant got half as there was too much for myself.