​Dodging the rain to sow Leeks

Saturday 2nd March
Given that I am told our President, Hugh Merret, normally sows his leeks in mid-February, I thought I had better get some sown. Having run my cultivator over the surface of the onion bed near the fence in line with my new 'no-dig' policy, I sowed a packet of Musselburgh in the first row next to the fence. I then sowed some 'Joliant' early leeks next to them, though there were not enough seeds in the packet to fill the whole row.

Next I carved a strip for the path through the horse litter on the bed nearest to the shed. This is the bed I shall use for brassicas once I have moved my huge net tunnel. I will probably have to dismantle it and rebuild it as it needs quite a bit of repairs!

Next I pulled the last of the cauliflowers in the current batch. It has grown well in the last week with the good weather and looks ready to 'blow'. It is big enough for a couple of meals and I pulled it so I can hang it in the garage for a couple of days while we eat the 'Autumn' broccoli that is still producing!

​One January King has started going to seed and will contribute to the broccoli and its blown partner will make nice spring greens.

​The last cabbage is hearting up and hopefully will give me a good cabbage.

​I then turned my attention to the second bed of green manure. This patch of Phacelia has survived the winter rather better but I was still able to rake off the top growth fairly easily making a generous contribution to the compost bin. There is still enough leaf mould left to mulch this patch.

​Finally I was able to harvest a few leeks and some purple sprouting to take home.
Once home I had time to prepare some buckets for growing extra early potatoes in the greenhouse. I cut out three panels round a cheap plastic bucket from Wickes using a hole saw and a sheet cutter.

That bucket then nests inside a second bucket before I part fill it with compost and plant two Casablanca seed potatoes.  Once they have grown (and I have earned them up with more compost) I hope to lift the inner bucket out and extract potatoes before my earlies mature out on the plot.
​The first one I manufactured a week or so ago, as a test, already has a shoot emerging from the compost.