Mince Pies and Mulled Wine - before work on the plot!

Today a large number of us enjoyed mulled wine and mince pies at the café thanks to Kay Power and Jane Merret with contributions of mince pies etc. from a number of others. While there were lots of familiar faces, there were a few very welcome new arrivals. If you missed the event it is a great pity but you are welcome when the café reopens on Sunday mornings in the spring.

After enjoying the refreshments I visited the plot to find that the mice (or maybe rats) have continued to decimate my Broad Bean plants. I have now lost nearly 2/3rds of my plants! However, whatever is eating the beans out of the ground is also taking the poison I have put out inside the bottles pegged down around the beans. Everything I left has disappeared from the bottomless bottles but there was still bait in the complete bottle. This suggests it is rats as they tend only to enter enclosed spaces when they can see an exit whereas mice will poke their noses in anywhere, including complete bottles. I renewed the bait.

I then tidied up the brassica cages, picking out the yellow leaves and firming in the taller plants. While in there I found a small cauliflower that will be most welcome at home. I also picked over the Calabrese (my wife insists I call it broccoli) and got a couple of meals worth. Seeing a few slugs still active I put down a thin scattering of slugbait. There was nothing I could do about the clouds of whitefly except pray for a cold snap!

I scraped the old pine needles from the path beside the summer raspberries ready to dig over the ground underneath to remove the spreading roots and shoots. Then I dug the trench along the fence ready to dig over the old pumpkin plot with my 'Backsaver' spade.
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Finally I started harvesting in earnest. I dug up a parsnip and was pleased that it was a nice straight root not the multiple rootlets I have had so far. I started to pick a few turnips but soon found they needed thinning out so went home with quite a few. (I will need to check online for ways to use them or store them.) And last I dug out a couple of leeks. They are all a bit small and are gradually thickening up but I can't wait!

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