Missed a 'snip

Don't know how, but I managed to miss a parsnip when I thought I had dug them all up earlier in the week. I spotted a lush green tuft in the raised bed this morning and upon further investigation discovered this stocky root underneath

As I type it is parboiling and will be getting a roasting in rosemary and honey as a lovely addition to tonight's dinner. I think that is definitely the last one now so intend to enjoy it.

To sow or not to sow?

I am waaaay behind on where I want to be with my sowing schedule, but there was a frost last night and the local council has tweeted that the gritters will be out tonight so I'm still a bit wary about doing too much if the weather is against me. It is difficult though when the sun is shining like it has been most of today.

So, I did a little bit more sowing, and everything is in the greenhouse so fingers crossed.

I opened up my brand new seed packets of baby brassicas: matsuri (broccoli), ruby perfection (cabbage) and fremont (cauliflower). The idea behind these is that they will take up less room than the varieties I have previously grown. I also sowed calabrese, evesham special sprouts and dwarf green curled kale.

Courgettes were also started off today, 12 in all, a mixture of black beauty, gold rush, all green bush, tondo di toscana and zucchini. Now, I am not expecting all 12 to flourish on my plot. I don't have the room to grow that many plants to maturity, plus as much as I love them there is no way this household could cope with the number of courgettes that this many plants would produce. If they do all germinate (which is unlikely) friends and family lookout as you may find homeless plants appearing on your doorsteps.

I finished off today with a couple of butternut squash, a couple of hunter squash and a couple of outdoor wonder melons. I have never managed to produce a single melon and every year I try one variety or another, so I'm hoping that this will be the year for me.

Yay! We have tomato seedlings

San Marzano Lungo has germinated the most; 4 out of 5 sowings, although there appear to be 2 in the same module?!

There is also 1 cherry, 1 sub arctic plenty

and 2 romas

with a few more looking like they are about ready to push through in the next day or so. Hopefully the peppers and chillies will follow soon too.

First Seedlings

Yes they are tiny, but earlier this week saw the appearance of the first seedlings. You can just about see the rocket in here

Slightly easier to spot is the mixed salad

In harvesting news I pulled a few leeks

and dug up the last of the parsnips

on the same day that I sowed a row of white gem into a recently re-built raised bed.

I also sowed 6 mini-white cucumbers in the greenhouse. I have returned to this variety because they have always produced perfect results for me and in large quantities. I seem to struggle with the more traditional longer cukes so have decided to stick with what works well for me.

Now for a confession... I had to re-sow some broad beans. My autumn sown batch that were doing so well were killed in the frosts. My own fault; I kept reminding myself that they needed to be fleeced but never got round to it, so there are six new sutton sowings in the greenhouse alongside the cucumbers.