I will first have to apologise for my lack of updates recently. After all that negative news over the winter, everything came thick and fast in the planting stakes. We had a great turn out for the Open Evening in April and I hope everybody found it informative and a good insight into the progress we have achieved. I think it also showed how there were many positives to the Promised Land which I had not been able to highlight. I will use this update as more of a summary, as if I wrote in as much detail as usual, you would need to purchase the report from a well known book store, on the shelf next to War and Peace.
Strawberries: Everyone loves strawberries and the good news is that the earliest variety we have, the Honeyo, have started to flower, produce strawberries and some have started to turn red. Straw will be put underneath very soon and hopefully the taste will be worth the wait.
Potatoes: As you walk by, you can see the four rows all doing exceptionally well. When you drive by fields full of potatoes, just think that your plots look better and are more advanced!!!
Brassicas: The growth of the cabbage, cauliflower and calabrese is fantastic. They have taken hold and are now approximately a foot high!
Onions: The drilled seed onions have not produced like we have hoped and we will plant all of them from sets next year. The set onions have produced very well and will be high yielding.
Roots: The early carrots have just started coming up. Due to the lack of water the development has been slow but they are picking up and as soon as the ground dries out after Tuesdays rain, then I will drill the next set of carrots, beetroot and swede.
Block Crops: These are now fully planted. Sweetcorn, courgettes, tomatoes and squash! These were planted a little late because of the late frosts.
Beans and Peas: These are now almost all in. The runner beans have taken hold, French beans have emerged, peas are coming on nicely and the broad beans are starting to have countless pods developing on them. Not long till they are ready!
Work: We have been doing a lot hoeing recently and this should improve the growth. We have also added some fertiliser which has added growth. The masterpiece though is the water tank and irrigation system, which is now up and running, with great results, allowing us to control the water everything gets.
(Pictures by Ivy – while I try to stop being a technophobe and learn how to use the computer and camera!)