We’ve made a good start on the garden over the last couple of days, it’s had a good bit of tidying up, some seeds were sown and even a few chitted seed potatoes have gone into the raised beds with the handmade potection on the top. Typically we’ve been told we may be having wintery conditions over the next week. No worries then, it’ll be a mad dash out with the newspaper and old net curtains if anything looks like it’ll be needing protection.

At the bottom of the garden it’s a little darker now due to the fence going up so we’re in the process of tidying it up and seeing what can go in. The cardoons are coming on well and there’s some red onions that never done much last year that have now resprouted so we’re leaving them in for a bit.

We’ve still got more packs of seeds to sow but we reckon we’ll hold onto them for a while. We didn’t do too well with green beans last year so this year trying a new variety to us called Python, a french climbing bean. Years ago the great Joe Maiden mentioned that runner beans in general don’t like sitting around in cold soil so we’re not going to sow them till mid/late May when the soil is warmer. Was it Joe who also passed on the tip that you know when you it’s the right time to sow seeds outdoors as it’s when you put your hand into the soil and it feels pleasant not cold. It may have been. So wait a while until you sow outdoors (unlike us who have already started!)