Frozen vegetables

The frost didn't lift all day but at least we haven't yet had snow. Here's a frosty cabbage, the centres are still quite small so I'm leaving them, I'm not sure when they'll be ready to pick.

There was a delivery of manure from the horse stables steaming away by the gate so I filled three sack full and put them in the old tool box for next season.

Six in there altogether, which is just about full. I also got another barrow load and spread it over the rhubarb and around the artichokes.

I dug up some parsnips, these two were so close they had grown around each other which will make for interesting peeling.

Despite the cold my daffodils have started to sprout, I hope they don't grow too quickly because it looks like there's more icy weather to come.

Sun and smoke

A quick visit to the plot the low autumn sun was shining through the bonfire smoke giving a suitable effect for Guy Fawkes weekend. Although the sun was shining the air was still cold, I could see my breath at 3pm when I started to work.

The cold has finished off the French beans completely, the pods I had left hoping to gather beans from for next year were now rotten. The weather hadn't stopped the broad beans I planted from germinating, I have a nearly perfect zig zag row of them, I could only see where one was missing and perhaps it'll come trough soon. I do hope they aren't growing too quickly and will survive whatever weather we get until spring.

Both the garden centre garlic and the cloves I got from the allotment shop had began to sprout as well. I had another bulb from the allotment shop so I split that up and planted it too. I had a bag of fifty seed onions to plant, I marked out a row and dibbed holes for them 5" apart as recommended, then when I counted the holes I realised I had sixty four to fill. I guess I'd plant the onions in pairs as far as I could go because the soil on the far side of the plot isn't as good anyway, in the end I had planted all sixty four and there were still a half dozen left which I put in the gaps between the leeks.

I decided to pick a few herbs and gather some potatoes before I went home. I noticed that the foliage on the parsnips has begun to die back and curiosity got the better of me so I tried to pick one. I pulled on the foliage but it all came off in my hand, so I dug away a bit of the soil and then realised this parsnip was bigger than I thought. I got the trowel and began to dig it out, once I could get a firm hold of it I gave a big pull and this monster appeared. It's a bit gnarly and will need peeling before I eat it but i was really impressed with the size, there must be about another twenty of these to harvest.