Honey bees on Apricot, Peach and Hellebore.

On March 1st the first few Apricot blooms opened. By March 3rd, a warm calm sunny day, it was covered in bees and has been every day since, weather permitting. The apricots and peaches grow in the polytunnels.

Apricot blossom.

 Peach blossom

By March 10th the peaches and nectarines are also in full flower.

 Nectarine blossom.

The Hellebores are finally receiving attentions from the bees.

The purple crocus are fading and the primroses begin. Most of our primroses are the pretty yellow one, but Angus propagated this pink primrose from one he found in one of the farm hedges.

Bracket fungi.

February 24th

This very pretty bracket fungus is growing on a dead willow stump near the big pond.  I am guessing it is a  Trametes versicolor, commonly known as turkey tail.

Over wintering Sweet potatoes to grow in the polytunnel.

 A few years ago Wendy gave me a couple of sweet potatoe plants. There were 2 varieties, the white variety did poorly for me but this pink one has been good so I have kept it going.

It grows in the big tunnel in a sunny position.

Last year I dug it up on November 9th.

The sweet potatoe needs sun and heat to do well. I only grow a couple of plants as I find they take up a lot of room for the return they give. They would be an ideal plant for someone with more poly tunnel space than they knew what to do with, as they do provide good groundcover.

I took one of the tubers to make next years plants by submerging it partly in water.

After a few weeks it had lots of shoots.

I broke some off ...

...... to plant up in pots....

They will also root in water on a sunny windowsill.....

..... 2 weeks later there is good root growth.

The tuber continues enthusiastically to sprout more shoots.

4 more shoots rooted in water ready to be potted up.

The tubers could be cut to make more plants or just potted up the way they are.

This was the sweet potatoe in the poly tunnel last year on October 15th.

The over wintered plants have been potted on. I will keep them in the house and plant them out  in the tunnel in April.

I have spare plants if you live nearby and would like a couple (and have the space!), contact me by e-mail or leave a comment.

Grey squirrel.

We have a cheeky grey squirrel eating the nuts from our bird feeder.

March 7th

 It was early morning and the light was poor for taking a photo but you get the picture!

February sky

 February had over 200mm (almost 8") of rain. While December had 142mm (5.5") and January 180mm (over 7"). That is more than 500mm (more than 20inches) this winter!
It was also a very windy month with a gust of 63 miles an hour and on 20 days there was at least 1 gale gust (39 mph). Temperatures were average.

February 25th

Good weather for ducks!

 

The ponds are full to the brim.
 Although the bees found many sunny intervals, a lot of February looked like this!  

February garden.

First picking of asparagus , rhubarb and purple sprouting broccoli with rocket from the polytunnel. Somehow this seemed worthy of a photo while potatoes, turnips and kale have escaped the camera, despite being in the basket much more frequently!

 The poached egg plants went in after the potatoes were lifted in November as a green manure crop and forage for bees in May. Behind is a bed of cauliflower.

 

In the foreground is Rhubarb Timperley early. I divided one to plant up this bed last year. They were mulched in autumn. Behind is another bed of poached eggplant and behind that the kale.

I try to lift the  leeks without disturbing the Poached eggplant and forget-me-nots that have self-seeded amongst them.

The gooseberry bushes are still leafless, revealing a nest from last summer.

Ladybirds are ready for spring.

Even enjoying a spring kiss.

Alfie in the kitchen and looking at frog spawn.

Just finished sieving the flour for carrot cake.

Alfie likes to chop carrots as much as he likes to eat them.

Alfie at the top of the hay looking for eggs,

Alfie looking at the frog spawn.