Working on the Vegetable Patch over the New Year Bank Holiday

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I took full advantage of the Bank Holiday and surprisingly mild weather to get out and do a bit on the plot on the Bank Holiday Monday following New Year. 

The Autumn Fruiting Raspberry canes from last year were cut right down to ground level, actually later than I'd normally do this but still fine to be done in early January, and the canes added to the wood pile ready to be burnt in the Chimenea in the near future. I tidied up the bed and added Soil Improver Manure, which is mainly mushroom compost, and Chicken Manure pellets to the bed to give it a good feed. The Strawberry plants were all tidied up as well, any dead foliage removed, the beds weeded and again Soil Improver Manure and Chicken Manure pellets were added to the beds; luckily the British weather was kind and rained most of Tuesday morning helping it bed down and wash those nutrients into the soil. 

I also chopped down the Green Manure on the main Veg Patch and will leave the leaves to wilt down for a few days before turning over into the soil. Whilst on the Veg Patch I dug myself up three lovely Parsnips and the very last of the Chantenay Carrots were pulled from the pots in which they have been growing since summer. I's a great way to grow the shorter rooted carrots as they sit quite happily like these have into January and unless it is shockingly cold I never have a problem with them being frozen in the ground. The carrots sown in pots and the bucket in the Greenhouse as part of the winter experiment appear to be well and I will pull the first few soon to see if they are of eatable size. 

The Creeping Blue Blossom mentioned in my last post was potted up into a large Terracotta Pot recently vacated by a  Myrtle that was past it's best and hadn't flowered in a couple of years - I think down to my lack of pruning as much as anything and that I never took it under cover in winter. Anyhow, all being well the Creeping Blue Blossom will be very happy in it's new home. 

There's still plenty to be getting on with, before you know it spring will be here, and that Nest Box project I keep mentioning is no nearer starting let alone finishing! 

Cheers 🍺

 



Location: London Borough of Havering, UK

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