Return of Merlotti

It's the middle of half term, not much inspiration to get outside, what with the grey, overcast days, and my love of daytime tv! I did, however, manage to drag myself off the sofa, and the cat came with me to enjoy the digging and running across the newly planted beds. The old cabbage and broccoli bed is the second winter patch to be done, so first, I removed any cabbage leaves I could use for Spring Greens (even though it's not spring!) That reminds me, I left them in a trug in the greenhouse so will just go and collect them now while I remember...back in a mo...

Ok, job done. All in ready to go with the roast tonight. So, having dug it all over and added some compost, I planted up all the onions, about 49 of them, and two heads of garlic, kept from my own garlic last year. I've gone for an onions set: Troy. The garlic is Solent Wight and grew brilliantly last year. After planting, I've covered with fleece to keep them warm for the first few weeks, and will change the blanket into a tunnel as the shoots begin to form.

I've also sown some Winter Gem lettuce in the greenhouse. Now, call me stupid, but I thought that if I seeded them all at the same time, then I could grow them in sets, stage by stage. I have now realised its the sowing, rather than the planting out, that I needed to do in stages! Doh! Oh well, first set out under cloches as a catch crop between the broad beans, which are looking much healthier now they're in the ground.

The cat loves exploring the different patches, and whilst digging, I found a little hoard of squirrel nuts! I've left them out on the corner for him to find again. This bed is still a muddle as it has leeks planted in summer, that I've just begun to harvest, new broad beans and now Winter Gem.

I also finished off planting out the cabbages and you can really see the difference. Apart from the slugs enjoying their fill, I think they're going to do well and hope that this variety, Round head, do actually produce a head, rather than a few leaves and a bit of a point as last years' did.