In the garden the bare soil is now rapidly filling up with all the different crops; the first potatoes are just peeking above the ground, carrots, leaf beet and beetroot have germinated and spring onions, onions, sweet peas, sugar snap peas, courgette and pumpkins have been planted. It is all looking so pristine but we are painfully aware that the weeds are happily waiting to emerge soon and repetitively keeping us busy for the coming months.
In the propagation tunnel it has been a constant sowing, pricking out, potting up and moving around of all sorts of plants. We do not buy any plants in but grow everything from seed ourselves which not only saves us cash but also gives this wonderful opportunity for the Freeman College students to be engaged with the complete cycle from seed to table! The leeks and cabbages won’t be planted before the end of the month but are readily growing up in our cold frames.
In the tunnels we have finished to harvest the spring crops grown under cover: radish, salads and endless cuts of spinach. Yes, maybe we supplied too much of that to you! But do not forget that one has to wait for the next spinach till October as it does not like to grow in the summer heat of Sheffield (ha-ha!)
Cucumbers, tomatoes, fennel, celery, courgettes, peppers and early beetroots, carrots and beans have replaced the winter and spring crops and the tunnels are almost full now again.