MARCH 

Just one day of sunshine so far in March, great storms sweeping through almost every day and the garden soaked.      This week I was able to cut the front lawn for the first time this spring - just before a violent deluge of rain sent Liam and I indoors.      The daffodils and crocii are going strong and even the aubretia has begun to show a few flowers.      Too bad the storms have given all the flowers quite a battering.

The good news is that the carrots are now moving in the greenhouse and the second lot of lettuce seeds have begun to show.      I am keeping on top of the weeds as they appear as well as giving the carrots a light thinning - not too much as it would be tempting providence to thin too well and lose the crop to pests.

For the moment the slugs are being kept at bay but I know the midnight patrols must continue.

            At last the sprouting broccoli is ready to start cutting so I suppose you could say the garden season has begun!      The larger plants have starting sprouting first and there are many more smaller ones still to come.      I expect we shall be cutting the shoots for 4 or 5 weeks now and there should again be plenty to put into the deep freeze.

            Remarkably the curly kale is still growing fairly well and I expect we shall get a few more good meals from what is left over the winter.      Certainly this crop has been a great success as everyone seems to love it - and in the winter we do not have the caterpillars to contend with.

            The rhubarb is making a very slow start this year but it is just showing and will most definitely be a target for a good dollop of the horse manure which is still in the trailer waiting to be spread.     

            The only other thing really moving in the garden is Liam's row of broad beans which came from the seeds he gathered from the soil under our crop of last year.      They seem pretty hardy and are now about six inches high.