Look I’m not exactly St Francis of Assisi with birds flocking to me and alighting on my outstretched arms, but I’m getting there. I have made a breakthrough with my friendly hen pheasant. She know readily comes into the potting shed, and on Friday, for the first time, she took food from my outstretched palm. She comes running to greet me every time that she is in the vicinity when I arrive, and regularly checks in during the day. Of course her tameness is only because I feed her and her little gang, who are also becoming much more bold, but it’s lovely to be having such intimate contact with these beautiful birds.
The past few days have been characterised by avian close encounters. On Thursday afternoon when I was packing veg boxes in the shed I heard some chirping emanating from the greenhouse. When I entered the glasshouse I discovered a recently fledged thrush, with a wonderful speckled chest and a short stubby tail flapping from one window pane to another. I managed to corner it and cupped my hands around it. Amongst much squawking and struggling I took it to the open door and released it, whereupon off it flew purposefully, no doubt to tell its siblings and parents about the frightening adventure it had just had. Then blow me down, not an hour later when I was closing up the greenhouse I discovered an equally young blackbird in the middle section of the structure that I had to also capture and release. And on Friday afternoon while preparing for the market a Robin flew into the potting shed. It’s a though I am a bird magnet!
Boy am I glad that I didn’t cast a clout last week, and it doesn’t look as though I will be casting any in the one ahead – quite the reverse, I’m back in full winter clobber. How disappointing was the weather? When I wrote last week’s blog we were clinging on to the last of the warm days, and then BANG! the very next day it was cold, windy, with rain and damaging hailstorms. My heart sank when the hail arrived, all I could think of was the beautiful apple blossom and what damage was being wreaked upon it, only time will tell if it has affected the fruit set. Thereafter followed a week of Jekyll and Hyde conditions, but with a running theme of chilliness. On Friday another hailstorm arrived, seemingly just to completely cheese me off. I shouldn’t take it personally I know, but sometimes it feels a little bit vindictive.
On Tuesday and Wednesday there were lulls in the weather during which I made some progress outside. I got some potatoes, cabbages and broccoli planted, and sowed seeds of turnips and beetroot. I also did some weeding between the rows of previously planted cabbages and broad beans. In the greenhouse I set out the first of the tomatoes and I have prepared a bed in the polytunnel for the main planting, but with the low overnight temperatures I dare not put any in the ground. I can’t leave it too long though because the plants will begin to stress in their pots. It felt good to be cutting some lettuces from the tunnel, successional plantings of these will see us through the next couple of weeks at least. There is a good lot of flower on the row of mangetout peas that I planted, but don’t get too excited, I don’t think that there will be a huge harvest to be taken from them….but selfishly I will be enjoying some at home when they are ready, I will let you know how delicious they are.
It wasn’t a good week for the veg boxes. The purple sprouting broccoli wasn’t available, the previous week of warm weather was enough to finish off the kale, and I didn’t have enough beetroot for everyone that wanted it; apologies for the inconvenience. Don’t forget to amend your next payment if you had already made one before learning of the missing items on your order. I am afraid that we are now really entering that period where fresh produce is scarce, and the delayed start to the growing season is not going to help. I still have some chard and spring greens, but they will soon be finished. After that greens will be in very short supply for a while. I have not ordered any watercress this week – it is just too stressful. The stuff just doesn’t last long enough, and even keeping it refrigerated and then in a cool box on my delivery round I don’t think that I can guarantee a level of freshness that I am happy with. I will just have to grow lots of land cress next winter – it tastes the same and I will have control over its quality. A different carrot grower has emerged, so I am taking a risk on a limited quantity this week. Whether or not they will remain in the shop will depend on what shape they are in when they arrive. I am restricting potatoes to Alouette as they are the variety that seem to be slowest to shoot at the moment. At this time of the year it is normal for the tubers to be sending out growing shoots, but the Marfona are really going for it now, so we will give them a rest.
The wild garlic in the woods is now flowering, and looks a picture, but it signifies the beginning of the end of its season. I will pick it this week for pesto, but whether there will be any after that is questionable. If you are lucky enough to be anywhere near a bluebell wood now is the time to get out and see them at their best. There is a lot of garlic mustard flowering at the moment too. It really hasn’t been the weather for them, but I haven’t seen very many butterflies so far this spring, just the odd one here and there, and no Cuckoo yet, and very few Swallows.
That’ll do for this week. Let’s hope that the orders go smoothly, apologies for the limited selection in the shop. Have an enjoyable week, and if it’s clear tonight take a look at the moon. Last night it was so bright, casting well defined shadows.
Phil