Year 1: Mid May
15th May 2010
Bunty takes down the bubble wrap propagation area and finds strawberries 'Evita' doing well. The potatoes 'Maris Bard' are nearly ready to go outside. She strings up and picks out side shoots on the tomatoes 'Olirose'. The French marigolds are planted out around the polytunnel and a structure built for the climbing French beans 'Cobra'. The lettuce 'Belize' & 'Bijou' have been regrowing and the Claytonia is flowering, going to seed and will be pulled out soon. The third batch of sweetcorn 'Lark' and the courgettes 'Defender', squash and pumkin seedlings have been put out to harden up. The brassicas Curly Kale, early and late purple sprouting broccoli and late brussels sprouts 'Wellington' are planted out from the seed bed. The second batch of sweetcorn 'Lark' have been planted out while the first batch are still under cloches. She sowed climbing French beans 'Cobra', peas 'Sugar Snap' and dwarf French beans 'Purple Tepee' outside. Bunty checks on the potatoes 'Charlotte' and 'Desiree', she earths them up and adds more straw. The root crops carrots 'Amsterdam Forcing', Beetroot 'Barabietola Di Choggia' and parsnip 'Gladiator' are weeded by hand with a knife. Finally she shows how Forget-me-nots can be used as a effective slug and snail barrier and as ground cover in the fruit cage.