Sowing and planting is well underway

Moving from a veg plot that is about the size of 1.5 allotments, feeding a family of five, with the extra produce given away or stored, to something that is capable of meeting the needs of the wider community, is actually quite difficult to judge. How much do we need to sow and plant? The honest answer this year, is trial and error. We intend to do the best we can, and see what works. Inside the house we have lots of tomatoes, aubergines and peppers – on just about every windowsill. They are growing well.

Other young plants are growing stronger by the day in the greenhouse – onions, leeks, cabbages, lots of different kales, sprouts, spinach, chard, broad beans and peas. We’ve planted out the broad beans and onion sets already, as well as some first early potatoes. I’ll keep the variety under wraps as it may not be so popular this year – go figure! I’m slightly concerned about planting in the main patch though, so have also planted in my own area as an extra precaution. Slugs were a problem in Holme Field last year when the pumpkins were young. Rich went on nightly patrols to remove the offenders. I’ll try wool pellets as a first line of defence in due course.