These are the parsnips that I chitted at home. They were a devil to transplant but look worth the effort now.

The curds are forming in our first caulis of the season.

The flower bed is quite overcrowded and has been left more or less to its own devices but is doing its job in attracting the beneficial insects to the plot.

The potatoes are looking good too with quite a few flowers appearing. I couldn’t wait and had to have a little feel around in the bags and bring home a small harvest of Sharps Express to put on our lamb chop dinner tonight. Jim gave us a lovely cabbage from his plot so that will also go on the plate tonight.

Whilst I was weeding in the brassica tunnel I noticed small curds forming on the cauliflower plants so it wont be long before we shall be eating them.

The warm wet weather is perfect for growing and it is very satisfying to see everything coming on so well.

Maturing in October this outstanding hybrid gives fine, deep white curds of excellent eating quality

We planted up the three courgette plants All Green Bush and put a polythene cover over until the plants are a bit hardier.

Into the brassica tunnel we put twenty five cabbage Greyhound plants, thirteen cauliflower All The Year Round and ten onion Marathon.

Onion – The regular consumption of onions has been shown to lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure  helping to prevent atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease, and therefore reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Here’s a greyhound cabbage from last year

I had left a tray of runner bean plants White Lady in the fruit tunnel to harden off and I noticed that most of them had been eaten by something so I am putting another batch in today to try and catch up.

In the same tray I have sown one row each of Cauliflower All The Year Round, Cabbage Primo ll and Cabbage Glory of Enkhuizen. All for Summer Harvest. update on germination – Cabbage Primo ll  (new seeds) 100%; ATYR & GOE (old seeds) nothing.

Yesterday was a lovely warm day but as Rob had to work a double shift he wasn’t home until 7.45pm. We went straight down to the plots when he got back and spent a nice hour watering the plants that are under cover and the seedlings then planting more pumpkins, five Cauliflower Moby Dick, five Cabbage Kilaton F1 and twenty five Lettuce Delicato. We brought home a bag of salad leaf and a few globe raddish to go with our very late evening meal.

Heritage variety from the l800′s with compact growth of medium size pure white heads, mild flavour, excellent keeper and suitable cooked, raw or frozen. Sow early Spring Harvest Autumn.

A good link  http://www.vegetable-garden-guide.com/how-to-grow-cauliflower.html

Tip – Apply a foliar feed during Summer. Cauliflower plants respond very well to this as more nutrients are absorbed than by feeding at the roots

Sean and Deb couldn’t make Saturday so they came to dinner on Sunday with Jem. They always come loaded with presents and this time I got loads of flowers, a book to read. a sensitive plant, and a lovely chocolate cake chosen by Jemima. So all in all we had a busy but happy weekend.

Rob and I popped to the allotment at dinner time today to take the poo buckets etc and came home with a bag of beans the last of the tomatoes and the first of our new cauliflowers out of the tunnel on plot 8.

We are mostly tidying up and collecting seeds on our visits these days. However, we did bring home a nice cabbage, a massive parsnip, a couple of sad leeks and rather a nice purple cauliflower.

British Queen is described as a superb flavoured mashing potato originating in Scotland. In Ireland it is known as “Queens”. It is fairly susceptible to blight but matures quite early. The flowers are white with yellow centres, and the haulms are fairly light. The texture is light and floury. Said to be the best mashing potato, fluffy and white with very good flavour. Also steams well, roasts well, bakes well. Bred by Archibald Findlay. 1894.

The brothers gave us six cauliflower plants and eight summer cabbages and we gave them six eggs each in return.

We  gave Mick Market’s wife Audrey six eggs and she gave us six primula plants.