Welcome to Week 5 and what a week we’ve had here at Hen Corner…..
It’s been one of those weeks when you don’t know what day it is… local schools were closed on Monday and Thursday and the weather has been extreme!
We started with hail on Bank Holiday Monday, clouds and drizzle on Tuesday and Wednesday, yet May 6th, Election Day, has given us brilliant sunshine as we strolled down to the heaving polling stations.
In preparation for this weeks blog, we photographed three beautiful shrubs with flowers of red, yellow and blue.
One of each of the main party colours!
So this morning we feature this lovely blue bloom as it was the Conservatives who were successful in winning the seat in our constituency…
Congratulations to Mary MacLeod MP!
Keeping the political theme, we were pleased to welcome one of our local councillers, Andrew Dakers, to Hen Corner earlier this year, when he was campaigning for Free Range Eggs throughout our local authority. Here you can see him with Cllr Caroline Andrews (who is holding Ascot, a Silver-Laced Wyandotte). Andrew is holding Butternut, a Buff Orpington, we think she is just the right colour hen for his Lib Dem politics!
So what else has been seasonal this week?
Well, outside it is ‘Berry Nice’
We’ve got a strawberry bed that runs the length of our Kitchen Garden a home to several varieties that offer a nice long season. A new addition last year was some Wild Alpine Strawberries that self seed everywhere…yum!
The early mild weather, along with climate change, has delivered British Strawberries to our supermarkets three weeks early this year…
For up to date Strawberry Watch at Hen Corner Follow us on Twitter!
The Soft Fruit Bed is also looking good with Raspberry Canes that should fruit from June to November. I must remember to only prune back the canes that fruit this year… that will leave this years cane growth for next year’s early fruit. Some of our late fruiting varieties will fruit on this year’s cane growth.
Blueberries and Gooseberries are still getting established as they were only planted last year. I can’t wait to taste the Red Pax dessert gooseberries…
Let’s get ready to crumble…
We’ve had a good couple of puddings from our Rhubarb – neatly nestled next to the compostors (for good root feeding). We mustn’t take too much early on as we’re hoping for a solid well-established patch that will last for years. This is all good as we’ve nearly finished the apple, plums and blackberries that were squirrelled away in the freezer over winter!
And we’re busy inside…keeping things HOT!
We’ve been potting on chillies, peppers, and aubergines. The Cape Gooseberries (Physalis) have taken well and are thriving out of the propagator. That just leaves the tomatoes and their friends the marigolds to pot on as they establish…
Jobs for this week:
- Clean out the cold frame
- Weed & feed the soil
- Sow squashes & cucumbers
- Sow brassicas & parsnips
- Watch the weather forecast… we may need to water outside!
Corners are not just for squares…
