A Slow Start to Spring

Despite it being mid March, the weather has not realised that it should be thinking about being Spring, so I have been pretty much sitting on my hands rather than sowing seeds, with the exception of the tomatoes and bits & bobs that I put in last weekend (which the cats promptly upended on the floor).  After all, there's no point in having pots of seedlings ready to be planted out but being too cold and miserable to do so.

But surely we should be seeing something of an improvement soon, so this week I re-sowed the  TOMATOES and also some CELERIAC, BROAD BEANS (crimson flowered) and sweet peas - the trays are on window sills more inaccessible to cats, but less convenient for me.  Hey-ho - life is a compromise.

This morning, the extra two compost daleks arrived, so I headed off to the Hill with these along with and a big tub of  green shed preservative and a paint brush.  Yes, after having the toolshed in situ for five years, I am going to treat it to what is only it's second spruce up in that time.  Here is the 'before' pic.

I know why it doesn't get a coat every year now - painting sheds is not only a messy job, it is also no fun at all.  Boooooring.  No matter, bored or not, I got it out the way and it looks a damn site better than it did. And here is the 'after' pic.

Actually, today's weather was nicer than of late, with even an attempt at sunshine - although according to Richard (three plots down) and his trusty soil thermometer, the soil is only at 2 degrees.  Blimey - no wonder I am not planting out my potatoes yet!

I did take a bag of shallots down to plant out, though - I figured that they are pretty hardy, and even if they sit there and don't do much until it warms up further, they shouldn't actually die.  The garlic in the same bed is now coming through, which is always a cheery sign. 

I wouldn't let myself come home before doing a bit more with the messy compost bins - although the photo seems to show them getting more out of hand, rather than less.  

It is an improvement, though, as I've turned the top of the bigger left hand heap into the right hand bin which I (mostly) emptied the other week, so I can pretty much get straight in and dig out/distribute what's left in that bin next week (and put the unrotted stuff in the right hand bin in the new daleks) - just in time to plant potatoes out over the Easter break at the end of the month - weather permitting!