After the rain

After weeks of dry weather it has rained properly. The dry spell was often windy which dried the ground even more deeply. There is more rain forecast over the next few days and we still need it. We checked out the greenhouse and watered all round. The tomatoes are doing well, cabbages are almost ready to go out, so are the first batch of spring onions. A couple of extra peas look ready to go out. The original peas are doing well. Another batch of spinach is ready to face the outside world - the first batch is struggling and we haven't got close to taking any to eat. The first runner beans are ready to go out, but I haven't built the frame to support them yet so they will have to wait for a few days.

The plums are beginning to swell. The two small trees we have look covered in tiny fruits. I think we might need to thin a few of them to get a better crop. The rest of the fruit bushes all look to be flourishing, with the raspberries now covered in flower buds. Strawberries are forming with still masses of flowers so a good crop looks likely.

The broad beans are covered in flowers, with no sign of blackfly yet. Some lettuce are showing and the carrots are still sprouting. The parsnips are doing very well, I think the rain has helped them a lot. One or two of the winter onions are forming proper bulbs, but some have bolted to form a flower, probably under the pressure of being too dry. I took the flower spike off but the bulb might not be as good as the ones that didn't bolt.