Filling the Hungry Gap!

By all accounts I am lucky to have purple sprouting broccoli this year. The cold Winter seems to have devastated the commercial crops but a few of my early PSB 'Rudolph' have done quite well. This is one of the better shows, early pickings like this are tender and tasty. Leave them a few weeks more and they can become fibrous and chewy. I will certainly leave one of the plants to flower because the bees just adore PSB flowers! If you get a chance to let any of your brassicas go to flower then please do! You will encourage the bees to come and pollinate the rest of your patch.

My Bishop's Kiss chilli are continuing to grow nicely in the heated propagator in the greenhouse. They need such a long growing season they are one of the few things that has to be planted this early. I am probably going to plant a few tomato seeds next week.

Another little experiment in Matron's greenhouse is this first early new potato 'Rocket'. I planted it in a pot in the heated propagator a few weeks ago. I will keep re-potting it and I hope to have an early crop of new potatoes at Easter! Just about the time when the seed potatoes will be going in the ground outdoors! The traditional time to plant new potatoes according to the garden calendar is Good Friday!

Matron is off to the sunny island of Madeira for a couple of days sunshine and luxury. Baxoon!