What a beautiful weekend.....hottest April day since 1946! I went walking in Derbyshire yesterday so didn't manage to get anything done as such, although I did check the carrots when I got back and they are now poking through the compost surface......so they're bang on cue. I just need to keep the surface of the sand in the drums evenly moist until they are growing away well and the tap roots are well down. Then I can safely ease up on the watering and leave them to their own devices (more or less). Each 'station' will have several carrots growing in it and in a couple of weeks I will select the best 2 and carefully snip away the rest with a pair of scissors. You mustn't pull them as this may disturb the root of the ones you are leaving. After a further week I will select the best one and cut the other away.
It was so hot in the greenhouse that the brussels were suffering so I've put them outside to harden off before planting in a week or so. My blanch leeks are also outside now and they too will be planted against stout canes, with horizontal canes to support the foliage. The vertical cane will support the barrel during the blanching process. I'll illustrate this nearer the time also.
The 'large' onions in the greenhouse seem to be growing well and I have also placed a cane against each one with a metal ring to support the foliage. This encourages the onion to grow upright thus preventing lop-sided bulbs later on.....seems a bit of a rigmarole but such are the lengths we showmen go to to try and gain the upper hand on our competitors.
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