April 2023 Video Diary
29 April 2023
Late April plot tour, apple blossom and tulips
Our first plot tour of the year. Vegetable wise there’s not a lot to see with most of the crops we’ve planted still underground or at best just sticking their first shoots above ground. The only greenery at this early stage of the season is provided by fruit trees and bushes.
29 April 2023
Frosty night
Did the fleece protect our tomato plants in the greenhouses from frost?
26 April 2023
We take Ruby on a walk at Temple Newsam
We haven’t visited Temple Newsam for a few months. On our last visit, there were preparations for some sort of function and much of the parkland was closed off and we decided not to visit again. However, we decided to give it another go and this time none of the grounds were cordoned off. We even managed to find some new routes through the parkland in the woodlands. There are lots of bluebells coming out in the woodlands.
23 April 2023
Experimental parsnips planted plus planting cabbages and calabrese
On a windy day not at all suitable for sowing parsnip seeds we decided to plant our chitted parsnip seeds. We also managed to plant out some cabbages and calabrese as well as a first patch of broad beans.
17 April 2023
Experiment chitting parsnip seeds on damp kitchen towel
Last year we had lots of trouble getting parsnip seeds to germinate. We’re experimenting with a different method of germinating them this year. I’ll only try a few seeds this way and sow the majority of our seeds the usual way into compost filled drills.
13 April 2023
Nostell Priory, bluebells are out, swan attack?
It was a cold April day with a bitterly cold gale force wind on our visit to Nostell Priory this week. Our first stop was by the lake to feed the ducks and swan. The other swan was hunkered down on their nest at the other end of the lake. The swan didn’t take too kindly to the arrival of a Canada goose. It also decided that it would try to help itself to the bag of food Sue had food in. The bluebells are on their way out in the woodland areas but they always seem very difficult to photograph.
11 April 2023
Planting potatoes Sagitta and Ulster Prince, sowing peas & protecting our cherry tree
We had a busy afternoon at the allotment planning up our trial potatoes. These are two varieties that we haven’t grown before. They are Sagitta a second early which is supposed to be good for chips and Ulster Prince a first early variety. We had time to sow a couple of short rows of Early Onward peas. After a coffee break, we decided to cover our cherry tree to protect it from the wood pigeons. They will destroy both the leaf and flower buds if they get a chance.
09 April 2023
First early potatoes are in plus the first bed of onions and shallots
We managed to plant our first couple of rows of early potatoes Tuesday afternoon. As a bonus we also managed to plant up a small bed of onions and shallots.
06 April 2023
Ruby’s tour of Rothwell and Rothwell Park
One of Ruby’s regular walks. The exact course of the walk depends on how dry or wet the conditions are.
04 April 2023
Winter to spring transformation
Just a bit of an experiment to see if I could merge pictures taken in our March snowfall with pictures in the same location at the end of March.