A topsy turvy year

With Easter almost at May Day this year and the spring unseasonable early, I'm getting pretty confused as to what should be happening when. The weather is baking hot for April, about 26C today, which makes it feel like we have completely by-passed spring and hopped straight to summer! After much deliberation I have decided to plant out some tender varieties a little earlier this year, courgettes, sweetcorn and runner beans have gone in today, under closh though at night. Night temperature have averaged above 10C for the past week and look set to continue, so I wanted to capitalise on the warm spell to get them off to a good start. It doesn't matter if they fail, I have back ups growing!

Courgette Early Gem and Jemmer

 

 Sweetcorn Sundance

Runner beans

Plot overview at dusk

Dry as a bone

We continue to have very dry weather here in West Kent, and our tap is still shut off, and I've used up all my reserves in the water butt. With no more rain forecast in the next week or so, I'm wondering how to keep the whole plot going without losing all sown seed. I've ordered a 10ltr water butt to take water there from home and will fill up bottles and tubs then drive VERY carefully down to the village!

As a result of the very dry weather here, I've held off doing too much at the plot and concentrated on raising strong plants in the greenhouse to give them a better chance or establishing themselves once the rain arrives. I had a flush of planting the other night, sowing french beans, swede, lettuce, dill, basil, tomatoes and a variety of cut flowers.

I popped to the plot this morning with the children and saw the asparagus tips that emerged a few days ago are still there thankfully, but are coming up really slowly, not sure if they need a good water to get them going, but they are certainly taking their time! Still hoeing off lots of thistles every day or two. I have broad beans, peas, lettuce, radish, parsnip, endive and chard seedlings up now. I sowed another row of carrots (autumn king) in trench of compost (kindly suggested here for parsnips by Green Lane Allotments) so we shall see how that goes.

Aside from that I'm continuing to pot up and harden off. I potted up some Blue Kuri Squash, Pacino Sunflower, Sweetcorn and asters (which mainly died and didn't like being moved at all!) My cucumbers (spacemaster) are growing fast in the propergator so I'm off to pot them up now.

Off to do a raindance too!