Now the garden has recovered from the winter deluge, the soil is dry on top, but the sub soil is pudding (wet), and this has made tilling the soil difficult this spring.
The first crop I planted was shallot sets (bulbs) and the country saying is plant them on the shortest day of the year, December 21, and harvest on the longest day, June 21. I also planted Sturon that are mild flavour onion sets. For sharp flavour onions l plant Stuttgarter sets. Keep checking your sets them daily until they take root as the birds like pulling them out of the ground.
I sowed some broad beans in the autumn which failed this year, but all is not lost as I will sow some more in the spring hoping to get a good crop of beans later.
Parsnip seeds can be sown in February and March, but you need a little patience to get them going as they are slow to germinate. Another type of vegetable you could consider sowing is turnip – they are ready to harvest in as little as 6-10 weeks and varieties that are available are Snowball and Sweetbell.
Radishes are very quick to crop and the the most popular variety is French Breakfast.
The seeds of early varieties of most vegetables can be sown now, plus potatoes, but it may be best to wait until the soil warms up.
Image Credits: Dennis Leeds George .