OUTDOORS 42

I finally have a third blueberry plant to fill in the fruit space at the plot that was vacated by removed gooseberry and blackcurrant bushes. Liz bought it for me as my first Christmas gift for 2018 after I failed to find one on my Saturday excursion. It has now been dug in and given a vinegar feed - as blueberries enjoy acid soil.

Here you can see the new blueberry area of the fruit patch, with my new Christmas gift from Liz beside the other two bushes. I still have 1 rhubarb, 1 blackcurrant, 2 gooseberry, tons of raspberry and 2.5 beds strawberry - plus apples at home.

I realized that I did not need stepping stones to bird posts and baths that were repositioned, so 'roilled' the slabs to the pond and made a proper slabbed area next to it. Within minutes I had investigative birds - Mr Bob and the latest male blackbird - munching grubs on the slabs.

Here is an early December shot of the plot - showing the last few cabbages, last half dozen kale, some of the fruit area, more-or-less weeded ground, and Brussels sprouts plants.

January 2019 arrived and little can now be done. Frosts and cold weather also arrived! February gave signs of wet n windy with small gains in warmth to begin with, and in the poly tunnel i got busy. I planted chickpea, chili, lettuce, salad leaves and tomato seeds in the newly soiled containers - using the compost I grabbed when Liz drove me to Wyevale and then Haskins in the first week of the month.

Down the plot, the garlic and shallots I planted along with the rhubarb are growing well - but the broad beans did not survive if growing at all. I have more or less weeded over the main growing area - though the strawberry beds and around the shed, beds and bins really need a good weed whenever we next have a decent dry spell.

There is ground ready and waiting after a light dig for the 2019 crops - broad beans and a bag of mixed onion sets will be the first to go in this year. I also have a few packets of outdoor all-year seed I can try out before the main crops go in from March thru July.