Doug's been fleeced!

The weather was good this weekend so we thought we'd make the most of it.

It's still unseasonably warm here on the south coast which is good for me who feels the cold very easily, good for Phil because I'm not warming my cold feet on his back and good for the growth in Doug.

We have been warned that if there is too much growth now, it can cause issues when the cold weather does hit but we're still working under the assumption that anything we do grow is a bonus.  

The brassicas are pretty much surviving.  Some are falling foul of slugs but many are growing and getting bushier.  While the good weather continues, the cloches are not making much of a difference, we're sure this will change as winter progresses.  The garlic is huge!  Most of our broad beans have now emerged and some are looking rather good!  The shallots have also grown a lot, so we're just really waiting for the onions to peek through (there's three shoots now but it would be good if the rest of the two rows to show soon.)

Some of the herbs have thrived since we re-planted them.  The coriander, we fear, probably won't make it but it was always a possibility that some of them wouldn't survive.  The fruit bushes all appear to be doing well and our rhubarb crown has a new shoot - really exciting!

We were also offered a taste of the neighbouring plot-owner's rice wine brew... very potent!  I had a cup of it (Phil just had a sip since he was driving.)  Apart from making my accent rather thick, I appeared to suffer no ill effects and it was rather delicious!

Our final task was to start protecting the shoots with fleece.  We constructed a frame over which the fleece fitted rather nicely - more by luck than design I hasten to add.  It should help protect the garlic, broad beans and shallots against the worst of the elements.  We have been told that the local foxes like to use it as a trampoline so we are fully expecting the whole thing to have collapsed by the time we go back.  We have had footprints over the black ground-cover material, so we wouldn't be surprised if we have foxy issues:)  Time will tell!