Time to take out the old vegetables, now that they are sprouting, and prepare the beds for this year. The donkey manure needs digging out, with some of it being incorporated into the beds before the man with the grab lorry comes to take as much away as he can.

The parsnips were an afterthought because whenever we have sown them they have contracted rust which has rendered them uneatable (or largely so). I read an article about close sowing and picking whilst young which made them more canker resistant, so what the heck – for the cost of a packet, let’s go for it, and the taste of roast parsnips with a frosty edge to them is unbeatable.

So I did (close sow them), had a low germination rate so they weren’t, didn’t (pick them young) and largely forgot them apart from watering them in the drought. And they were (very tasty especially after a minus 8).

They are a ridiculous size – eighteen inches or so, probably a bit woody, but certainly sweet! Anyone remember Texas Homestore? It vanished in the early nineties, but the ruler was in the barn abandoned by the previous owners. The remaining leeks need to be lifted and positively the last sprouts need picking.

The seed catalogue needs perusing, and this bed is being readied for potatoes. Spring is springing!