8th February

Last week our wee single furrow plough arrived, this plough is for the wee compact Siroma tractor, and will be used in the tunnels.

So for a wee trial I went into the cosy tunnel and after a wee bit of setting it up, it ploughed fantastic.

In this tunnel was the spring cabbage that we had harvested a couple of weeks ago.

Usually we would rotovate in the harvested stalks, and old leaves after we have harvested a tunnel, but then we needed to leave it for a week then re rotovate it before we can plant.

But with the plough we can rotovate then plough the old stalks and leaves in, and straight away get in and rotovate then roll it and get planting straight away, leaving all the old leaves and stalks under the newly planted plants, which is good feeding.

Last week we also started the Blocking of the seeds, and put them straight into the greenhouse with the heater on.

We blocked of five thousand spring Cabbage and five thousand Pak Choy.

The temperature outside was hovering from minus 2 to 1 degree, but inside the greenhouse it was a tropical 10 degrees, great for bringing on the plants.

From the greenhouse, we then move them into a small tunnel that we use only for bringing on plants, as this one retains the heat, then when they are nice and healthy, we then move them into the big tunnels, then from here they get planted.

Out in the field the Kale has become Pigeon feed, so there won’t be many weeks left of it.

Every year if we get a proper winter with snow covered fields or really hard frost for a few weeks, the pigeons come in for feeding time.

This is because it stands so tall, and is perfect when everything else is under a blanket of snow.

We have used the bird netting to cover the kale in the past, but the pigeons just land on top of it anyway and peck away, having a hearty feast.