Start of the new season

After losing direct sown peas to mice last year we're going back to starting them off in guttering.  Broad beans are in modules for an earlier crop and to prevent slug damage.

Topped the tunnel beds with a fresh layer of home made compost.

Corn Smut

Some of our sweetcorn has Corn Smut (fungus), also known as corn truffles. It won't win many prizes for looks but has a lovely mushroomy sweetcorn flavour and is apparently quite sought after in some countries. Once cooked this lot topped toasted open cheese and tomato sandwiches.

Radicchio Palla Rossa

Radicchio. Brushed the hearts with olive oil before cooking on a griddle, the main dish is a gratin of onion, potato, celeriac, beetroot and courgette with cheddar, brie and wholemeal breadcrumbs. 

Flowers

The sunflowers are self set.

Statice hanging in the barn to dry.

Celeriac

How they looked in early April

and now

No dig potato update

Apart from a few volunteer Kiflis that have been left to grow, all the spuds are now lifted. 
Some were planted under leaves and some under wood chips.

Pro's of using leaves
Easy to mound up
Easy to harvest (also easy to furtle about for early tubers as they became large enough) 
Tubers were quite clean

Cons of leaves
In windy conditions leaves needed holding down with chicken wire until the canopy had grown
More slug damage than normal

Pros of using wood chips
Easy to mound up
Relatively easy to furtle (compared to soil)
Easy to harvest 

Cons of wood chips
More scab 
Chips mixing with soil as tubers were lifted

(Starting with better decomposed chippings would probably reduce the downsides).