When to get back on the land

I have not been there much the last month or so - maybe once a week - as there was little to do as such apart from harvest more leeks and parsnips.

But I went yesterday and dug up the rest of the spuds - which were fine as I covered their area with fleece - and finished the winter carrots. And got rid of the brassica stalks, removed their netting and did a general tidy up for about an hour or so. All very low-key things to do and pleasant in their own way.

And did a general survey of the land - planning the location of the greenhouse, checking where this year's beds are going to be based on my "plan" etc...

after rough digging and a bit of rotavating in the autumn this was left.......  I know have a fine crumbly tilth and if the weather had been better I would have had my shallots in BUT as it still far too wet I have black plastic'd the shallot bed to dry it out....  the potatoes should go in about mid march...... we'll see! 

This is one of the advantages of having raised beds with wood chip paths in between.  We can move around the plot quite easily whatever the weather is like.  Have spent the last 3 days there in all weathers getting the chicken run started and have noticed such a difference with how wet the grass paths between plots are and how muddy they are.  I can see how you could do some damage walking around a plot with grass/mud in this weather.