Early beans look unlikely...

With all the snow and ice it hasn’t been possible to go to the plot for several weeks. The bees are usually alright over winter, so not too much to worry about but I do like to go and check everything is ok. So on Sunday, on the way to Hebden Bridge, we popped in to see if all was fine.

The bees were very quiet, a few dead ones by the entrance, but that wasn’t surprising as it has turned chilly again and they keep inside when it’s like that. The big disaster, though, is the broad beans that were sown in October, ready for an early spring harvest. They were the right variety, but it seems the snow has burnt them beyond saving as the stems were black up to where the snow had been, the top leaves looking sad and green against the brown of the soil.

Everything else seems to be doing ok, the onions and garlic spritting and starting to grow, which is encouraging. The Savoy cabbages are fine, but the kohl rabi have flopped in the cold and will probably be dug in to boost the soil. The rye and clover is patchy but still alive and should put a spurt on when it warms up, more roughage for the soil.

Until it warms up there’s very little to do, so it’s back inside to peruse the seed catalogues and make some choices for the year ahead.