Frost and snow

Had quite a busy time recently doing more building work than gardening, helping off-spring Soggy, now that's nearly done the ground is frozen hard, so time for a quick post here.

We have a light sprinkling of snow remaining on the ground here, through which I dug some leeks, parsnips and beetroot for roasting and gathered some Brussels sprouts yesterday. The other night, whilst it was snowing, I remembered the nets over my autumn sown onions and broad beans. Last year both crops suffered because the nets, weighed down by snow, stifled the young plants. So went out during the snowfall and brushed the nets clear, so hopefully everything will be OK.

A few days earlier, rather than dig them up (our storage indoors is full of lots of other stuff, mainly out good potato crop) I earthed over the remaining carrots, hopefully I can now just go and dig as required.

The other main job at the moment has been to dig up the blackcurrant and gooseberry bushes, the former have been failing for a couple of years, the latter have been of varied performance despite Mrs Soggy's best efforts at pruning and care.

The intention is to plant new ones, haven't decided which yet, but we'll probably research RHS Award of merit varieties. I will also be attempting to train them to wires, that should be especially helpful, if it works, for taking the torture out of picking gooseberries.

The raspberries will be re-sited too, but I haven't dug them yet, I want to prepare the ground first and move them to a new site straight away and not leave them sitting about, even heeled in.