Hi Annette, I put a big coat on to keep me warmish and yea my soil is frozen too but only the first 3 or 4 inches. I had to put my digging fork down the length of the tines to loosen the root structure of the parsnip! It's strange when I was able to lift a solid lumps of soil that were 4 inches thick. I have some sprouts still to be harvested and I'm going to pick some for dinner tonight.
Ulls (and everyone) I too like the small, tight sprouts but I'm going to tell you something that may surprise you.
The growers (we call them breeders), who sell seeds to the public and have brochures full of hundreds of different varieties, have over the years bred sweetness into some varieties and people like me can buy packets of seeds that are described as the sweetest sprouts.
However, when you buy sprouts at the greengrocers or supermarkets you won't know what type you're buying but you can nearly be sure that they're ones that give farmers the best yield. Some sprout plants are ready for picking as early as September, others are ready from maybe November to January and some as late as March but after that the sprouts no longer stay tight and they become like mini cabbages.
I have more info but don't want to bore you!
Tvman xx
PS Don't ever overcook sprouts, they taste horrid because of a chemical change.
That quality information Tvman thank you. I never over cook my veg I hate soggy veg and as you say over cooking changes the taste. I like my sprouts nice a solid.
Had a laugh at your post Ulls but it reminded me of my daughter's boyfriend. He once said, when he was younger, ee The Turn, are they on again, they get about don't they. He thought it was a band called The turn haha,
I'm a gardener too. In fact till I suddenly got gravely ill with what came practically out of the blue and very soon nearly killed me, namely liver mets from a breast cancer I barely even knew I had. Anyway, till then I had a future whereby I was expecting to work for the next 20 years and till then I was developing my second and best career, running a proper horticulturally skilled gardening business. I got ill at just 49, and I'm so upset about it. Anyway. I'm having to accept I can no longer work and I'm giving my business to my employees. But I think I'll always be a gardener. I was out yesterday, renovating the neighbour's privet hedge. I always tackle the seemingly impossible but I've found cunning and persistence can achieve most things in time. Parts of it are 5m tall but tame it I will. Though I feel effing pegged out half the time!
I started gardening on my vegetable plot age 23 and there is nothing quite like growing veg. My garden is too dark, shallow-soiled and cold for veg (East facing dug out slope) but I enjoy my shrubs and perennials. I read on your other feed that you have bought some willows, people will think you're crazy to grow the numbers of them but I get it and it's a lovely thing to grow. I've got a 'Yelverton' in the front garden which is a young cutting, if you know it it's got fiery red young wood, lovely. I wanted a pollard but it's a vigorous beast so might turn it into a lower coppice. It fights its corner with a yellow Irish yew and a purple leaved Cotinus. And by corner, I mean about 75cm square. Which is a squash but while the plants are young and hard pruned each year the colours are great.
Keep gardening, always.
Ps. I knew what you meant about fish shop, my ex used to keep then ;-)
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