Garlic – The garlic is coming up nicely in the “graves” we built up at the land. The music showed its head about a month ago and we’ve not got around to mulching yet, apart from some Lisa has done with some comfrey. We have a load of composted leaf mulch from last year’s willow that we could use instead of the grass cuttings we used from the graveyard last year – hmmm dead people compost ?-|. Again, the elephant is coming up a bit slower and is hardly coming up at all in the allotment. I don’t think the elephant likes the wetter bed we’ve put it into this year.

Living Willow Wales – We’ve got our first order for a willow structure for next year after last year’s success. So it’ll be good to get all of the organising out of the way before the season starts this year. Lisa is doing another (!) willow course in May, this time to learn how to do willow animals with Judy Macklin on life-long learning course through Aber university. She can then teach me and I love the idea of us then taking a herd of willow animals around the shows and festivals. Lisa got on really well with Judy, and she’s talking about using us for her willow next year.We’ve already had a couple of enquires about us doing workshops this summer which we’ve turned down as we’re not ready and have a lot to do this summer.

I’ve just been reading back through last years blog, and the sheep did eventually get into the pasture and eat a lot of our new basket willow. So although not much good for basketery it’ll was still good for cuttings.

Coed Bryn Helyg – As I’ve already mentioned we’ve got 500 hazel cuttings in which are coming on nicely. They are leafing but when I notice they not actually put any roots on yet. We’ve made a very impressive raised bed for the birch seeds, edged in woven willow. This is the kind of thing Lisa would like to do with all of the beds. After 4 months in the fridge the haws have still to germinate. They still look viable so I’ll probably bury them and try the slower stratification method. The oak seedlings have started to come into leaf so have survived the transplanting OK.

Willow: The willow is coming on well; some shoots are up to two feet long now. The solar molar – or whatever – is still keeping the rabbits off the willow plots inside of the woodland garden (the field below the meadow). However it’s not helping the willow in plot D, all exposed as it is out in the field although right next to the solar molar. Some of the shoots have made it up to 2ft but now 50% have been stripped of leaves or chomped off. Looks like it’ll have to be rabbit wire, or moving up of the fence to protect this plot.

Thankfully the rabbits aren’t making it down to Plot E where the new babies are all doing very well; some up to a couple of feet long now. We’ve lost a couple of cuttings, but no more than one or two per type. The curly has recovered from the frost damage and is sending out new shoots. The purpurea (delicate basketry) looks amazing; it’s sending out very slender, dark purple shoots that are almost a couple of feet long now. It looks like it might almost inspire me to get into basketry!

Allotment: The potatoes I bought at the smallholders show are now in. As are some of the peas, runner beans, purple brocolli and cabbage. The bit of rain we have had has put a couple of inches of water into the pond. We have a few babies left over so we’ll take these up the land. The garlic is interesting. The early spurt that the year old garlic bulbs put on has faltered now and they are floundering about with only four or five leaves and these don’t look very healthy. The music is doing really well as is the highest new garlic plot. We’ve mulched all of the peas and brassicas with cut grass to try and distract the slugs. The slugs are escaping from the pond so I’m going to have to start crushing them like Lisa does!

Vegetables: We’ve made a small plot next on the land for the excess seedlings we had and planted a few potatoes, peas and beans. We’re planning to put in some carrots. The pumpkin plant has gone in by the camp willow dome, as we slowly fill in the bare soil I cleared of brambles down by the hedge with our first forest garden! Fruit trees, fruit bushes and a few veg underneath.

Misc: I’ve started selecting the wood from this years hedge trimmings to make a gate for the cottage.