Spring is sprung; the grass is ris'...

We have had some very warm (and dry) weather recently - more like May than March - and the plants have developed very rapidly. Things are popping out of the ground all over the place. Best of all, the Asparagus has produced its first tentative spear! The Asparagus usually puts up one or two spears very early on, as if doing a reconnaissance, checking out what the weather is like up above, before it goes into quantity production. [Note: In the old days Asparagus was often referred to as "Sparrow Grass", and this is the only grass I have in my garden. No lawns to maintain any more. Phew!]

These look a little bit like Asparagus, but they are actually Lily of the Valley (Convallaria Majalis).

The Shallots and Garlic are all showing plenty of green growth.

The first of the Broad Beans and Peas are also through now.

This is a close-up of a Pea seedling. I think you can tell that it is one of the Purple Podded Desiree ones.

Along the side fence the Raspberry plants (Autumn Bliss) are already much in evidence

I have had a 100% germination success rate with my brassicas. In these three pots I sowed 7 seeds each of Brussels Sprouts (Brilliant), Red Cabbage (Primero) and Summer Cabbage (Golden Acre).

I will grow them in those pots until they are about 5 or 6 inches tall, with at least a couple of proper leaves, before planting them out into the open soil. That way I can protect them better from both weather and pests.

Notice that I meticulously labelled the pots. This is important because brassica seedlings all look very similar in the early stages and if you didn't label them you could easily end up planting a great tall Brussels Sprout where you wanted a short compact Cabbage to grow.

Meanwhile, the Beetroot seeds sown under cloches have germinated well. The seeds come in little clusters and this means that they often need thinning out to give the roots enough space to develop into a decent size. I'll do this in a week or so, when they have got big enough to be able to withstand the disturbance this is bound to create.

No sign of the Parsnips in the next-door cloche yet, but that is not surprising. Parsnips are well known for taking a long time to germinate. I usually lose faith and sow another batch, only to find that the first lot comes up as well! Patience is certainly a desirable virtue where gardening is concerned...