Start of spring sowing

Garlic and broccoli, mainly

Now coming up to March, when the sowing begins in earnest, I'm getting a head start on the earliest plants.  Inside, I sowed a small tray of lettuce and spring onions, which have already been transplanted to the cold frame on my patio.  Also inside, next to the artichoke crowns growing merrily, is a tray of onions from seed.  I grew them from sets last year, and while some were of moderate size, none were big.  Some didn't grow much at all.  I thought I'd save money and grow from seed this year, which usually give me small to medium onions too.

In late autumn I planted out some shallot bulbs, many of which are sprouting well.  This week I planted another 20, though they had to go in the Misc. bed as the Roots bed is now pretty full:  I sowed three rows of parsnips too.  I've never grown shallots or parsnips before, here's hoping they survive.

In the Peas and Beans bed, I planted out some newly sprouting mange tout peas;  last year I started sprouting them in a bag before sowing, this resulting in a higher success rate than sowing without sprouting.  I don't know what happens to them, if it's birds, mice, slugs or what, but they just don't appear.  I've got a similar bag with broad beans which haven't sprouted just yet--soon, though.  I've two rows of autumn sown broad beans growing (pre-sprouted, too), though pretty small yet.