Spring is in the air... plus recipe for citrus cleaner

Thank you, John, for this harvesting pic!

Yesterday Empty Common had a stall at Seedy Sunday. We had photos of our garden, a map (it's rather large and photos do not capture everything) and free strawberry plants to give away. A number of us was manning the stall and it was fun to speak to so many like-minded people. We took turn to see the other stalls, get seeds and buy good food (thanks WI women!) and despite being a smaller event than the previous years, it was pretty good....

As you can see from the picture above, we are still harvesting - parsnips and Brussels sprouts. The tray you can see has some of the pots that were taken to Seedy Sunday, the strawberries have invaded a large area and it was time to thin them and share with others!

Weeding continues, just because it's cold, weeds are still coming up. There is a smell of spring in the air though, the sun is warming up and the lettuces are growing well in the polytunnel, which needs a spring clean... The beds have been tidies up and manured. The crop rotation has been planned...

A bird count was done, too, which is great for kids. Going back to cleaning the polytunnel, Charlotte is sharing her recipe. No need to buy one from the garden centre...

Recipe for cleaner

Do not use on granite, limestone etc. kitchen surfaces and floors...
Fill a jar with citrus peel. Cover it with white vinegar and put a lid on. This can be done over time so you can gather the peel you discard when cooking. Leave to stand for a couple of weeks. Filter it with a fine filter into a clean jar. Use this diluted 1:1 in a spray bottle. Spray the dirty surface and wipe clean. Wash off with water if the surface has a lot of dirt on it. Wash with fresh water afterwards as it is quite strong. You can use malt vinegar if you want to save some money.