Signs of spring and plot protection

Trees are looking amazing with the warm weather - this is a local Blackthorn (I think)

A belated post about last weekend (rather than a prescient one about the weekend to come - obviously). It was unexpectedly warm in the garden on Saturday, which meant I managed to spend the entire day out there - tuckering myself out in the process. It was one of those deceptive early spring days that tempt you into planting things that then get caught by the frost. I managed to resist - mostly. 

I did however plant:

A single row of peas - I'll plant another row in two weeks time, and another two weeks after that to try and extend our picking season - a row of swiss chard, and a row of perpetual spinach. The last two literally keep us in greens all year round. We've got some that's over wintered, but it will probably bolt come the warm weather, so it's useful to plant some more now. I also couldn't stop myself from planting a row of swede and a row of beetroot. I should know better, as it's way too early really, but it's old seed, and who knows - it might work. We tried swede last year, but got no crop at all as we put them in too late, so I'm determined not to do the same again.

All this planting means that I have to take elaborate precautions to protect the bare soil and seedlings from the local wildlife. No it's not the urban rabbits - it is in fact the local Felis Catus population (two of whom are ours - and the wost culprits I might add) who are irresistibly drawn to crap all over any newly dug soil. I wouldn't mind (long term I'm sure it's good for the soil), but after relieving themselves, they scrape the surrounding earth all over the place, digging up and killing any seedlings nearby. Well not this time. This plot is bullet proof. I even used the gardeners version of barbed wire - thorny rose trimmings. Only a crazy cat would choose to crawl under those babies to take a dump.