Today turned out to be not so bad after all. Bit of a cold start, but it got up to about 8C and with a bit of sunshine thrown in, it was positively springlike. My husband kindly offered to mind the children so I could have a few 'hours off' down on the plot. I managed to cross off a few items on my March To Do List, so I'm feeling pretty positive by the state of the plot at the moment. There were quite a few people coming and going around the allotments which makes a pleasant change as normally I am on my lonesome. There are a few families who seem keen to give it another go after been defeated last year, and some slightly older folk at the end of my patch who are very nice to chat to.
Here are some updated photos of my progress, they are only mobile shots so a bit blurry/overexposed. Below are broad beans (Eleonora Express and The Sutton) going in, I planted two rows of each. I was going to add compost to the trench, but decided not to as I have some held back in the greenhouse that have been raised in compost, so I'm using it as an experiment to see which do best. This bed has been prepared with plenty of manure, compost and blood/fish/bone anyway. It is still a little wet, as it's been under cover, which I've now removed and used to cover what will be the brassica/squash/sweetcorn/miscellaneous bed, which has dried out nicely.
My new fleece and plastic closhes arrived last week, and have swifty been put to use, here to bring on the carrots and spinach which have recently germinated. Whilst preparing this bed I have pulled out all mannor of things from a couple of metal hop hooks; slate; crockery/pottery; red tiles; flint stones; a huge rusty bolt and screw... perhaps I should call Time Team in!
The dark line shows where I have planted the last of my onion sets. I still have a lot of onions growing from seed, but am not sure how big they have to be before they go in the ground, I was thinking sometime in May perhaps? I have decided not to net these onions as so far the pigeons haven't uprooted the last lot, but famous last words....
A general view from the rear of the plot showing the black polythene has been moved up to allow the legumes bed to dry out a bit. The fleece tunnel to the left is keeping my broad beans cosy, the clear polythene tunnel is covering the carrots and spinach to the right. Next to which I planted some cornflower (they were glorious last year, see below) these will be blue, but I will find space for some black/blood red ones too. I planted some parsnips too, just a common or garden variety I bought last minute from the garden shop last week, I'll look at the packet and update the variety later.
I will also be planting some wildflowers soon as they really looked fantastic mingled with my sweetcorn and squash last year.
Which reminds me, I really must plant some cavalo nero (the Italian seed
Franchi variety is pretty fullproof)
