Brimstone yellow

I forgot to mention, I saw one of these today flutter past my spade, the first butterfly I have seen this year.

The perkyness of spring

I'm definitely feeling better and was fortunate to get out in some spring sunshine and plant up some of my home grown veg on the plot. The weather forecast rain in the afternoon, but it never came, just more spring sunshine. We could actually do with a few showers now to get the seeds going, as my roots bed is looking decidedly bare right now, and I'm reluctant to sow anything else there until it either rains or the parish council install the water tap that has been promised.

Progress today as follows...

Broad Beans

As you can see they have been growing well in the greenhouse, and it was time for them to spread their roots in the soil outside.

Peas

I was not sure if it was a good idea to plant them out, but the roots were growing out of the bottom of the pots, so I've planted them among twiggy sticks and netted over to protect from pigeons. I thought if it's ok to plant them in the ground now as seed, it must be ok for them to go in as plants too. I think it's pretty sheltered there so the frost hopefully won't hurt.

 I have grown two varieties, Waverex Petit Pois and F1 Jaguar.

Wild Flower patch

I sowed a random selection of flowers between the raspberries, as a little wild flower meadow, they include Larkspur, Cantebury Bells, Marigolds, Mignonette, Cornflower and Morning Glory. Probably not very authentic, but I have some Ox-Eye Daisy in the greenhouse I can slot in to make it look more like a meadow!

Radishes and salad leaves have germinated

Overall everything is looking good!

Asparagus!

My much eagerly awaited first spear of Asparagus has sprouted! Yipee, not long before I will be steaming a big pile of those juicy veggies and soaking in butter, schlick.

Water conservation

Last year my plot suffered terribly with the spring drought and our poor water supply to the allotments really aggrivated the situation.This year I was determinded to resolve the issue somehow, but it's tricky as we are not allowed to erect sheds or any type of building that I could collect water from. So I've finally forked out for a humble water but from a large but cheap DIY chain. I searched high and low (well not very hard, but that's due to having two toddlers) for something to store water in, but all solutions were either too big, too heavy or cumbersome to get onto the plot by myself. I just have to fill the butt now, which may take some time, as it's a five minute walk to the other plot's standpipes.

Last year there was a dispute between the farmer who owns the land my plot came from, and the plot holders who were using his cattle trough as a water tap (as it refilled) He called in to have the supply cut off, but after lots of local parish political wranglings it turns out that his water supply was actually owned by the council and was connected to the standpipe in the other allotments. In some ways this is good, because it means the council have agreed to erect a standpipe there for our plots, which would be amazing as I could then only have to walk about 1 minute as opposed to across the road and up the hill to fill my watering can. I only wonder how long it will take for them to do the work to reinstate this water supply and whether we will get any benefit from it this year? In the meantime it looks like I will be mostly walking back and forth all day Tuesday to fill my butt!

Read about the water dispute here as it made the local rag!

Things going in and things coming up

Lots of my seeds have germinated this week, thanks to the warm spell, they include:

Jolant leeks
Golden Bear onions
Mignonette annuals
Larkspur annuals
Sunflowers (some ridiculously giant variety for the kids)

So in celebration I sowed some more flowers, some for pollination on the plot, some for cutting:

Russian marigold (and I mean Russian!, I liked the look of the packet)

 

 

Whilst doing so I marvelled at the variety in shape, size and colour of the seeds, doesn't nature package them wonderfully!

Canterbury bells 

Miniature marigolds, the seeds of which are beautiful, like black and white fans

and morning glory

As well as new sowings, I'm pleased with the progress of other plants, happily putting on mm's by the day

Florence Fennel

Jaguar pea

Drumhead red cabbage

Taking stock

As you will know from my previous post, I haven't been so well, which has been torment seeing the beautiful weather outside. Today I pottered around the garden looking at spring's progress and sowed a few seeds in the greenhouse while the children played. This seems all the more poignant knowing that we may not be living in this house this time next year, seeing all these plants emerging from their winter sleep for the last time.

But, I feel so much better for having had some sun!

Lilac tree's leaves are bursting their buds

and the magnolia is coming into flower (much later this year)

My rhubarb is springing to life... this was rescued from the dumping ground from the end of my garden, so it isn't doing so bad considering

Morello cherry tree's buds

My daughter busy in her veggie patch

My son cutting the hedge

Even my tomato plants were allowed out to see some sun!

Amazing the progress this warm week has made in the garden!

Poorly

I'm feeling decidedly ropey at the moment, I've picked up some sort of flu bug from Hugh, so have not been able to even think about getting into the garden or allotment. I just lie here, coughing and dreaming of summer...

On a plus note, we have had a 'solid' offer on our house so looks like there might be a new allotment on the horizon, in Eastbourne!

Four seasons in one day

 Yesterday was my weekly update on the plot. The day started of frosty, so I had to wait for the sun to burn off most of the cold in preparation for digging, which in turn made the countryside look very autumnal with the mist laying low on the fields. Then by midday it was almost mid summer, with scorching (yes I even felt like I may need sunscreen) sun, but I'm sure it was probably only about 12C.I had to shed a couple of layers while working and was truly soaking up the spring sunshine. Then by about 3pm, the mist rolled in again and cloud blocked out the sun, and we were back to winter!

The plot is structurally coming on nicely, and I'm excited for the children (or perhaps just for me) as I have created some paths and seperate beds, not quite raised beds, just sectioned off areas, for them to walk and play around. When I was younger I used to love visiting country house gardens because they were exciting to explore with their different 'rooms'. I want to recreate a tiny part of this idea on my plot as it makes it an inviting place for them to visit.

So, I have a salad bed, and now a courgette bed behind...
In the salad bed I have planted some general cut and come again lettuce and some radishes, just to keep my enthusiasm going (as my carrots have not come up elsewhere)

...the path leading up to this is a climbing bean and flower tunnel, to the right of which will be a sweetcorn block.

 In my roots bed, I planted more Early Nantes Carrots (not sure if the others will ever germinate, will give them a couple more weeks before resowing there). I also sowed rocket and parsley, intercropped between the roots.

Then, as I had frivolously bought some additional early potatoes, I decided to put them in, the shoots had reached almost 2" long. The variety is Foremost, which don't necessarily get the best recommendations across the web, but we shall see, the proof being in the eating. This time I've added a little comfrey to the trench, not something I've tried before, but most books say potatoes are a 'hungry crop' and as this bed has only been mucked this year, they might need an extra boost.

Garlic update...

Broad beans finally in!

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)

March to do list

Here's what I need to do.


On the plot: 

• Put closhes down on allotment in preparation for sowing seeds.
• Plant early potatoes during the middle of the month
• Sow broad beans in the soil
• Plant remaining onions
• Sow parsnips
• Sow cornflowers
• Sow spinach
• Sow radish
• Sow beetroot

Under Glass

• Sow swede
• Sow beetroot
• Sow broccoli

Sunshine on the plot

I had to pop to the plot to pick up my fork this afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised to see the sunshine break through the clouds for a few moments. I was also pleased to see the soil was looking distinctly dry, yes the clods were drying in the sun and cold wind. I didn't post any pics after last Tuesday, so I snapped some on my mobile while I was there.

Rear view

Left side. From front to back, new Glen Ample Raspberries, salad bed (kind of sloping/raised bed!), behind that will be the brassica bed, and the black polythene covers what is to be the legumes bed.

Right side. From front to back: strawberry/rhubarb bed. Asparagus bed, behind that, potatoes. Behind that the roots bed (with onions and spinach inbetween) and lastly the autumn and summer raspberries.

An afternoon in the greenhouse

I deemed it was time to pot on a selection of seedlings that were languishing legily on my kitchen windowsil, including the kohl rabi, red onions and sungold tomatoes. I buried them all deep to help them toughen up a bit.

While I was in the greenhouse, I couldn't resist planting some more seeds, so I sowed sweetcorn and Florence fennel. I can't remember the sweetcorn variety as it was an old rediscovered packet from years ago, so who knows whether they will germinate, but they were a fantastic colour!

My sutton broad beans are up, as are the Eleonora Express, I will let them get a bit more established this year before planting out as they stalled once I planted and then were swamped by black fly! I love the look of the broad beans leaves as they emerge, they look like hooves.

The shelving is pretty stacked already in the greenhouse, so I may have to sort out the storage on the other side of my staging as I pot plants on...as I want to raise as many of my own plants as possible this year. Last year I ended up buying in quite a lot of ready grown plants to make up the shortfall. For example my harvest of own grown peas and beans was only enough for about a weeks worth of meals!

Primulas

I popped down to one of my local garden centres yesterday to buy some flowers to brighten up my pots as we had a house viewing. There were many stalls of these wonderful primulas, the colours and styles really different to many often seen in the shops. Although they might be seen as a bit lurid in colour and 'design' I had to put some in my pots!

 

Hard work done

Last Tuesday I finished the winter digging on the allotment. I know I should leave the clay alone, but I don't think I have time to allow the manure to rot in properly so I've turned it one last time, added more compost, about 4 bags! and it appears to be much better. Hoping the sun and cold wind will dry it out and I can finally get my broad beans in. This is very late I know, but with clay you have to factor in a bit of extra time for the ground to warm. I have covered the potato bed after digging in the manure and blood/fish/bone so that should be ready in a couple of weeks for planting out first earlies if the weather has been fine enough. I have a clear plastic tunnel and one fleece tunnel so I can move them around to get things started off. I have planted most of my chosen seedlings in my unheated greenhouse as a back up should the allotment ones fail. So I'm pretty prepared now and ready to get going on planting!

Seed progress

15 of 16 of my Sungold tomatoes are up and need potting on. They germinated within 7 days which is pretty good (they were in the propergator)

My other tomatoes are doing well, despite a benevolent attack from an interested todder (Freyja uprooted a couple of plants, and attempted to 'repot' most of my onions in the greenhouse, ho hum!)

Here are the Koralik seedling a few weeks old now. They are only just developing true leaves, I think they took a while to recover from being repotted, and they are in my bathroom extension which is quite cold.

and finally a Coer de bleu seedling, which look much more robust, but I'm presuming they are bigger plants anyway.

Having bought more seed cell trays, I can now get on with planting cabbage, broccoli and beetroot whilst waiting for the celeriac and kohl rabit to germinate.

Forgot to mention that the spinach and carrots are coming up on the allotment, they have been under fleece, so hopefully the will survive. I may have to pop a closh on them at the weekend.