Broadcast Rights

On Wednesday my youngest daughter joined me up the plot to "see if Daddy has dug my bed yet" Needless to say, that became job number 0.5 as I finished what I was doing to dig her plot. It had spent the whole of last year covered with black plastic so was nice digging and the soil is lovely. On Thursday, she broadcast sowed some carrots and spring onions together and some calabrese. She wants to do parsnips next so she "helped" me dig the bed for my parsnips. I chose a different area because it would be easier digging but my first fork went straight into a bed of broken glass. Joy - as much time as it should have taken to dig the bed spent getting bits of glass out - and I will still be getting bits out for many years. Anyway, its now dug, has been raked twice and by next weekend, I should get my parsnips in (saved seed).

Have now got two more rows of potatoes in - Picasso and Kestrel. Have now got about three rows worth of potatoes left and will get those in over the next fortnight.

Sowed carrots yesterday. I have broadcast them down a foot wide row in between onions. I covered the seed with seed compost that I had wasted the day before by kicking a tray with ten different seed trays of brassica seed across the garden. I will be getting lots of brassica seedlings popping up where I hope to have carrots popping up. Might let them get big enough to have as micro-salad leaves.

Holibobs

Have got four rows of spuds in - mixed row of Emerald Vale and Homeguard, Desiree, Maris Bard and Red Duke of York. I am trying the 1st, MC, 2nd, 1st, MC, 2nd sequence I was trialling last year but did not complete due to blight. Trouble is they are predicting a milder than average, wetter than average summer so blight may be an issue again.

I have now got all my onions in - including the Stuttgarter Giant that my Dad gave me. I have left gaps in the onions for carrots which I am going to broadcast sow this year to avoid thinning.

To brighten up my blog, here are some pics:









This is the pond I have not got. It is teeming with life. I have tadpoles and also look to have dragon fly larvae which I am especially pleased about.













On the left of this one are my overwintering onions (Radar) and on the right, my garlic. Strangely enough, the garlic in the middle of the picture is exactly the same variety as the garlic on the right and was sown earlier. The beer cans are for putting on the end of canes by the way. I have not drunk them then left the tins lying about.

Brrrrrrrrr - tis supposed to be April but it bodes well for the summer.

Put in the first row of spuds today. Only about seven more to go. It started to snow as I was putting them in which is a first. Also, planted out my first lot of spring sown broad beans (Masterpiece Green Longpod) and have sown some more in the pots at home. My leeks are looking very sad. My chillis are a disaster - lost all my habaneros and my hot lemons (which I love) - too late to sow more I think. I have also lost all my Aubergines. My tomatoes are getting to the stage where they need pricking out as are most of the brassicas. The Evesham sprouts are a bit sluggish at germinating - I hope the seed is OK but it is far from being too late if not. My Gypsy peppers have now germinated and that is the last of the packet so it will be non-F1 (the Gypsies were a present) from Real Seeds for me next year.

Pulled me finger out...

Got most of my maincrop onions in. Pricked out lettuce and put into cells. Taken some tomato seedlings out of the propagator and put them somewhere cooler and light (only one windowsill available) to slow down. Greyhound cabbage, Autumn Calabrese, Kohl Rabi and Seven Hills and Evesham Sprouts all sown and in the prop.

Tis really the season to be jolly, tra la la la laaaaa la la la laaaa....

Not been here for ages.

Since my last blog, I have dug a fair amount of my potato bed, dug an area for sprouts and got my shallots in. I have at last started sowing. Chilis and aubergines were done a couple of weeks ago and have now been pricked out into cells. Tomatoes were sown today. I have 15 celeriac on the go and some lettuce was recently sown and now needs to be pricked out into cells. I am seriously short of windowsills and do not have a heated greenhouse so I am delaying most of my sowing until the weather improves. I have now finished this year's parsnips and have two waiting to go to seed. Sprouts are jsut about finished and I have to dig my few remaining leeks before they go over.

I am trying New Horizon peat free compost this year as I was disappointed with quality of the Focus one last year.

Not been up the plot this weekend as the weather has just been too bad. Hopefully, I will get my maincrop onions in next week. So far the weather forecast for next weekend is quite promising.

Help!!!!!

Just don't seem to have time to do anything at the allotment at the moment and if this continues, I will not be ready come March. I am seriously considering borrowing a rotovator despite it being completely against my principles cos it chops up worms. Can't see any alternative at the moment - and before Wardy suggest it, if I could afford 200 square metres of weed suppressant, I would go no dig - but I can't!!!

Did dig up what would have been a massive parsnip today but it had forked quite early. As forking is not a genetic issue but a environmental one, this has become my first choice for next year's seed as has been transplanted to go to seed. One more and that will all be taken care of.

Not much doing but quite a bit picking

News for January. Absolutely miles behind with my preparation. Too much rain, ground like a quagmire and I got off to a bad start. Think my potatoes will be clearing their ground this year.

Today I dug up numerous parsnips, numerous leeks, picked so sprouts, cut a sprout top and picked some mixed spicy winter salad leaves which are lovely - Will be growing loads of those next year.