All charged up for having completed my uni essays, I went to the plot to tackle the big remaining task: the old, derelict shed, sheltering ratsand who knows what else.

Armed with a dust mask and a crowbar, I descended on the offending pile of rubbish, and at the end of the morning all was clean and tidy, and all nesting insects were exposed much to the enjoyment of a friendly robin.
Next step will be to transfer the compost heap there, so that I can free precious planting space in a spot that is now sunny, after the hollies have been cut back. At this time of the year any hybernating creatures should have left the heap, so it’s ideal.

A productive weekend, I managed to find on Harrod’s website the greenhouse door wheels that I needed to fix my wobbly door once and for all. They also have greenhouse shelves, which come quite handy at this time of the year, when my greenhouse is full and bursting with propagators. They should work on all greenhouse models, will try them at the weekend.

I have only been once in the evenings of this first week of BST, but I got my first crop of rhubarb. And for dinner on Sunday, my second crop, nettles, went into a delicious omelette!

— Post From My iPhone

The most gorgeous weekend saw me against the hollies on the allotment boundary bank once again: my neighbour Louis should be very happy as he will be able to grow stuff up to almost the top of his new plot – and hopefully my shed will not mould and rot with its contents. My arms look much worse for the wear but my heart is singing! ;p

Sowed more potatoes and discovered than more artichokes than expected have made it through the winter, even if quite battered: what a surprise! The cardoon is also resurrecting from its ashes – so to speak – and the first of hubby’s peas are emerging with strenght.

The water taps have been opened, and just as well, because we are going through a dry spell, and both of my waterbutts are empty.

The plots looks nice and tidy and this is the week I can start my evening gardening: hurray!

— Post From My iPhone

For the first time in four years at the allotment I do not feel like I am behind schedule sowing and planting. My early potatoes are already in the ground and sweet peas have germinated. Which does not mean I haven’t got a lot to do, but there is no anxiety, which feels good.

The hubby’s terraced garden has dried up a little bit too much over the last week, but I watered it yesterday and have finished flattening the area where the new bench will go.

Something that is bugging me, though, is the rats. I mentioned already that I did not catch any last time, but I found no cheese and a few little droppings in the cage. Well, this week I caught two little rats – as usual they came in pairs. No need to drown them, as they were already dead. And spookily something there was no trace of had eaten their snouts away: only the bones on two furry balls and tails were left.

At the end of this weekend we are both knackered, hubby and myself… maybe we overdid it this time. Today it was sort of sunny so we went on the mission impossible of putting the chitted potatoes in the ground. Hubby’s soil is really heavy, though, so we ended up digging ust enough for one of the four bags potato seed I got this year.

Although we cannot complain as the weather is affecting some people in much worse ways, I must say that the constant weekend rain has started getting at me quite badly. I try and go out anyway, but mud is everywhere and there’s only so much you can do.

Not everything was gloomy, though. We had a couple of hours’ sun, and it was warm, and everything looked so unbelievably beautiful it almust hurt. And my unnamed plant cutting took (the one that was growing on the allotment path, so I pulled a branch out with a bit of root and took it home, where I stuck it – literally stuck – in the ground). I also managed to plant hubby’s daffodils in the newly terraced bottom of his plot.

I picked the last of the Jerusalem artichokes as I planted the newly arrived ones: they will form a nice windscreen and feed us through the winter.

Next weekend is March already, and I will have to start sowing some seed and plant my chitted potatoes (btw I found a very useful online source of information on potato varieties in the British Potato Variety Database)!

— Post From My iPhone