The buds are bursting out of their scales on most plants, and the wind of the last couple of days was warm though quite strong: it blew away one of my greenhouse tents and down my greenhouse door (a blessing in disguise, really, as I found a couple of lost bits which had made it wobble for the last few months, and so I could fix it for good!). Even the sun made a timid appearance out of his permanent blanket of white clouds. And more people are emerging from their winter hiding, and are busy around their plots.

Feeling energised, I had a go at tackling the hill of rubbish at the bottom of hubby’s plot – a hell of a big task:  I dug out another 3 bin bags of rubbish, while removing a wheelbarrow or two of suckers, nettle and other weeds.

Up at my plot, my beds start to look pretty and tidy now. Both days I stayed until after dark, as in the good old times 🙂 I feel very well but also extremely tired and all sore: it takes just a month or two without serious gardening to get me unfit: I am really getting old! ;p However, I found myself with a grin on my mouth whenever I stopped working.

No sign of further digging from the rats: have they eaten the baits? I keep forgetting the butter, but I have also remembered why I had stopped using it: the resident fox would get the trap and bash it around until she managed to eat what was inside.

Hubby has been down with me all the time and managed quite a lot of work: he cleared a big strip of land, manured it (the soil was extremely heavy and compacted so I though it might be a good idea) and planted his first onions. I hope he enjoyed it.

The technological type he is, Gianfry managed to think of a geeky gadget for the allotment too: he got us walkie-talkies to communicate when apart! I guess it is one of those thing that you hang on to from childhood for both of us, because I remember having thought of getting a pair myself a while ago. They work well, but I still prefer to walk from one plot to the other: it’s good exercise! And it is nice to be both there on site, even though we soldiered through and didn’t have much leisure together.

That’s all for the weekend. I have soaked some cyclamen seeds and will try to sow them one of these evenings: my penchant for flowers is still showing, so much so that I have even bought again from T&M (but their website is really clunky, so I used the catalogue to browse). Well, time to get my head down and write my essay now…

After a bad day at work I decided I needed some carefree time all for myself, and no thought of studying whatsoever. So I got a day off and spent it all outside: in the garden, which is now much tidier and shows the emering bulbs that were previosly buried in overgrown grass and weeds; and at the allotment.

I was reading this blog entry and I think at the end it describes quite accurately what the feeling is that I have missed in my winter blues and that was back yesterday. Through my slipping in the mud, stabbing and otherwise hurting myself. Through the drizzle that finally gave way to a timid sun. Through the sorry mistakes of finding a ladybird under my foot and bleeding a tree (hopefully not to death) when hanging a bird box on it.

It did work! I find it really amazing how the mind stays empty and focuses on the task in hand while you garden: it’s so relaxing. Even the physical aching of untrained muscles afterwards is somewhat pleasurable, as it makes me feel alive and real.

Now, almost all my beds are clear of weeds and manured, and ready for planting.

I have been looking at hubby’s plot too, but it is such a big task and still I haven’t figured out the best way to tackle it. I guess your plot grows on you while you manage it… But was very pleased to hear that hubby, too, found it relaxing, despite his initial skepticism.

There’s probably a reason why Eden was depicted as a garden… 😉

— Post From My iPhone

I must say that the tinsely bit of sun we got today made a huge difference to my gardening motivation.

And so did going to the allotment with my husband: it’s a nice feeling looking up and see that he is digging.

I have unearthed another ten or so paint cans and tubs and cut back some of the sloes in the process. Hubby suggest that we put a bench down there, as it’s the sunniest place we have on the plots. So I thought it would be nice to terrace the soil behind and around the bench and plant it with flowers.

There’s an awful lot to do, and it’s better taken in chunks, so that we figure out what would come out best. So I left it, and went to clear my pond from a heavy blanket of couch grass that had covered it completely. I am gradually also clearing all the beds from weeds: about time, as the bulbs are already pushing through and there’s a risk of damaging them.

And I got an amazing amount of sizeable Jerusalem artichokes from only one plant: I really like them, and the fact they are the only veg I have managed so far to grow in winter, alongside leeks: will put down more next year.

Unfortunately my complacency with rats over the last summer has bitten back: a huge mound of crumbly soil under the derelict shed of the previous owner (which I still haven’t pulled down and transformed in a compost heap – is sure sign of them burrowing in. Luckily I had some pellets with me, which I scattered in the hope they will eat and die. Unfortunately I forgot the butter to load the trap, but next time I will go armed with that too!

After 8 months in the waiting list, and an incredible series of defections (there were 5 plots to choose from), we’ve got a small addition to our growing space.

Hubby got wellies and gloves, and a kneeler pad (he is still in need of a tetanus jab, though), and today we went down to clear up and take some pictures.

(more pics)

The plot is on the other side of mine – on the sunny side at the bottom of the hill – so the microclimate is bound to be different. For example my soil was frozen in places today, while hubby’s was all right. We do not know how the soil was kept, so I was thinking a good round of weeding and feeding with seaweed might be appropriate. Gianfry dug clean a good three square metres: not bad at all for his first time.

The neighbour, Sarah, was very nice and she said she will remove things that are in the way, like her compost heap.

Unfortunately, the previous owner chucked cans of paint and other chemicals in the little grove at the bottom of the plot. I have removed at least five cans today: such a shame! We will have to clear it well, chopping some of the self-seeded sloes back, and then I guess plant flowers and leave it as a haven for wildlife: I would not trust it for growing food. However, the grove might be a good place to plant my hops, if they do come out once I sow them: not sure why I suddenly fancied trying hops, but I bought a packet of seeds.

There is quite a lot to do, even though the plot looks in much better state than mine did when I got it.

On my side of the allotment, in the meantime, the garlic is already 10 cm out: let’s hope we do not get a major freezing spell in February.

Yesterday I ran through the allotment pictures from 2009, a selection of which I published on Flickr.

I was really surprised by how much was there: I had forgotten almost entirely the amount of work I put into it, how much I had transformed the plot, and the fairly plentiful crops, the bugs, the colours… it felt strange, as I was studying throughout for my final exam of the BA, and I seem to have accomplished more than last year, when I had all my time for the plot!

I had a lot of strawberries in 2009 that never returned in 2010, but much fewer raspberries. My tomatoes did get red, back then, although most went down with blight, while last year I had plenty of green tomatoes to make into jam (which is nice, and my auntie liked a lot!) and sliced in oil (though potentially very good, they came out too salty for my taste). I attempted carrots and “cime di rapa”, although my results with brassicas have been rather awful both years.

It was good to freshen one’s memory…

I finally managed to sow my broadbeans today… and it rained straight afterwards: that’s good!