31 March

Went up on my bike this morning with 11 strawberry plants from the greenhouse at home (couldn't carry any more!). The first raised bed I made in late 2008 had rotten posts and needed removing so I took the opportunity to get rid of all the old strawberry plants that had been in there 3 1/2 years. They weren't new plants when I put them in - I'd brought them from the front garden at home so they've done pretty well!

There were a few large dandelions in the bed so had to dig quite far down to get majority of the root - couldn'y do it very easily before while the strawberries were in there.

My first early potatoes are just showing through under the glass. I'll let them grow a bit more and then start earthing up.

On a previous visit last weekend I set up the sweet peas around the woven bamboo plant support donated by my mother!

17 March

Managed a couple of hours this morning - went up on my bike!
Concentrated on bottom allotment, weeded bed 3 (this years brassica bed), tidied up the brassicas in bed 4 (the remainder will have to come out soon ready for more seed potatoes) and sorted out all the strawberries. Quite a few of the strawbs are about 5 or 6 years old and are getting a bit woody so I'm going to bring a load of the new plants in the greenhouse and refresh my plants.

I also cleaned up some of the paths, needed a spade to scrape off some of the strawberry runners, etc.

Finished off with some watering and tidied the shed as there wasn't room to swing a hamster never mind a cat!

In the conservatory at home everything seems to be doing well like the peppers and cucumber

the cabbages have lost a few of the lower leaves but the ones in the greenhouse look better, the sunflowers are getting quite tall, the marigolds, corn flowers and lobelia have germinated quite quickly, the celeriac looks good (never done it before, OH fancied it)

I'm pleased with the sungold tomatoes, they look ready to prick out (I haven't bothered to do any other kind, they are just soooo good and we have a great tomato swapping scheme at work!)

11 March

2 trips this weekend, Friday put 20 First Early potatoes in raised bed no.7 in bottom allotment and covered with glass.
The broad beans look like they have taken ok.

Also put 3 rows of Early Nantes carrots in Bed no.8 and half a row of shallots and sowed two rows of parsnips on top allotment.

On Saturday in the greenhouse at home I gave it a good wash inside and out and potted on loads of peppers and sowed some organic cucumber, marigold, lobelia and some more sweet peas. The conservatory is quite full of seedlings now!

Sunday morning spent some more time on top allotment putting in a row and a half of onions seeds (first time I've tried seed!), a row of chioggia pink beetroot (loved this last year) and another row of carrots - half Yellowstone and half Early Nantes.
Put some sunflowers in on top allotment and in daughter's patch on bottom allotment.

Dug up 3 more parsnips - they're quite a good size now and got a bag of rocket leaves.
It was a lovely morning, a much better weekend than last Sunday's washout!

I really need to prunt the fruit trees but I hope it's not too late....

2 March

Popped up this afternoon with OH and puppy.
Put the broad beans in raised bed in bottom allotment as they were getting a bit floppy.