I notice that in my last post, over three weeks ago, that I commented on how the weather had changed for the worse. It certainly did! As you will know from the news, we had a bout of very extreme and unusually cold weather for the second half of March. Blizzards swept in and counties Down and Antrim were severely hit. The farmers will have a very difficult year, twelve foot drifts at lambing time. Poor creatures.

So, as you might imagine, nothing at all has happened on the plot. It has been under snow for almost two weeks now. Thankfully, apart from some onion sets and garlic, I had nothing out early this year. A thaw set in today.

My potatoes have been chitting for so long now, that I wonder will they be ok. There will only be one way to find out, I suppose!

I also have some large broad bean seedlings in my little greenhouse that could do with going out. I will start to harden them off in the thaw, then get them put in an about a week. It will feel good to have a few plants out!

Apart from that, I used a spell of not so cold weather today to sow a few trays of seeds for the mini greenhouse. Nasturtiums (easy, edible flowers); Turnips in modules (to give them a head start); Red Cabbage (did ok last year) and chives. That'll keep me busy!

I checked on everything else. The melting snow has topped up my water butt nicely. In the mini-greenhouse, I have some fairly decent Greyhound Cabbage seedlings now. Lettuce seem a bit leggy and slow. Marigolds ok. Cornflower ok. Hopefully we get a little heat now during April, so that everything gets some strong spring growth!

Pot, or English Marigolds are known by the name Calendula. I remember reading that they acquired this name because they can remain in flower on every day of the calendar year.

Well, here is a great example - after a couple of weeks of freezing January weather, a single flower remains. A little, brave reminder that spring will come.

Calendula are easy to grow, and look great sown freely in rows or swathes. I like to pop in a row or clump here and there to brighten up the allotment. Bees, our freat pollinators, also love them.

A winter's evening at the allotments

I planted out my Brussels Sprouts - nine plants, and three Green Kale plants. I raised them all from seed, potted them up a while back. Now they must fend for themselves... almost... this year I made them a brassica net from net, old metal chair legs and bamboo. I hope it keeps them safe. Cutworm seems to be my worst enemy - two years in a row I lost every single brassica to these little grubs. This year I wrapped the lower parts of the cabbage stems in tin foil. Might work.

I didn't wrap the kale or sprouts. I might not - and see it as an experiment in cutworm deterrent this year.

The weather has finally warmed up a bit. Weed seeds are germinating everywhere now. Time to get the hoe busy!

It really has been unusually cold.

Not much growth from anything really. The peas and beans are just sitting there waiting. I have two 14 foot rows of peas in now. The two short rows with an earlier vriety called meteor are coming along slowly. I have some Milan Purple Top turnips that made an appearance and then stopped growing. Same with the lettuce and even the radishes.

I am going to put out some red cabbage this weekend. I really hope not to lose them to cutworm this year. I also have three nice Kale plants to go out. They should be fine - sturdy things!

The garlic I planted back in February is doing well. There are also some raspberry plants coming along nicely that made their own way in from another plot - nothing like free plants!

My neighbour is a very generous man too - and he gave me more strawberry runners than I could use. He is a really decent man!