Hello everyone!

I have just realised how long it has been since I have posted to the blog.

It was such a wonderful summer last year, I think I just forgot!

Well, winter is almost over, hopefully, and we are preparing for spring. First into the pots this year has been an old packet of sweet pea seeds - a little test to see if they'll grow - if they do - brilliant - if not - no loss but a little time.

I also sowed some dahlia seeds in trays that I had collected from a public garden near Paris last year. I have no idea if they will grow - or what they will turn out like - but that is all part of the adventure.

As usual I have been clearing the beds at the plot. Gradually returning them to a nice healthy tilth for this year's growth. It is a waiting game now.

Today was lovely. Bright, sunny and calm. reasonably mild too, for the time of year. I was hoeing a bed when the little robin above joined me. He didn't leave all afternoon and was so relaxed in my company he stayed within a foot or two of the digging.

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 didn't spend long at the plot today, nor did I do any gardening - except in my mind!

I leant on the fence that surrounds all of our plots and just had a think. I thought about my successes this year - particularly a few nice red cabbages, strawberries and kale. I also thought about some things that I have learnt over the last couple of years. The most important thing was to work with the soil and site that you have - not against it.  Think about the plants that like the conditions you have.

I also had a quick look around the other plots. Some were covered for the winter, some dug over, some left to fend for themselves.

There is a certain feeling, though, that "planning the plot for next year" feeling, the anticipation of the spring, dreaming about being able to grow all sorts of flowers and veg. That is what December is for!

Sometimes, you only need a few minutes at the plot.
The sun was low and clear. It was cool but not cold. I tidied up a little, then gathered a few things. All around, the birds were singing.
Allotments offer far, far more than meets the eye. Yes vegetables and even flowers, but peace, quiet and an incredible store for nature. Many allotments are a last refuge for nature in an increasingly urban world.

Visit this site - they need support:
http://www.farmterrace.btck.co.uk/
- an allotment site in Watford with over 100 years of history.

On a lighter note, I picked this selection of fresh greens from the plot today.

It struck me, that in the days before fridges, people would leave hardy veg like this kale and cabbage standing out during the winter to harvest as needed. It is no accident that there are at least three traditional dishes from Ireland/Northern Ireland with cabbage or kale as a main ingredient.

Today I managed to get to the plot after work for 45 minutes, before darkness descended.
I rooted out some couch grass that had taken hold here and there. That is my weed enemy no. 1.
A cheerful robin kept me company. I suspect it was not my conversation he was after!
I also got the chance to take a snap or two. This is a red cabbage grown from seed. Unfortunately I cannot remember the variety. I managed to get a few cabbages all the way to the head stage this year - delighted with that!

I also have some curly Kale standing out. This is Black Kale, possibly a Tuscan variety... I bought these as young plants - six of them - and all six are doing fine.
You can see the dew gathered thickly on this leaf. Elsewhere on the plot, the frost never melted at all today.

I have been busy with some of the less obvious tasks that can be done around the garden during winter. These are Calendula (pot marigold) seeds. They have been drying on the plant. You can collect a huge number of seeds completely for free. I also intend to keep some mallow seeds this year. I like both calendula and mallow - they are not difficult to grow here and they provide a lot of beautiful, unashamed colour for many months. All I do is wait until the seed heads have dried on the plants. You can also cut and hang them to dry. I store the seeds in cheap brown envelopes with the name of the plant and a date of when I collected them. I then keep them in a cool spot indoors in a large plastic container.
An added bonus of the Calendula is that the seed can produce all sorts of different flowers - from yellows to oranges, and even different shapes and sizes of flower. You never know what you will get!

Well it seems that I haven't updated the blog in a while!
I went to the allotment today to find a deserted site with abandoned bean poles everywhere. People have bedded down for the winter, with little sign of any ongoing work.

Today, I cleared up a load of leaves and added them to my compost bin. They will make a fine compost in time. I also weeded an area that had been dug over. I covered another large bed with thick black sheeting. I did this last year and it gave me lovely weed-free soil by spring.

I was also pleased - I have several brussell sprouts still coming along and I managed to grow some red cabbage this year. They have small, but nice heads.

Other successes this year:
Green manure,
Peas,
Broad Beans,
Onions,
Kale.
My comfrey eventually came on well.

It was a very poor year for potatoes. Only very small and sparse tubers.

I will post again soon...