Lovely! 

Lettuces doing well. 

Full recovery! 

Hothouse Horror

I didn't get down after our trip to a Russian retaurant in Liverpool at the weekend and a couple of days of glorious weather have wreaked havoc with me Red Drumhead....(Thanks to everyone for a wonderful time though.)

Lettuce Relief

...the lettuces didn't fare too badly though.

Potato Update

The potato on the right is YNH's. Mine is on the left. Need I say more? Potatoes planted under duress never thrive.

Desiree Bed

At last Ive prepared the bed for the Desiree!

Car Park Notice

Strawberry Update

The strawberries I relocated last Autumn seem to be getting going.

Broad Bean Update

The Broad Beans have some healthy new growth and plenty of flowers, but still no sign of any actual beans. I'm a little worried about the discolouration at the base of the stems.

Purple Sprouting Update

Were getting some super pickings of purple sprouting.

GH Glory

At last...the GH in all its functional glory. It is still missing one small pane which I am treating as ventilation until I get an automatic vent opener for the window. (I am also treating the dirty glass as shading).

Seedling Surfeit

Crikey! 50 Little Gem and the remains of the pricked-out brassicas. I'll be needing those after the snail damage in the MGH last night (see below).

Potato Joy

I put the pots of pots in the GH a few days ago with a top dressing of "rooster" and woo-hoo!! The blemishes have disappeared. Sadly though, a snail got into the MGH last night and ate nearly all the Brussels, some cabbages and all three of the little tomato plants.

Garlic

The overwintered garlic is dancing a merry jig in the spring sunshine...or am I just being silly???

Potato Probs

Something untoward is happening to the potatoes YNH & I planted in pots a few weeks ago. Surely not blight already? I hope it turns out to be a deficiency of some sort. Or better still a mirage.

View Improving?

The view from here is definately getting a little more lush. Check out the views from January and February.

Chinese Artichokes & Onions

The remains of the Chinese Artichokes I thought I'd dug out are doing loads better than the poor little onions!

Rarin' Rhubarb

But at least the Rhubarb is really up and running now.

Flying Visit

The TLB & I made a flying visit to the allotment this afternoon after a visit to the zoo. The string holding the windbreak together had broken causing more problems.

I finally picked some of the overwintered Chard. It is looking very fresh and tender, unlike the big fat late season stalks. We also picked some Early Purp for a stir fry with sesame seeds, garlic, onion, mushroom, a splash of white wine, a few chives from the garden and Blue Dragon crushed yellow bean sauce. We also used "add to the pan" noodles. Not strictly Allotment business but while we were at the Zoo today it (lightly & briefly) snowed!

Small Triangle Remaining

This small triangle is the only remaining empty space!!! Even in the wind and rain it was quite cosy in the GH, even though it leaked a bit at all four corners. I think I will use silicon sealant on the gaps. Is this a good idea? I cut the small piece of glass for the central door panel myself and am building up to this oddly shaped pane.
I am going to grow French beans in pots on the staging using capillary matting for watering. I am wondering about some tomatoes in rings and some in growbags to see which do best. I really must get pricking out at home and shifting things into the GH.

Blustery Weather Upsets Broad Beans

When I got here this afternoon it was very blustery and the windbreak had come loose and bashed some of the Garlic. (Oh the irony). The staples had been wrenched from the posts so I tied it up with a small piece of string. Hope it does the trick. The beans were flopping all over the place so I stuck in a few extra canes at various angles to give them some support. If I don't taste Broad beans this year ther'll be big trouble....
The garlic looks like it will be ok. Tim was very impressed with the size of the overwintered garlic. I really wish I'd got more than one bulb from Robinson's (see links). I begrudged a couple of quid for an extra bulb and now look at me!

View from Elsewhere

Mainly it was the sort of afternoon to be doing something else....

Incidently, I picked the first Asparagus and the first Rhubarb yesterday. A good day for stem vegetables indeed.

2nd Earlies Planted

I planted a small number of second earlies today. They are in the darker area of soil. The other end of the bed has the first earlies. I am intending to plant the maincrop (Desiree) later this week.
I top dressed most of the vegetables with pelleted chicken manure as Geoff Hamilton recommends.
In case you're wondering I haven't quite got all the glass in the GH yet as I need a couple more pieces cutting, and I seem to be one 24" x 24" square short for the door.
I have decided to move the MGH at home to the opposite wall as the seedlings are going leggy staight away due to the shade from the clematis and rose.

Asparagus!

The first of the Asparagus is just appearing. I haven't picked any yet but will do this week.

More Shallots

I planted some shallots between the Broad Beans and the seedbed frame.