Feels like summer is finally here

It has been a funny month. One minute it was late frosts and the next it is clear blue skies and glorious sunshine! Despite the wonderful weekend we have just had, it feels like I am a month behind with everything this year. The cold winter seemed to linger on leaving the ground too cold for tender seedlings much later than usual. Then, as the sun burst through I found myself madly planting out seedlings on a scorching hot day. Only time will tell if the long winter will have a lasting impact on the vegetables this year. Hopefully they will soon catch up.

Preparing the plot

I was down on the plot again today. That is two fine weekends in a row, but it won’t last. We are forecast for snow this week so I have resisted planting anything outside, despite the temptation to get going.

Instead, I concentrated on digging over and weeding another bed this weekend. I also attempted to thin out the raspberry canes – not an easy job. I inherited the raspberry canes when I took on the plot and they are far too dense meaning I get very few raspberries, despite a large bed full of canes. This year I need to thin them out. Hopefully, that will keep me busy until after the last frost has gone and the planting begins.

Free seeds…and lots of advice!

Today I sent off for my free seeds from the BBC Dig In homepage. Here is the link
You can apply for your free seeds on line or by post – what could be simpler?

Back on the plot

It was great to be back on the plot today after such a long winter. The sun was shining and I couldn’t think of anywhere better to spend a Sunday morning than on the plot. Today I dug over the bed for my Brassicas and started to make a frame to protect them from the pigeons. Last year I relied on a few tin cans and string to protect them from the pesky pests - and I ended up with nothing but a bed of green stumps! This year I won’t make the same mistake again.

I have tied together some surplus canes to make a frame. Next week I will cover the frame with mesh. Hopefully I will manage to save my precious crop this year.

Here comes the rain again!

Well, best laid plans and all that. After a week of clear dry weather that promised a good opportunity to spend some time on the plot, the rain has arrived – typical! Oh well, I shall use this time to do so more planning and, if I have any time left I shall get out the seed trays and give them a good clean ready for planting. Time to clear the window ledges ready for this years seedlings I think!

Spring has finally sprung

After the long cold winter, suddenly there is the welcome feel of spring in the air. It’s been over a week since I have had to defrost the car in the morning and yesterday I had to shed my winter coat – it was just too warm! Crocuses fill the flower beds and the shops are full of Easter eggs.

All this , of course only means one thing – it is time to start thinking about planting.

Today I am off to the shops to look at seed potatoes. I haven’t decided which ones I will be planting this year and that will be my job for this week.

Hopefully I will be back on the plot by the weekend and the growing season will start all over again. I can’t help but feel a sense of excitement.

Winter wonderland?

I was hoping for some nice clear winter days throughout January and February so I could get on the plot and get working. I am planning to build some raised beds this year and need to make a start.

While the snow is beginning to melt and the roads are now clear, the garden and allotment are still buried under a thick white blanket.

There are some positives. I had roughly dug over the plot just before the first frost hit before Christmas . Hopefully the frost will have got into the soil, killing the weeds and breaking up the ground. I think I may have to wait a while to find out.

Pampered Birds?

Well, I did my duty. I put out some food for our feathered friends and then sat back and waited to watch them snap up their tasty treats. No such luck. The birds in my garden must be extremely well fed!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

What a difference a few days makes. I thought we had seen the last of the winter weather until  I woke up yesterday morning to a winter wonderland. I don’t know what the allotment looks like because I can’t get there without wading through banks of fluffy snow. If my garden is anything to go by then it is nicely insulated under a thick blanket of snow.

There isn’t anything I can do in the garden or the allotment right now, but I can look after our feathered friends. So, I have decided to make up some emergency ration packs to keep them going over the next few days.  I am always a little cautious about feeding wildlife without taking expert advice. There are plenty of urban myths around and I don’t want to do our feathered friends any harm. So, to check out how to look after our hungry birds I went to the RSPB website and this is their advice:

1. Put out feed regularly, especially in severe weather. Set up a bird table and use high calorie seed mixes. This can also be used to put out kitchen scraps such as animal fats, grated cheese and porridge oats
2. Put out hanging feeders for black sunflower seeds, sunflower hearts, sunflower-rich mixes or unsalted peanuts
3. Ensure a supply of fresh water every day. If it is very cold use tepid water but DO NOT use any antifreeze products
4. Put out fruit, such as apples and pears, for blackbirds, song thrushes and other members of the thrush family
5. Food bars or fat hung up or rubbed into the bark of trees is a great help for treecreepers, goldcrests and many other species
6. Put up nest boxes to provide roost sites for the smaller birds. They will then be used for breeding later in the year

You can get more advice about helping birds survive the cold snap from the RSPB website here

First visit of the 2010

I visited my allotment today for the first time in 2010. Clutching my scruffy piece of paper and a pencil, I went to take some measurements and visualise my plot.

There is something peaceful yet eerie about the allotment site in winter. The beds look barren and deserted. A thin layer of ice covers everything, like a winter blanket.

But it’s a bit like the calm before the storm. In six months time this plot will be bristling with life and crammed with produce. I am trying to keep that thought in my head as I imagine where to put my beans and peas.

As calm and peaceful as the allotment site was, I only stayed long enough to take my measurements and snap a few pictures before scurrying back inside to the fire and my allotment magazines.