lotta broccoli

Here is the entire broccoli harvest. It was enough to feed two children one meal. It was worth growing for a year. I did rubbish with all the brassicas this year. I am going to take care of my little seedlings better this year and there will be muchos broccoli next year, oh yes there will be.

The asparagus has survived the winter. Not sure if I need to protect them from the slugs and birds though. It is only their second year this year so we will have to wait a bit before we can eat any. Don't want those filthy slugs ruining all my efforts. Have planted out some lettuce, spring onions, radish, beetroot and perpetual spinach under a cloche. A good day at the allotment with no dead animals to find and no fellow allotmenteers arguing with their spouses. Just nice sunshine and wonderful silence.

Lovely Muck

These are the bean seeds that I saved from last year. They have since been planted. They have got a Jack and the beanstalk feel to them. I love these big fat seeds, they are really tactile. I probably would have swapped the cow myself.

Mmmmm delicious. This is the compost I've been fermenting. It is good stuff I am so happy happy. Hurrah!

I made it in my whirly turny darlik compost maker or Blackwall Composter if you want to get it right. I chose this one because we had a rat once in a compost heap and I don't want a new resident in the garden. Although if you keep poking at the compost it deters rats I'd rather be safe. The rats can't get in here. I wouldn't have such a posh one for the allotment we've just got a pile there and a plastic bin.

I can now refill it and start turning again, I'm happy. Compost is good.

Spring has sprung

Spring is here. The primroses are out. I love these wild primroses. They do really well and they keep their colour. If you plant these you will soon have them all over your garden, they seem to clump up quickly. Yellow flowers in spring really cheer me up. I'd have a garden full of these if I could.

Look who stuck his head out yesterday. Yes flash has decieded to wake up. Spring is officially here. This is a sure sign that the weather is perking up.

Today he emerged from his hole and had a sniff around.

Then later on this morning he emerged fully.

He looks a bit grumpy but he's had a long sleep and he's an old bloke. Don't judge him. Bet you don't look brilliant in the mornings either.

Hurrah spring is here! Best get planting.

I've done it, the onions are in! I have dug and scraped about in the dirt until my fingers literally bled. That's dedication for you, or brambles for you actually.

Felt great to get back there doing a bit, although there are too many lovely broad bean plants on other peoples plots for my liking. And did I mention that the dead mouse has gone? It must have been snatched by another animal. See, it does pay to be a coward sometimes.

Seeds

Had a look at what I was doing this time last year gardening wise. All my seeds were a lot further advanced than this year. Maybe I was too keen last year though, it has been cold cold cold. My seeds have started emerging though so I am not a total failure. Potatoes are chitting away in the porch too.


Flash the tortoise was also out of hibernation by now, hopefully he will be waking up soon... It's probably the coldest winter he's ever endured so hopefully he will be alright.

Note to self. Must plant onions this week!!!!!

Holidays

We went to Wales at half term. Going on holiday in the British Isles in February is a good idea. One day it is like this.

And the next day it is like this. Brilliant. You can't beat it.

I thought I had been restained this year in my seed buying. Until I got out last years seeds and put them with my new ones. I guess I wasn't so restrained after all, oh well, some women buy shoes. I buy seeds.

Present

Latest visit to the allotment awarded me the prize of a dead mouse - or small dead baby rat. I did not take a photo of it for you because it was vile. The children spent a lot of time shouting 'it's gross, let me see it' etc. Tried to be the brave adult and move it but just ended up poking at it with a spade and feeling queezy. Then spent the rest of the time squeeling 'Don't go near the mouse thing', 'keep back', and 'don't tred on it' a lot. Have bravely left it there for - the fox, a cat or the husband to remove. Yuk.