About time

My sweet peas and broad beans are starting to sprout.

The window sills in the house are now looking like they are meant to for this time of year. Have planted up lots of seeds today.

Pumpkin - Big Max

Cucumber - Zeina

Courgette - Solei

Sweet corn - Sweet Nugget

Spouts - Fill Basket

Broccoli - Purple Sprouting Early

Broccoli - Red Arrow

Kale - Dwarf Green Curled

Tomato - Losetto

Parsley

Beetroot - Boltardy

Coriander

Beetroot - Pronto

Lettuce - Concarde

Lettuce - Webb

Courgette - Black Beauty

Poached Egg Plant

Gaillardia

Cosmos

Artichokes - Green Globe

Dwarf Beans - The Prince

Chilli - Pyramid

Swiss Chard - Rainbow

Nasturtiums

Climbing Beans - Yellow and Black

Runner Beans and Broad Beans (from last years plants)

I've planted leeks too even though I'm too late, I can't do without leeks, so even if they don't work I've stuck them in anyway. I'll eat them small if I have to. It's no good if I can't torture my family with my leek soup.

I'm not a plastic gardener anymore now that I've actually got my hands dirty. It's good to be filthy, go on people get out there and get dirty.

Hurrah

Ok, I've cut my hands. I've got a sore finger, (ouch). My coat is ripped to bits by brambles and caked in mud.

I'm back!

Got some good work done today, I've even got sore bits so that means I tried really hard. Next job, sort my seeds out and plant like crazy because I've not got much in yet. I'm a poor show this year, but I promise to catch up.

Some seeds in!

Went yesterday to renew our fees and dug up a few more leeks and found few more parsnips.

My helper planted some broad beans which we've put under the cloche.

The rhubarb is starting to come up now. Please ignore the weed at the bottom, I'll pull it out later, promise! It was very cold on Sunday and I only had thin gloves on. Excuses, excuses. Got some potatoes 'Desiree' and 'Maxine' and some 'Red Baron' onions to plant up later. So hey, I'm getting slowly organised. Oh yes and I've started a twitter account too so if you're into all that, this is me here SJLuddem. Happy digging!

I've been!

There has been mentions of potato chitting, oh no, I've not got any yet! February is nearly here so I though I must go to the allotment before they throw me off. I went this morning and I'm glad because it was a really nice day. Once you go you are already planning the next visit, there's always something that you need to get on with. My little friend the robin came and joined me, it was just the two of us, lovely and peaceful.

On the way there my bike knows that I have been neglecting it and the gears decided to lock up whilst going up the big hill (big for me). They would only change to the lower and lower gears (or is the higher ones)until it reached the killer one that you aren't meant to do hills in and locked up. I made it with my thighs on fire to the allotment ready to collapse and then the bike unstuck itself and all the gears started working again. No comment.

I did a bit of weeding and digging and found a prize, some forgotten about parsnips. Lucky me.

I shared an unfortunate worm with my little friend the robin. He took it and went to hide under a tree with it as though there was a chance that I might nick it back again. I guess worms are precious when the soil is still a bit frozen.

All looking not to bad at the allotment considering my lack of care. That green stuff is winter tares by the way, not weeds, so don't judge me too harshly. Put on a couple of cloches to warm up the soil for planting my broad beans. Grabbed a couple of stray brambles and brought them home to thread through my fence, wouldn't it be terrible if that burglar that tried to break in over Christmas came back and got himself scratched to bits? It would be a real shame for him. I will be getting more next time I go... and jobs a good'un.

Lazy

The snow is good, and the perfect excuse to be lazy. All the plants that I have been too lazy to clear are looking good. My sunflowers in the front garden look great with snow on them, I would have kept the teasels anyway for the birds. My sunflower excuse is that I left them on purpose too. It's all for the birds. Sometimes its good to be lazy.

Mulch time

Hope your November went off with a bang.

I have been very lazy lately. So lazy that I even got my neighbour to bag up his leaves for me to make mulch. Well, he was sweeping them up anyway, might as well put him to good use. I think he thought I was a bit nuts. Today I have been very good and swept up mine too. They are bagged up and ready for mulching.

Spooky

Happy halloween, hope you have been treating your pumpkins unkindly.