Spring has finally sprung!

What lovely weather we're having at the moment. It definitely make me want to get out and grow things! The daffodils are out, I've seen the first blossom and the birds are dashing madly in and out of the nest boxes in my garden so it must be spring!

Going to the allotment turned into a family event this weekend with my husband and daughters joining me out on the plot both Saturday and Sunday. It certainly makes a difference when two people are digging! Even my eldest had a go at digging and racking yesterday and she seemed very satisfied with herself too.

Mostly my husband is tackling the raised beds. We've always had sort of raised beds on the allotment with carpet tiles between the beds for paths. About two years ago he bought 22 scaffolding planks off ebay with a view to making properly edged beds but they have been stacked up on the allotment ever since whilst DIY projects in the house took priority. This weekend he got out his tape measure and came up with a plan. The only downside is that the planks don't neatly fit the existing bed size so we have to shift the path about half a metre over - extra digging!

Anyway, whilst he got on with that I sowed a couple of rows of broad beans - my favourite Crimson Flowered (beautiful!) and Grand Violetta (purple beans when dried). The broad beans I'd sown in pots about 3 weeks ago have FINALLY germinated but won't be big enough to plant out until next weekend.

On Saturday I also dug up the last of the leeks (well, there are a few rogue self-sown ones left) and on Sunday morning I made more leek and potato pasties and blanched and froze a load too. That took over an hour! Then on the plot in the afternoon I dug over a couple more beds before returning home for a bath and roast dinner.

Inside, my tiny tomato seedlings from Wilkinsons have shot up in the last week, my peanuts have germinated and the tray of salad leaves continue to put on new leaves. I think I need to buy several sacks of potting compost this week and get a few things growing in containers next weekend. It's all go now until October!

Holding back

One of the main reasons we bought the house we live in is because the allotments are on the other side of the back garden fence. Compared to many urban views it is not at all bad but mainly it is extremely convenient having an allotment plot that close to the house - like growing the stuff in your own back garden. However, there are occasional drawbacks to such close proximity to the allotment.

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day and I really had the feeling that I wanted to be outside and getting on with things. However, I had been out on the plot earlier in the week and knew the state of the soil. Besides I had things to do in the house. I went into the girls' bedroom to put away the clean laundry and found myself drawn to the window and the view over the allotments. Clearly the weather had had a similar affect on other plot holders and I could see several people out there hard at work. For a moment I had the feeling you get when in an exam hall when everyone around you has heads down, scribbling hard and you are wondering what you're missing.

I studied the busy gardeners. Hmmm... digging up spuds, done that already. Spreading mulch or manure, don't have any of that right now. Digging over a patch of soil, did that in the week and decided the soil was too wet. Sigh of relief. Nonetheless later that day I sowed 72 broad bean seeds in trays and placed them in the cold frame. If the soil had been better I would have been out there like a shot and got them straight in the ground but at least this way I don't feel like I'm only biding time. I just hope that in a fortnight the soil under my cloches will have warmed up and dried out enough that I can transplant the seedlings.