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Broad beans (grown in long root modules) are looking strong - between 2-3" tall, might harden them now and plant them with my first lot (already in lottie). Leeks 2" tall and looking substantial in number. Red onions looking a bit disappointing, small in number. White onions poking through in places. Last year I grew sets in the garden and didn't have a great yield so we will see how I fair with seeds. Will sow sets so I am covered just in case. I shovelled a very well rotted poo pile. Made three trips and came back with 24 sacks in total and still left some behind. There are 14 horses stabled up there and none of them take it/use it. Do these people not have roses in their garden?! Sown my Brussels sprout seed, Evesham. They look and sound OK on the packet, but then things always do. The proof will be Christmas time 2011! Anyone grown this variety? Also sown some Sweet Pepper California Mixed and Sweet Pepper Chocolate, Cauliflower ATYR (which I have never grown - am told caulis are difficult)
and some Lettuce Butterhead ATYR, which we love. My windowsills are burgeoning wildly now and I can't wait to see my lottie filled with my seedlings. This is our first proper year and I feel so excited for what is to come. I have been playing with my allotment planning (on the PC) and set plans for rotation through 2012 and 2013, so I don't have any crossing. All manure shovelled into big pile and I have decided I want somewhere pretty to store it so Mr VVG ordered an easyload compost bin which has been dellivered and assembled on the lottie - just need to pile in the poop! The wind has dried out the sodden soil beautifully and it's returned to the lovely black and crumbly soil in places that I love. Pruned currants, so now all soft fruits done. They seem to grow really well and all plots have some variety of SFs. Lifted and divided rhubarb and she's looking good - turned out lots of worms, so very happy about that. Shovelled some muck along beds and between raspberry canes, gave rhubarb a huge dose too. Put in 2 x 3' paving slab path up the middle of the lottie. Neither I nor Mr VVG can stand up straight. Wind was whipping up over the allotment but it was lovely over the fields to the river. Have taken the opportunity to resite a group of redcurrant canes in to a line of cordons ready for more stakes/wires.The compost bin is sitting on in the far corner. Am off tomorrow to collect a water butt, which I will put next to the composter.February 10, 2011, 07:38 PM
Yesterday and today very wet here in the Midlands and so I went instead to David Austin roses to indulge my other habit! We bought some rosa rugosa deep pink hedging which I intend to use as my allotment border hedging, with a perfectly good but retired from our garden gate. I had such wonderful visions in my head when I went to bed last night that I couldn't sleep so at 3:30 this morning I got up and replanned my allotment layout
Really hope this weather dries up again as I have so much to do...Well today is Sunday 13th February and yesterday we went and spent three hours or so on the allotment. Weather held, as rain had been forcast, with only a few rain splashes from a blue sky?! I raked out the broad bean bed again and covered it in mulch matting whilst Mr VVG started to clear the second half of the plot. Both rhubarbs are showing signs of life and are smothered round with well rotted muck! We took the old composter and moved it to bed 2 which is cleared for onions and shallots. In it I plan to grow my carrots as it is over two foot tall and will solve any carrot fly issues. Mr VVG getting very excited about creating a fruit cage and this morning finds him building a raised bed. The only problem was that he had it 5' square and I told him that even though I am clever I have not yet learned to levitate, which meant I had no hope of planting in the middle!!!
So after some discussion he is planning to split it in half and make me two raised beds of 5' x 2.5'. A much better option thanks Mr VVG! 
February 13, 2011, 03:20 PM
Well guess what..? It's raining again! So no lottie today
but I managed to spend some time in the greenhouse and have decided to experiment with peas in a gutter theme so have sown 40 Kelvedon Wonder Pea seeds. Dependent on how fiddly that goes in transplanting them will see whether I do it again. Onions in greenhouse looking dry compost on top - do I water or leave alone as I know they hate drowning? Not growing from seed again; sets are infinitely easier, although I may revise that last statement if I don't kill them all! Greenhouse burgeoning with leeks, onions, peas and beans (hopefully on the latter two, newly sown). I do have Sutton Dwarf Broad Bean plants about 4-6" high in peat pots which I will be taking up tomorrow, IF...yes you have guessed it, the weather holds!Talking of rain, Mr VVG is currently out in the garden creating sawdust and a raised bed of a sensible size (now). Why is it that men are happy whilst wielding a power tool in their hands.
I on the other hand am trawling the forum/updating my diary whilst listening to my new Pure Evoke Orla Kiely radio - my early Valentine's present for my greenhouse cum allotment trips (when nobody else is there of course). We have also asked the parish council for permission to site a tool store/sentry style half shed. Big enough for a bench seat, tool storage, gas stove and Mr VVG and I got up there yesterday for a couple of hours of Valentine's together time, spent DIGGING! I managed to get my Sutton Dwarf BBs (= one less tray in the greenhouse) in and cloched them. The ground was still pretty wet despite no rain yesterday, so I put black plastic over the other half of bed 1 hoping that will keep it relatively wet free for when I go again.Wednesday 17th Feb 2011
Managed to get down to the allotment for a fleeting visit with Mr VVG. We put in a raised bed and I put in my shallots and some garlic. Netted them over against the birds. Dropped Mr VVG off at railway station after his quick change in the car. Took the car to B&Q, grabbed another two bags of their compost. Went home into greenhouse where I did more sowing. I sleep so well after spending half a day digging.
