lots of seeds in...

It has been a busy few weeks and I have planetd the following:

Main crop of spuds, Runner beans(Scarlet Emporer), Peas (Greensage), mixed Lettuce, Autumn Gold Carrots, Beetroot and Spinach.

As you can see I have built my runner bean canes. This was very easy to do.

As things are ticking along I have been spending a bit of time tidying the place up.

Running out of space????

When I took over the plot I was given a full plot size (10 pole) and after a few months I thought that I may give half of it back as it would be too much to handle.

Thankfully I didn't!

At first it was quite daunting - the picture below was 9 months ago so I started to slowly get a grip on it and by working on it all through Nov & Dec. I have started to use the top half of the plot.

The top half already had 2 redcurrant bushes, a friend (Lukerman) also gave me a further 3 bushes and these have been planted by father-in-law. He has also cleared a small area at the top of the plot and discovered a further 10 rhubarb crowns, so the top half will just be for fruit bushes.

The plot to the left of me belongs to Murray (a Kiwi-Arsenal season ticket holder) and he, like me, is new to allotments so it is quite good to chat things through and see how each of us are doing.

One of the good things about the allotment is that you share resources. I have a shed on the allotment and have given Murray a key so he doesn't have to lug his tools up every time. In return he has given me some horse muck and a few raspberry canes from his plot. And these have been added to the top of the allotment.

I have been finding out that I have been running out of space, so a strip of land that I was not going to use will now have my spuds in it - It has been sheeted for 6 weeks so it should be ok.

The last bit - probably the size of 2 raised beds - is quite rough, so it will be sheeted for the next 2 months and I will look to grow my winter caulis, broccoli and sprouts in it, so that will hopefully mean that all of the plot will be utilised.

I am now starting to think about what to fill the plot with once the first crop has finished, ie once my broad beans have finished in July - what will I grow in that spot - eg Kale ready for winter, still that is a while away but worth a thought.

So in total I should have about 10 raised bed that about about 1.3-1.5m across - how much this will all produce remains to be seen......

What has happened in March?

I think it was quite easy to get carried away in early March as it was quite warm but this was followed by a cold spell - and it even snowed (& stuck) (pitched, says the wife who's from the West Country) in Henley town which has not happened for a couple of years.

So I have been quite careful in what I have been doing and only last weekend (31st March) did I plant my potatoes. Essentially March has been further preparation and seeding in the gereenhouse.

3rd March I seeded quite a lot of peas and broad beans (short pod - Sutton), radish, carrots and some lettuce, summer cabbage and brocolli in the greenhouse at home

17th - I planted out the broad beans that had been in the greenhouse for 1 month, they are the long pod variety.

24th March - planted more broad beans (Sutton) directly into the ground - seeded some lettuce under cloches in the ground

31st March - Planted early potatoes - seeded the runner beans in the greenhouse

I have also nearly finished digging over the beds with just one left. I have also built the canes for the runner beans.

So it looks like I am all set - I feel pretty confident that I have things under control - though I think I am running out of space..........