It’s really beginning to look and feel like spring now. I think from now until the end of May is my favourite time of the year when the greens look so fresh and everything seems just bursting to grow.

§         The garden greenhouse is beginning to fill up with seedlings and plants that have overwintered in its relative shelter are growing well.

§         The potatoes planted in pots and potato bags are growing strongly after a rather slow start. 

§         We have had some very pleasant days on the plot. Our heat treated onion sets arrived. We bought a red variety – Red Baron, a white variety – White Prince and a yellow variety – Fen Globe. We may seem behind with our onion planting but heat treated onions are dispatched and planted later than non treated sets.

§         We have also started to plant our potatoes using the trowel method, some Juliette and Belle de Fontenay.

§         I have also weeded around the raspberry canes that are growing strongly now.

§         We dug up all the remaining carrots that we overwintered in the ground. Some were still good enough to harvest. We kept them under environmesh and so they will not have provided a refuge for carrot fly.

§         The plum blossom has so far avoided being damaged by the frost and is being given the bumblebees full attention. We have had the trees for many years but for the first time I have noticed that the blossom has a slight perfume.

§         Other plot activities have focussed on our newly acquired shed. Sheds on our site need securing or they may disappear in strong winds so this was a priority.

§         Seeds planted last week have all germinated. We have now moved on to sowing flower seeds, aquilegia – Snowbird, astilbe – Showstar, chrysanthemum – Rainbow Mixture and nicotiana – Roulette Mixed. These are currently in the heated propagator in a spare bedroom.

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