Breaking my back, what lerks under the undergrowth and its time to Chit!

Well its been a glorious Sunny February day.  Apparently the South Coast woke up to a covering of snow, and we have it forcast over the next couple of days.    But today, it was Glorious, and I even caught the sun! 

Finally started to dig over the top section of the plot,   hard to believe that just a few months ago it was ead high in weeds.   This will be my Potato bed this year.   My spuds arrived late last week, and last weekend I put them to Chit.   Chtting is a method of putting your baby spuds in egg boxes in the sunshine, and they will produce some little sprouts of growth.    The Chitting period using takes about six weeks, and then they will be ready to be put into the groumd.

REMEMBER CLICK THE PHOTOS AND YOU CAN SEE THEM IN ORIGINAL FULL SIZE

 Did have a shock though, as my spade hit a brick path.   my back kills now!.    who on earth would put tons of soil on top of a path,   dont understand that one, or have they got a sick sense of humour!!!  In the picture below, you can just make out the brick work.


I was going to dig all the way upto the waste section, but think i may keep the path now,  ill see what it looks like when its been cleaned up.

 So much digging left to do.  but the bottom half, the ground is still far too soggy.  

 Thats all that is left of my sprouts.   I will cut off the heads and use them like spring greens, very tasty.   not had a good crop of sprouts, but what we did have were tasty.

 Wheelers Imperial Spring cabbage.   not doing bad.    just put a few in the ground in late september,  done well.    looking forward to tasting these.    

 The Onions and Garlic bed looking really good.   left room for 1 row of spring sowing onions to be planted.  The rest were planted back in October.  Think i may need to get some netting over though,  some of the onion heads look to have been eaten.    possibly the neighbourhood fox!

Thats me shattered today!      Did pop into morrisons on the way down to the plot....   they have an offer, buy three packets of seeds and get a fourth packet free.    was well surprised when it knocked £4.30 off!    Quick pay and go!!!!

A blustery February day. Broad Beans are in!

Hi, cant believe I havent posted on here since June.   Must have put all my crop updates straight onto facebook.   Promise I will start to blog more on here!    plus been annoying some facebook friends with my allotment updates so posting on here will mean people who want to follow will follow, and people who dont, well can just keep on f.b. lol!

The January storms brought down my shed, fortunately next door saved all my gardening tools and looked after them.

Kev helpded me restore the shed last weekend to a new (more sheltered) spot at the bottom of the plot.

 And today, I purchased two Gooseberry bushes, and planted them at the bottom of the plot near the shed. Also found part of a old brick wall, think it looks good.  Going to shift some soil from elsewhere on the plot and make a small raised bed above the mini wall.   put a few herbs or something to grow there. 

 So what came first the chicken or the egg?      Couldnt believe my eyes when I saw this empty egg shell in the middle of my plot.  no sign of any filling,     wonder if it was a fox?

 Got a old seed packet of carrots (out of date) but not wanting to waste i slung them in.  Its quite early for most carrots but these Early Nantes variety can be sown from January so hopefully may get a crop.     if nothing shows come march, then ill sling an in date packet in!

Quite surprised (Below) at how well these Leeks have done seeing as i didnt chuck these in till late Summer. The earlier sown ones have all been eaten and were massive,   these are babys but really tasty (mum actually prefers my smaller leeks)

 The messy part of the plot!     the Sprouts really have been a poor crop this winter, one of the worst crops ive had, theyve been small.  But, what I have had have been tasty.   Need to dig a trench and fill with manure and top soil this year and make sure I spread the sprout seeds out better.

The middle bed below, are the Onions and Garlic that I planted in October.  ill dig out the varieties later.

 And below...    Planted two rows of Broad Beans today.   i dug two trenches, and filled with manure, then top soil.      Giant Exhibition is the variety I've sown.

 Also dug over the middle section, but the ground is quite water logged at the moment, so it aint easy.