This week: covid, seeds and planting out

I’ve been out of action with covid for most of this week – I was fortunate not to get seriously ill with it, but blimey it’s pretty shocking how much it knocks the wind out of your sails. Yesterday I felt much better and had tested negative for 2 days running, so decided to spend […]

This week: Covid, equinox, seeds and seedlings

Just as spring equinox arrives (a highlight of the year for me, signalling the real end of winter darkness and inertia), I’ve finally come down with Covid-19. So whilst it’s been beautiful sunny spring weather here in London this weekend I’ve been holed up at home feeling sorry for myself (well, not very sorry actually […]

A quick note of seeds, seedlings and planting this week

A quick record of things I’ve sown or potted on this week…. Spring veggies At the allotment, I sowed parsnips (tender and true), sicilian giant radishes and kohl rabi Azur. There are annual seedlings germinating in the soil in the raised beds now, so it should be warm enough for these to get going. Green […]

Solace in manure, seed sowing and early spring flowers

It’s been another beautiful sunny day here in London. More manure This morning, I went to fetch some fresh manure from the local stables and filled up the third compost bay I emptied yesterday. You can’t have too much manure or compost on an allotment, I don’t reckon, so I like to keep all 3 […]

A sunny, peaceful afternoon on the allotment

A lovely, sunny and peaceful afternoon on the allotment, getting ready for spring

This week: storms, seedlings and sowing

What I’ve been up to this week, sowing seeds, pricking out and potting on

First week of February: seeds, seedlings and light

The days are getting noticeably longer and it is a wonderful, joyful thing. Today it was still light after 5pm, by the end of the month it will be light until after 6 (if you include twilight). There have been a few sunny and mild days over the last couple of weeks; yesterday it was […]

Sowing the first seeds of the year

Spring around the corner It’s been sunny and frosty for a lot of this week – weather that is beautiful in itself, but that also gives you hope and anticipation of spring just being around the corner. As a result I’ve been itching to get going in the garden and on the allotment, and that […]