The Sap is Rising...

It's been a long time since my one and only post last year, but that's not to say that the allotment has received no attention at all over the winter period. This is intended as a brief update, but hopefully there will be more regular contributions to follow, including some pictures of my handywork over the past few months. The days are getting longer, the buds are fattening, and after sowing a whole host of seeds this past weekend, I'm full of optimism for a good growing season ahead. The sap is rising...now roll on summer!!!

Produce:
We're still harvesting leeks (Musselburgh) and parsnips, but it's fair to say there will be a 'hungry gap' this year between the last of the winter veg and the first of the new season's produce. That's mainly because all the brassicas were nibbled to oblivion by a plague of woodpigeons, after the foxes managed to destroy the protective netting!

The Plot:
The main work on the plot has involved creating more permanent raised beds from leftover deck boards, creating a new path using recycled paving slabs, and building a permanent asparagus bed with some ropetop edging salavaged from a landscaping job. I also built a new compost bin from some old pallets and deck boards.

New Arrivals:
I have now added a further gooseberry bush (Invicta), a blackcurrant (Ben Lomond), and two new fruit trees that I bought recently from Aldi for £3.99 each - a peach and an apricot. They currently reside in 70 litre planting bags I recycled from a tree planting job over the winter, with a view to getting a good root system developed before they either a) go in the ground, or b) become permanent container specimens.

New for this year:
I bought my seed potatoes from the Nottingham Organic Society Potato Day and they are chitting nicely in the attic. Varieties include Lady Christl, Charlotte, King Edward and Cara. The seeds arrived from Dobies just before Christmas, and new varieties to try this year include Physalis edulus (Cape Gooseberries), Kohl Rabi and Pak Choi. I have seeds growing on window sills everywhere and the plastic greenhouse out back is full to bursting with small pots of compost. I'll give more details on this year's crops in a future post.