SLOW PROGRESS

In my last post I said that I would have to be up at the allotments all day every day to get the digging done in time to plant out everything I have planned for this year. Well, no surprise, I haven't been up there everyday and so I feel like I am way way behind with everything. I have Dahlias in pots all over the place desperate to go out, gladioli corms and anemone bulbs which will shrivel and die if I don't do something with them soon, tomato plants that are getting too big for their pots...

The Charlotte potatoes I planted at the end of March are coming through fine but last week I planted out some maincrop potatoes. I had to take a pick axe to the ground to break it up so I'm not convinced these potatoes will do anything. The photo below shows a row of potatoes. I think it is going to be impossible to earth them up once they poke their heads through. And they will only be able to grow out and down if they are as tough as rocks.

Rock gardening on the allotment.... aka a row of potatoes

But the mild weather has meant my over-wintered sweet peas are doing very well and so I planted them out a week or so ago. I have put them where I grew potatoes last year so there is a bit of room to move in the soil. I am not sure if they will get enough sun where they are, but I reasoned there is only one way to find out.

Sweet peas doing well in April

We have had a few good finds whilst digging recently. Two toads, a newt and a slow worm all in one day. As we continue to knock the allotment into shape, we will need to be mindful to leave places for them to live.

A welcome visitor to the plot

Race against time

This being the first full spring when I have had two allotment plots (I took on Plot 21 at the end of March last year but was marathon training and so did nothing until the end of April) I can see better now the differences between the two plots. The first plot which gets sun and wind all day already has warm soil that can be worked. Plot 21 is still cold and wet. No matter, it means I can have a good 3 - 4 weeks at the beginning of spring to get the first plot knocked into shape before starting on Plot 21.

I have been growing loads of stuff at home in seed trays to plant out in the next month or so (mainly tomatoes and half hardy flowers but I also have some of my dahlias starting in pots and there are lots of glads and ranunculus to go out). So now I am in a bit of a panic. I spent a good bit of Sunday and a couple of hours yesterday digging over one bed which is probably about 9ft x 4ft, so not huge. Not only did it take hours but it was tough on my back. The couch grass was never-ending.

One day this will all be compost

The wheelbarrow full of couch pictured here was from an area about 3ft x 4ft and which took about 3 hours to dig over. I have planted out second early potatoes - Charlotte - in this bed so at last I have something in the ground. But digging at this speed means I'm going to have to be at the allotments all day everyday to make room for everything I want to grow. It serves to reiterate the problem I thought I would have in the beginning - the beds are in such a state that I need to be doing more digging than actually growing. Without about 100 sacks of manure I don't see a way round this at the moment. All very frustrating! How I long for the day when I have a beautiful, productive plot!

The lack of organic matter in the soil means that nothing can go to waste on this plot. The couch grass is all going into an old metal water tank, being covered with plastic and an old shed door (to make sure no light gets to it) and then left to die off and compost. It won't be quick but it makes me happy to know that the couch grass will eventually serve some purpose.