Spring has sprung! ...or not

Well, we managed to get to the plot on Sunday, despite being greeted by this chilly view first thing in the morning. Not really the type of weather you want to be sowing peas in, eh? Brr.

There's us, thinking it'd be warm and spring-like, and so nice you feel like you can almost hear things growing if only you listened hard enough, then Bam! You wake up and your plans are scuppered by the weather.


But by lunchtime the snow had melted and the sun had come out, all the better for allotmenteering. Adam jumped in feet first - literally - to give the compost heap a much-needed turning. We took our compost bin from home to empty in as it was getting pretty full, and at this time of year it gives our allotment compost heap some much needed greenery and kitchen waste. Since we moved the compost heap we haven't seen the little mouse - or possibly vole - which was living in the heap beforehand. I know they can be a bit of a nuisance, but I hope it found another warm home!

So, Adam got on with some digging up the far end of the plot, while I pottered about for a while, getting excited about the Things Which Have Started To Grow...

Damson blossom! It looks really good this spring, there's lots of blossom, so hopefully we'll get pounds and pounds of damsons - and make gallons of damson gin. Yes, Mum, you can have some.


Home Guard early potatoes! Yeay! These little shoots are possibly the speediest things to burrow through the soil EVER... I got very excited about these.


Rows of broad beans! After surviving the snow these little fellas are coming on great guns. The final three rows - on the right - are just breaking through the soil.


Rhubarb! We picked some more to make another crumble. Unfortunately, this one made our teeth go funny, so it hasn't been a complete rhubarb renaissance.

Lots of little radish seedlings have also germinated. I was going to take a picture, but they're really not very exciting. The epitome of a seedling, really. Just imagine the number 8 on its side, colour it in green, and that's about it.

After I had hoed (stupid word) around the garlic, onions and shallots, I spent the best part of an hour sitting in the sun, talking to an old friend on my mobile, Adam had almost finished his digging. Whoops! I was slacking off a bit there!!! But I did offer my love and support while he was wielding a spade in a manly fashion (and I did make rhubarb crumble afterwards to make up for my lack of effort!)


And later I planted tomato seeds back home, in 40 (count them!) toilet rolls. (That's a lot of bottom wiping!) So these are sitting in a tray on the window sill, with 2 or 3 seeds in each one, and we'll see how many germinate. Hopefully we'll be able to emulate Frank, our Italian allotment buddy, who grows fields and fields of tomato plants so his wife can make real Italian pasta sauce. Must get the recipe.