Allotment Days

Hello!! I hope you all had a great Christmas?

I'm really looking forward to the new year, I've got some big changes in hand which I'll post about at a later date :)

I'm still full of a cold and now I have a nose that could rival Rudolph's!!  Today, I decided to get wrapped up, and go down to the allotment, though the thermometer on the car said it was 4C (relatively warm compared to the last few days) it was mighty chilly even with several layers on and hat, scarfs and gloves.  I let the hens out and sat in the shed with my books, my brew and radio and planned what to grow this coming year:

I also like to refer to this little invaluable treat:

I always get to this time of the year a bit annoyed with my self that I've not achieved as much as I would have liked on the allotment - and its my own fault, it through lack of being organised.  Obviously this year has been different after having my foot operation but still, if I'd have been better with the hen security I would have had some veg as opposed to none because they ate it all!!

This year is going to be different!

I've drawn out the allotment, and started to plan where things are going.  The strawberries, just next to the hen pen can stay there another year.  They've been in that spot two years now so one more year and I'll move them.  Last year and the year before, there where onions and peas where I think I'll put the cauliflowers this year and where the parsnips are there have been carrots the last couple of years.  Maybe I need to think about putting something completely different in that trough this year - I'll ask Papa O.  I've tried to grow garlic the last couple of years, neither years they have taken well, so this year instead of putting them in a bed I think I'm going to try them in planters, maybe on top of the table near the shed, its gets great sun there all day.

As you can see the from the plan, there are a lot of empty beds both small and large, I need to be proactive about what to grow, and grow things I know we are going to use.

Half of (if not a full) one bed this year will be for 6 Brussel Sprout plants, each large bed is approximately 12 x 5 foot.  I had a ridiculous amount of sprouts off 12 plants a couple of years ago, so 6 will be plenty this year, if I do decide to just plant them in one side I'll maybe put beets in the other.

I want to try and grow celeriac this year, but I've read it needs to be planted in I think a trough or ditches?  I need to check that out for definite.

In terms of flowers, which I love having on the plot, I think I'm just going to go for good old sweet peas again.  I love sweet peas and they look so pretty growing up the side of the hen pen:

One of my favourite pictures of this year of Martha Hen.

Once all the sweet peas flowered, Tracy and Papa O kindly took all the pods off for me (I was laid up after the foot op) and then I shelled them all and got new seeds for next year:

First things first though for the entire of January and February are get the beds prepared for planting this year, clear the weeds, put good manure in and most importantly fence off the ones I'm using so the hens cant get into them!

Finally, Mimi rabbit sadly died on Christmas Eve, I do feel a tad awful after telling her she belonged in a cooking pot, but to be fair after my post about her trashing my entire house, she went all out on the christmas lights!!!   

We were all very sad,  and to be honest, I have enjoyed having a house rabbit around, so I went out and got another.  

Meet Hugo:

I mean its not his best picture,  I was slightly drunk whilst taking it (hahaha).  Hugo is a 4 month old Giant French long haired lop eared rabbit (trying saying that drunk!).  He is enormous and still not fully grown!

Anyway I hope you all have a fabulous New Year whatever you decide to do.  

Bye for now & happy planting xx