In which Questioner ponders Spring plantings on the allotment

For gardeners each Spring is like a new love affair. This time everything will be different. Better. More hopeful. Exciting. The land I work is rented - but after four years - we belong to each other and I think about it often even when I'm not physically there.

I hope I'm calmer this year. I'm not so worried about getting things started so quickly. More willing to wait until the air and the ground warms up properly. Although I still come up with completely unrealistic 'lists'. The one on the back of my door right now reads: "Aim to hoe once weekly for an hour to tackle weeds". HA.

The rhubarb is coming along nicely and we'll be able to start harvesting it for the first time this year. The asparagus will be along soon too. The potatoes are chitting in a cool place - I've lots of seeds left from last year which I've still to sort through.

Over the past few weeks I've concentrated on doing as much weeding as I can on the plot. I've bought six of those dalek compost containers and put them in strategic places on the plot so that I never need to walk far to put the weeds in. I don't turn my compost heaps - it isn't my idea of fun, so I need lots of them as I'll just leave the worms to do their stuff for two years.

Tending this allotment has been hard work that's very true, but it is amazing how much creativity it seems to spark off in other areas of your life. The "Stop School League Tables for Five Year Olds" international petition was a great success - but there's more work to be done to make life better for young children - Glenda Jackson M.P has just signed the new Early Day Motion to Stop the Phonics Test for six (and five) year olds - see A Parent's Guide to the Early Years Foundation Stage for more.

What to plant in March

Only a few days left of this month. It's still really cold outside and I've got a sick child to watch over today so I'm using this quiet time to consider what to plant (and what to plant out) in March. The story so far:

Broad Beans

I've started these off in root trainers. They're outside at the moment in the courtyard. Broad Beans can germinate in fairly cool conditions so I'm just leaving them be just now and hoping they'll get going soon.

Tomatoes

My seedlings germinated a few days ago. I've left them on a bright windowsill, but won't consider putting them outside in the unheated mini-greenhouse yet as it is far too cold still.

Little Gem lettuces

The first batch of these germinated about ten days ago - again - I feel it's too cold to put them in the greenhouse outside.


Time to check the weather forecast and think about what to sow next. Oh dear, it isn't good news. No chance of the weather warming up this week. Let's hope they've got it wrong...

Grow Your Own Organically. Sunday's Harvest.

I've spent a mere four hours at the allotment this week. I'm almost looking forward to the autumn as the weeds are still growing fast and I sometimes I feel I can't keep up. But the last half an hour of my visit made it all worth it. That's when I pick the harvest to take home - and I'm home early today, so I can prepare all this lovely fruit and veg and store some of it - cooked, prepared and ready for a hard working week.

So what have we got? From left to right. Blackberries. Collected in clean tin cans - I clean them in the dishwasher (I consider this an essential item if you're cooking a lot - just make sure it is 'A' rated for energy efficiency). When I get the blackberries home I put some aluminium foil on the top and put them straight in the freezer. The tin cans protect them whilst they're being transported. They never stay in the freezer for very long. A few weeks maybe at most.

Apples.

These are windfalls. I've got plenty of chutney left over from last year (and it's still good!) - so I don't think I'll need to make it this year again. Instead the apples will go into a series of apple and blackberry crumbles. I check them over, wash them and cut the bad bits out if there are any. I don't bother peeling them, as the skins are quite good and they are organic after all...Then they go into a pan for ten minutes with lemon juice and some sugar. I put the cooked apples into pyrex dishes, let them cool and then freeze them.

I've got crumble topping ready in the freezer too (make it in advance with butter, flour, oats and sugar - you can do dairy and gluten free by using soya marg and gluten free flour). Can't give you exact measurements I'm afraid as I rarely measure anything but if you 'Google' crumble topping you'll find a recipe. Alternatively, phone your mum/grandma/grandad!

So, that means when I need a crumble - I whip the apple base dish out of the freezer, check over some blackberries - put them on the top of the apples, pop the crumble mix on top and off you go. Today's haul will be good for about four of these crumbles I would imagine.

Potatoes

Believe it on not, these are the last of the Lady Cristl first earlies about four pounds of them. There are a few slug holes in them, but not many. Some of them are huge and we're using them for potato salad, and as diced potatoes to add to a lentil stew. (Which I prepared earlier today in my hay box (see previous post).

Lettuce

These are Little Gems, my favourite. For lunches during the week.

Basil

The basil is Greek Basil (the one with the smallish leaves) and I'll be eating it in a lovely feta cheese salad this evening.

Raspberries (not in the picture)

White and red. Not many as most are autumn fruiting. But enough for my toddler's supper this evening.

So, I'll be spending some time preparing veg. this evening, and some time cooking. We're in our fourth year of allotmenteering - our heavy clay soil is lightening up now- and the work investment is starting to pay off. We've been self-sufficient in garlic, onions, blackberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries, cooking apples, new potatoes and main crop potatoes, raspberries, herbs, lettuce and salad leaves for a whole year now. Nature's bounty.