Perennial herbs and fruit in semi-shade

There are 4 perennial edibles here. From left to right: mint, raspberry cane, sorrel and thornless blackberry cane. In front I'm going to sow parsley and chives.

This is the strip at the top of the allotment by the neighbour's fence, which makes it a bit shadier than the rest of the plot. All these plants should do well in semi-shade!

Between this morning and last weekend I've transplanted them from my garden. It feels good to have proper soil to give my plants, as they'll do better than in pots, but also it'll make moving house so much easier, having fewer pots to cart around. And I still get to keep the plants I like.

De izquierda a derecha: hierbabuena (de la finca de mis padres), frambuesa, acedera (rumex acetosa) y mora (zarza sin espinas). En primera fila voy a sembrar perejil y cebollinos. Esta zona esta delante de la valla del vecino y le da menos sol que al resto de la parcela, lo cual es perfecto para todas estas plantas: se dan mejor en semi-sombra.

Me alegra poder plantar todas estas en el suelo directamente, pues hasta ahora las tenia en macetas en el jardin y espero que crezcan mejor en el nuevo terreno. Ademas, menos macetas que transportar en la mudanza!

French garlic cledor - spring planting garlic experiment

Despite the label stating very clearly this type of garlic, cledor, is to be planted in spring, I can't help but feeling it's wrong: I've always been convinced garlic needed a period of frosts to grow properly, and that's why you plant it in the autumn. But perhaps it's not the frosts, but the extra months of growing, and perhaps this variety is fast-growing and can catch up? We will see.

Last autumn, when I'd normally plant my garlic, I had no allotment, no future garden and, frankly, other worries. So I was very pleased to discover this variety and I'm keen to give it a try. I may not need to go without garlic this year after all!

Early sowing of peas - in loo rolls



Early pea variety 'Kelvedon' can be sown from beginning of March

While I finish (er, start, even) digging the soil to make it ready for sowing seeds directly into it, I am sowing seeds in trays.  The idea is that I will finish with the soil preparation over the next 3 weeks, and then have little plants in the trays ready to transplant into the soil - and therefore I should have my first crop an extra 3 or 4 weeks early. 

A lot of seeds, and definitely these peas, could be sown directly into good soil from March onwards, you don't need to use trays or a greenhouse.  But because I only inherited the plot at the beginning of March, I simply don't have the time to dig the whole thing any quicker, and my green fingers get itchy - I can't wait to start sowing!

Other things I have sown into trays (5th March), currently sprouting in the plastic greenhouse:
Lollo rossa, little gem, chard 'bright lights', Chinese cabbage, red cabbage, calendula, tagetes, borage, purple cauliflower, spring onion, leek, sweet pea.

Mientras termino (o mas bien empiezo) de cavar el terreno y prepararlo para siembra directa, estoy haciendo semilleros en bandejas. Estos guisantes son una variedad temprana que se se puede sembrar a partir de principios de marzo, pero como veis mi suelo aun esta cubierto de hierbas asi que siembro en los rollos de papel. El plan es dentro de tres semanas tener suelo limpio y plantitas listas para transplantar.

Otras cosas que he sembrado la semana pasada en bandejas, y que estan brotando en el invernadero de plastico:  lechuga 'lollo rossa' y 'little gem' (una roja y otra verde), acelga multicolor, repollo chino, lombarda, calendula, tagetes, borrago, coliflor morada, cebolletas, puerros, y una flor que en latin se llama 'lathyrus odoratus' y en ingles 'sweet pea' pero el nombre en espanol no lo recuerdo.

Planting plan sketch

I know I can't draw... But this is my general planting plan, including some herbs and flowers I already have and need to be transplanted - and ideas for things I'm going to sow later in the year.

Este es el plan general para este año. Algunas de las plantas las tengo en maceta y solo necesito transplantarlas, el resto lo sembrare en durante los proximos meses.

First steps at Plot Number 5, my new allotment

This is the start of my second year at my local allotment site in Wood Green, Salisbury Road, and after one year sharing a plot and on the waiting list, at last the time has come and I have obtained A PLOT OF MY OWN! Here are some photos introducing Plot Number 5, and the first things I've done there so far - I've only had it for less than 2 weeks, one weekend. I've been going there every morning this week before work, as there's quite a lot of soil that should be sown and planted this month.

Where my work begins every morning

This section of a tree trunk comes from when the site was cleared by the council to be turned into allotments. They cut down the trees and left bits like this around to be used as seating, and I inherited this one with my plot. It is extremely useful, especially as I'm coming there in the mornings on the way to work and I need to change my shoes. I keep the wellies and some tools in the plastic box, so don't need to carry muddy boots into the office. I am working on the "paving" too, all those bits of brick and boards were left on the site so I can recycle the materials.

The plot is a long rectangle in shape, and I'm lucky enough that my neighbours on both sides have made wooden paths already (I have a direct root to my wellies without having to step on mud!). I have divided it into 4 "strips" with some more boards across the width of the plot, and one of the raised beds will go in each section. The whole space is about 3 times bigger than I had before, and I am very pleased to have noticed the soil is much better. I transplanted some things this morning and when I watered them the water drained almost immediately, it barely made a puddle. The soil is on the sticky side (clay), but drainage appears to be quite good - what a welcome surprise!

Having 4 distinct sections will allow me to do a crop rotation, like the allotment books recommend: carrots and root vegetables, potatoes, brassicas (green leafy stuff), and beans and peas. In the beds I will go more creative and plant all the things that I'm not sure which group the fall into, such as courgettes, flowers, and perennial crops (so they don't get in the way when I'm digging the plots).

New kids on the block

I plan to move the 4 raised bed frames from my old plot across the path but so far I've only had time to move 1, which what you see in this photo. I planted it with some stuff I had in the garden: at opposite ends, two perennials to give the bed some permanent structure (a rosemary and a lavender), and in the middle 3 lunarias (in front of my neighbour's greenhouse) and a sweet rocket plant. This bed is next to the tree trunk I use as a seat, so I want to plant it with lots of lovely smelling plants.

Before the digging begins

This is what the rest of the plot looks like at the moment, before I start digging and putting my beds in . The part missing from this photo is the first section from the top where I've put my first bed and started digging. Also missing is the very top of the plot, beyond the first bed, against the fence panels that run between the seat and the greenhouse, where I am going to transplant my raspberry and blackberry canes from the garden.

Propagation has begun this week

While I'm waiting to do finish all the digging and soil preparation I have started sowing seeds in trays into the plastic greenhouse, which I've also moved from my garden. The idea is that, with the extra warmth of the plastic cover, the seedlings will germinate more quickly, and come April when the soil is finally ready I will have some plants ready to transplant!



Potatoes chitting at the allotment

These are my seed potatoes for 2012. They are currently chitting (sprouting) in the plastic greenhouse - what a grand name for such a modest contraption, which I've moved to the allotment (photos of that coming soon!). On my way home tonight I'm going to cover them with some bubble wrap plastic recycled from the office, it'd help protect them in case of frost - which would kill them. They can be planted just before Easter, when soil is warmer (and I've had some time to dig it over first!).

They look really cute at the moment, I have 6 of each of these varieties:

• Sharpe's Express, very early - harvest from end June
• Cosmos, early type - harvest from July. This ones I got from an Abel & Cole veg box, the biggest potato I cut into 3 pieces all with growing eyes... I heard you can propagate them like that, but it's an experiment!
• Maris Pier, second early - harvest from end July
• Sante, another Abel & Cole experiment. This one is a maincrop, so ready to harvest in September (if the blight doesn't get to it first!)
• Highland Burgundy Red, another maincrop but I grow this one for the novelty: it has RED FLESH, I can't wait to see this! :)