In the week that has seen us introduce 2015 the nightly frosts arrived and seem like they are here to stay for a while . On my brief visits to the allotment I have seen a few fellow allotmenteers pottering about in their sheds whilst all I have been doing is adding kitchen peelings , shredded paper and brown cardboard packaging to the compost heap. The ground with my clay soil hasn’t been suitable for doing any work on although before January is out I know I shall have to dig my bean trenches so that I can completely empty the compost bins ready for the season ahead .
Much of this week I have spent time sorting through my seed collection so that I can plan what and when I will be sowing and also to try out a few ‘new’ vegetables. I have 211 different packets of seeds and these are for both the front and back garden as well as the allotment . I just have to hope I can find space for them all .
I have a terrible habit of collecting seeds too and forgetting to label which variety they have come from . Hopefully this year I will remember to label as I dry out the seeds . I have a tiny 6 feet by 4 feet greenhouse in the back garden in which I dry out some of the seeds I’ve saved it’s also a place where I can sow my seeds without getting too cold.
Here’s a list of my sowings etc. for the past week :
30th Dec 2014 began an experiment with sweet potatoes after being inspired from an article on the SeedParade forum. (https://www.seedparade.co.uk/forum/vegetable-plot/when-start-producing-sweet-potato-runners-1883.html)
31st Dec 2014 Sweet Peas were sown in root trainer seed trays.
1st January 2015 Cress was sown on the kitchen windowsill.
2nd January Shallot seeds and onion seeds (that I had previously saved but forgot to label which varieties they were from.) were sown in plant pots in the greenhouse.
Next week I shall be sowing more from the allium family as well as looking at peppers.
Besides the herbs parsley, rosemary and sage the only other things that I have harvested this week have been chilli peppers from the greenhouse and spinach from the allotment .
- some of the chillies growing in the greenhouse
