Fri 1 Feb 2008
Weather : Cold night. Sunny with showers.
Progress : Double dug another trench in plot 1. Made Cabbage soup with some of of the Curly Kale and stray Garlic from the allotment.

Sat 2 Feb 2008
Weather : Overnight frost. Sunny but cool.
Progress : Put some Broad Bean (Aquadulce) seeds into the gaps on plot 2d. Dug over the top dressing on plot 2d where I intend to plant the Onion sets. Cleared part of plot 1 ready to move the Blueberry bushes. Salvaged some Strawberry runners to make up another row after the Blueberry bushes are moved. Moved some of the stored sacks on plot 1 to enable me to proceed with digging. Dug some Parsnips, one of which was so enormous that the bottom was broken off - maybe someone in Australia had taken it !! Got complimented by another allotmenteer on my progress over the winter. Went to Hyde Garden Shop to get some Shallot (Golden Gourmet) sets.

Sun 3 Feb 2008
Weather : Bitter strong wind.
Progress : Nipped up to retrieve my string line which I had left out yesterday. Whilst I was at it, I marked out the new position for the Blueberry bushes. Read an article in yesterday's Bournemouth Echo magazine about choosing an allotment. It gave a list of points to consider when choosing an allotment such as location, security, adjoining plots, management, etc, all of which is fine if there was a choice. With waiting lists such as they are, getting a plot of any sort is an achievement for which one should be thankful.

Mon 4 Feb 2008
Weather : Heavy overnight rain then a frost. Sunny day.
Progress : Double dug and top dressed another trench in plot 1. One of my neighbouring allotmenteers came and collected a Loganberry plant I had rooted for him in return for plants that he has given me in the past. At home I laid out the latest batch of seed potatoes to chit. Also sowed two trays of Cabbage (Greyhound).

Tue 5 Feb 2008
Weather : Heavy rain and strong wind overnight, Wet day with strong wind.
Progress : Too cold, wet and windy for me today so I stayed indoors.

Wed 6 Feb 2008
Weather : Sunny and very mild.
Progress : Double dug and top dressed another trench in plot 1. My wife brought me a welcome flask of tea whilst she was passing on her bicycle on the way to the shops. There is some activity in the flooded field next to the allotments due to amorous frogs moving in. Bought a bag of ericacous peat ready for the move of my Blueberry bushes. Also bought some Picasso maincrop seed potatoes from Framptons in Ringwood.

Thu 7 Feb 2008
Weather : Overcast with a cold wind.
Progress : Went to InExcess garden centre again today and bought a Blueberry (Bluecrop) bush together with some more ericaceous compost and peat. I actually wanted two bushes but they had only one of that variety at present. Planted the Blueberry bush on the edge of fruit area 1 then moved the two existing bushes from out of between the strawberries. I put the surplus soil onto plot 3c to make up levels. Dug a bucketful of Artichokes from which I will select ten to replant. Cleared out the compost enclosure by plot 3a, reassembled the sides then started to fill it in layers with garden waste and fresh horse dung which I have been accumulating in bags.

Fri 8 Feb 2008
Weather : Sunny day.
Progress : Took the last bag of shrub cliipings from home for the compost. Planted two rows of Shallot (Golden Globe) in plot 2d using for the first time the Victorian garden line that I bought on Ebay (just a little indulgence). Dug up the remainder of the Jerusalem Artickokes, selected ten good roots and planted them in plot 1. Moved the manure bags further down plot 1 ready for some more trenching. Came back after lunch and double dug a trench in plot 2c which had to be done in small sections due to obstructions on each side. Found my spade scraper which I had dropped inside the shed a couple of weeks ago and which had fallen out of site. Checked on the frogs in the field and they have spawned already in the shallow water which may be a problem later when the water level drops back to normal.

Sat 9 Feb 2008
Weather : Overnight frost, Warm and sunny day.
Progress : Busy day today. Replaced the temporary string fastnings for the compost enclosure with wire. Moved the angle iron stakes for the supporting wires for the Artichokes and installed them in the new position on plot 1. Just finishing that when our elder son and his wife called in with their new baby. I have expectations of him before long in helping with the crops as I did with my grandfather on his smallholding when I was about three years old. Dug through the area where I had lifted the Artichokes and found another bucketful! Whilst I was doing that, my wife arrived with a flask of tea and came in to sit in the sun. I keep a pair of old patio chairs in my shed for such purposes. Noticed a butterfly tootling across the allotments. Moved the two Blackcurrant bushes from between the Strawberries in fruit area 1 and planted them by the compost containers by plot 3a. Inserted a watering funnel by each bush and also by the Blueberries I planted on Thursday. I shall leave the funnels proud of ground level to stop small mammals and reptiles falling in. Finished in time to get home to watch the Six Nations rugby on TV.

Sun 10 Feb 2008
Weather : Overnight frost, warm and sunny day.
Progress : Just called in for veg for Sunday lunch.

Mon 11 Feb 2008
Weather : Overnight frost, warm and sunny day.
Progress : Cleaned out the weeds and stones from where I removed the Blueberry bushes and planted an extra row of Strawberries taken from runners in adjacent rows. Had a good chat with another allotment holder whilst we were working. Dug over part of plot 2b ready for a sowing of early carrots. Cleared back some of the soil which had dropped off the bank and made up the wheel tracks from the digger and dumper truck which had been on site last autumn to widen the access track. Watched a Thrush and a Wren busy on the allotments. Went to the garden centre at Hyde and purchased another Blueberry (Bluecrop) bush.

Tue 12 Feb 2008
Weather : Overnight frost, warm and sunny day.
Progress : Delivered two carloads of fresh horse manure from a new and local source. Some of the bags tend to be mostly straw but it carries plenty of nitrogen from the stable and will rot down well. Planted the Blueberry bush. Harvested the remaining Beetroot from plot 2b, cleared the weeds and turned over the soil. Had a chat with a couple of old country boys on the allotments who came from Verwood and knew people and places that I did. Was complimented by them as having the best allotment at the western end - high praise indeed. However, we generally agree amongst ourselves that we do not cultivate for show but for production. Back at home I laid out my Picasso potatoes to chit.

Wed 13 Feb 2008
Weather : Overnight frost, warm and sunny day.
Progress : I picked up some books on allotment gardening which I had reserved from the library. The idea was to check for any tips or new ideas as we are still early in the season. The most tangible thing I found was that I seem to have my four year crop rotation out of the optimum sequence, and that is after I adjusted my sequence last season in line with my research at the time. However, having since checked back to one of my own books, and also looked it up on the internet, So far I have found three different sequences and, luckily, my current system is in the majority. Conclusion - leave things as they are. Made two deliveries of fresh horse dung and made up the compost enclosure with the garden litter that I had stored in bags. Dug over the majority of the remainder of plot 2b.

Thu 14 Feb 2008
Weather : Bright but chilly east wind.
Progress : Cold east wind today reminding one of the start of the poem When the wind is in the east, 'tis neither good for man nor beast. It is being revealed as a Blackthorn winter as the white bloom has been evident for the past few days. Turned over the top dressing on part of plot 2a and moved the Shallots from plot 2d where I have just planted them. I have had further thoughts about crop rotation and have come up with a slightly revised sequence. I am just in time to make the change this year although my early Broad Beans will be out of position. Levelled and raked an area of soil on plot 2b and sowed a row of Carrot (Nantes 2) in an attempt to get an early crop. Collected a few bags of rotted stable manure from the stables but will leave them in the car tonight and deliver them tomorrow morning.

Fri 15 Feb 2008
Weather : Damp overnight, bright day with cold wind.
Progress : Delivered the sacks of manure then came straight home.

Sat 16 Feb 2008
Weather : Overnight frost, sunny but cold day.
Progress : Turned in the top dressing on part of plot 2d. Weeded and cleared the surface stones on part of plot 3c and top dressed with manure.

Sun 17 Feb 2008
Weather : Hard frost, sunny but cold day.
Progress : The ground was too deeply frozen to dig today so I just fetched some veg for dinner tonight. Whilst digging the root crops found that tree roots have encroached so I will need to cut them back before the next crop goes in. Someone has had a delivery of well rotted dung just past my allotment showing that the access road is now suitable for vehicles again since it was widened. The dirt and stone filling that I put down in the grooves has been well compacted by the vehicle.

Mon 18 Feb 2008
Weather : Hard frost, sunny but cold day.
Progress : Went along during the early afternoon and managed to double dig another trench in plot 1. Reseated the Shallots a bit deeper.

Tue 19 Feb 2008
Weather : Hard frost, sunny but cold day.
Progress : Just nipped in late in the day for some greens.

Wed 20 Feb 2008
Weather : Overnight frost, foggy start to a dull day.
Progress : Delivered more stable manure. Started to clear the weeds and old cabbage stumps from plot 3d. I do not compost the cabbage roots in case of clubroot. I found a couple today. Took a bagful of uncompostable organic waste ready for the recycling centre.

Thu 21 Feb 2008
Weather : Mild night, sunny and warmer day.
Progress : Went up with a barrow loaded with bits and pieces. Took an old foot scraper to use when cleaning my boots. Also had a toolbox which I am now using for my seed packets, labels and planting plans. My brother-in-law found the toolbox washed up on the beach along with a dozen or so others. Whilst sizing up what I was going to do today, I realised that my revised rotation sequence had a problem in that plot 3a intended for rootcrops had dung spread already. I will have to swap plots 3a to legumes with plot 3d to rootcrops for this year. Dug over a small area of plot 3d to sow some Parsnips but decided that it was too stony and will need more attention so sowed a row of Countess in plot 2b. Sowed a row of Baby-Leaf Spinach (Campania) alongside in plot 2b. Received favourable comments from two other allotment holders today! I sold a few bags of my stable manure to one of the more senior ladies today as she is not able to get the stuff herself. Despite being visually impaired, she manages remarkably well by herself. Before I left, I trimmed one long edge of plot 2.

Fri 22 Feb 2008
Weather : Mild night, damp start, overcast day.
Progress : When I arrived I found a bagful of gardening books and magazines which had been left for me by my neighbouring allotmenteer. Used a fork to dig in the top dressing on the remainder of plot 2b. Dibbed in a row of Peas (Kelvedon Wonder) in plot 2a. Dug out a single Sczornera for dinner but had an almighty job getting it out of the ground. The bottom broke off at about 12" down so I tried to excavate to retrieve the end but hit very compact stones and a tree root. Net result - a length of tree root, a small bucketful of stones but no more Sczornera!

Sat 23 Feb 2008
Weather : Mild night, overcast day with odd light showers.
Progress : Raked an area on plot 2d and planted two rows of Onion sets (Centurion). They are probably a bit early but may be OK if it remains mild. Used a fork to dig over all of plot 2b to turn in the top dressing. My wife delivered a flask of tea, and whilst I was sitting in the shed having a cup, I could hear the mating frogs in the field behind purring like a cat. One frog came across my allotment looking very bleary-eyed after doing what it had to do. Several deliveries of dung today and allotmenteers busy barrowing it onto their plots. Tidied up the website a bit and tried to make the navigation a bit easier.

Sun 24 Feb 2008
Weather : Mild night, overcast day with odd light showers.
Progress : Whilst looking through my planting schedule last night I noticed that I had sown the Spinach seeds in the wrong sector on Thursday. In order to regularise things, I have abandoned the first sowing and resown correctly in plot 2c. I don't know why I bother doing any planning then keep doing things on the fly! There is no excuse, especially when I keep a planting diagram in my pocket. Of course, if I kept my mouth shut, no-one would be any the wiser. The mole has started work again on my plot so I gave it a present of a mothball. I was checking my seed potatoes in the shed this morning and found that a mouse has been at them, especially the Pink Fir Apple. Also some of the Desirée have started to rot which does not totally surprise me as they were not good stock in the first place but I bought them as that variety seems to be scarce this season. Went through my rotation charts and planting plans again just to iron out the wrinkles.

Mon 25 Feb 2008
Weather : Frost. Sunny spells.
Progress : Purchased replacement seed potatoes for the Desirée and Pink Fir Apple that the mice had nibbled. Bought a mousetrap at the same time. Fitted some hooks to hang the brushes on my Utility Area.

Tue 26 Feb 2008
Weather : Wind and rain overnight. Sunny spells.
Progress : Found a mouse in the trap this morning. On the allotment I weeded some of plot 3c, using the grassy bits to repair the access track where the digger had been through. Asked a couple of other allotment holders about some sacks of soot which have been left by the top gate. They believe that a chimney sweep leaves his sweepings there for use by the allotment holders. Was given some Leeks by another allotmenteer as he says he has a surplus and will only dig them in if not used. Back at home again I sowed some Sweet Pepper (Ace) and Aubergine (Moneymaker) in trays.

Wed 27 Feb 2008
Weather : Cold night. Sunny day.
Progress : Delivered some more bags of fresh horse dung and topped up compost enclosure 2. Double dug another trench in plot 1. Saw my pal from the adjacent allotment who passes on old gardeing books and magazines. Ha has not been well so it is nice that he is back again.

Thu 28 Feb 2008
Weather : Cold night. Drizzle during the day.
Progress : Delivered some more bags of stable manure. Cut back the Sloe bushed where they have been growing out beyond the front of my shed and encroaching onto the access track.

Fri 29 Feb 2008
Weather : Cold night. Drizzle during the day.
Progress : Double dug another section of plot 1. I am saving the stones that I dig out for a path that my neighbour is constructing on his allotment - I have given him sole mineral rights to my quarries. Sowed two rows of Broad Bean (Jubilee Hysor) in plot 2a. Collected some more Allotment books which I had reserved from the library.