Tue 1 Jan 2008
Weather : Overcast but mild.
Progress : No work today. Meeting a nephew and his family from Denver. Thay also have an allotment but have to work at high altitude and under extreme changes of climate.

Wed 2 Jan 2008
Weather : Dull with a strong bitter wind.
Progress : Made two deliveries of fresh horse dung. Have been making early plane for this years season. I shall not attempt to grow Peas this year as I have never managed a decent crop yet. The Kenya Beans I tried last year were not very interesting and I will not bother with them again. I shall be growing Sweet Potatoes for the first time. I will persevere with turnips and Swedes as I do get good results sometimes and I enjoy them to eat.

Thu 3 Jan 2008
Weather : Very overcast with a strong bitter wind.
Progress : Delivered a load of stable manure then retired to the warmth of the house.

Fri 4 Jan 2008
Weather : Very overcast with progressively heavy rain.
Progress : Did not get onto the allotment today due to the rain. Had to source the vegetables for dinner from stuff I had frozen - Runner Beans and Broad Beans then Loganberries after. We also used the very last of our stored Potatoes today.

Sat 5 Jan 2008
Weather : Sunny day
Progress : Did not get onto the allotment today due to having to deal with the results of a water leak in the house.

Sun 6 Jan 2008
Weather : Sunny spells with showers.
Progress : Still dealing with the aftermath of the leak.

Mon 7 Jan 2008
Weather : Frost then sunny with showers.
Progress : Doing a bit of plumbing at home today plus a few other jobs.

Tue 8 Jan 2008
Weather : Wet start then sunny with a strong wind.
Progress : No work today but popped up for some Sprouts. Noticed that the birds were singing loudly so it looks as if they think spring is here.

Wed 9 Jan 2008
Weather : Sunny spells.
Progress : No work today - took my wife to Bournemouth to spend her Christmas money. My seed order arrived from Thompson & Morgan with the exception of the Sweet Potatoes

Thu 10 Jan 2008
Weather : Overcast with rain later.
Progress : Delivered some bags of stable manure and harvested a few greens. My main seed order arrived from Marshalls today.

Fri 11 Jan 2008
Weather : Sustained rain.
Progress : Took the household kitchen waste to the compost. Dug some more Jerusalem Artichokes to finish the first row. I plan to make some soup with these. The river level has risen about 4" overnight and is close to flooding the allotments. I have raised the straw bales that are inside my shed up onto some large flower pots.

Sat 12 Jan 2008
Weather : Early frost then sunny and mild with rain later. Very windy.
Progress : The river level had dropped down again this morning. Cropped some Sprouts, Parsnips, Beetroot and Schorzonera. The ground is too wet to dig which is frustrating as I need to get the compost enclosures by plot 3 emptied as I have several dozen bags of fresh material waiting to be composted. My allotment looks like a recycling centre at the moment (In fact, I suppose that is what an allotment is).

Sun 13 Jan 2008
Weather : Sunny spells then rain later. Still windy.
Progress : No work today. The forecast gives little prospect of digging this week. We eat the veg which I harvested yesterday. One particularly large Parsnip provided four generous helpings.

Mon 14 Jan 2008
Weather : Heavy rain overnight. Sunny and windy day. Mild.
Progress : Popped up for some greens. Cut back some of the twiggy branches that are overhanging the access track by my allotment. Brought some Ivy from a weeding session at home and planted it next to my shed hoping that it will grow up and screen it. Noticed that the Broad Beans that I sowed at the end of November are just starting to break through the ground. The river level has risen again to just a couple of inches lower than Friday. Made some soup with the Jerusalem Artichokes in an effort to use the damn things up.

Tue 15 Jan 2008
Weather : Heavy rain overnight. Sunny and windy day. Mild.
Progress : The river has risen up 4" further than last week and is now right to the top of the bridge arch. However, there is no flooding on the allotments at present so the earth bank that we have improved is holding the water back. More rain is forecast for tonight so we can still expect problems.

Wed 16 Jan 2008
Weather : More rain overnight. Sunny but colder.
Progress : The river level has dropped back down a couple of inches. Delivered some more sacks of stable manure (I hope I don't have to use them as sandbags !)

Thu 17 Jan 2008
Weather : Bright start then rain later. Windy and colder again.
Progress : The river level has fallen slightly further but remains high. Popped up for some Leeks and Greens for dinner. Noticed that the Spring Greens had been savaged by ruddy pigeons so I covered them (the greens) with netting.

Fri 18 Jan 2008
Weather : Sunny spells. Damp
Progress : The river level remained steady today. Dug some Leeks and cut some Savoy Cabbage. Have spent some time today planning my sowing charts. One of the formerly neglected allotments near mine is now receiving attention from the new holder which is good to see.

Sat 19 Jan 2008
Weather : Windy, damp and very mild.
Progress : Cropped Brussels Sprouts, Curly Kale, Parsnips and Salsify. Also dug half a bucketful of Jerusalem Artichokes in anticipation of a visit by our younger son as I may be able to offload these onto him. These artichokes look rather sinister, and one greatly resembled a scorpion. Took down the wire supports from the last row of Artichokes. As the ground has dried out a bit, Had a brief conversation with the new tenant of the allotment by the gate and wished him luck. I went back later and managed to complete another trench in plot 3a. Found a sloworm lurking in my shed so had to be careful not to accidentally harm it.

Sun 20 Jan 2008
Weather : Windy, bright and very mild.
Progress : Managed to get another trench double dug on plot 3a. Gave one of my spare forks to a lady from a nearby allotment who had lost hers.

Mon 21 Jan 2008
Weather : Windy and mild with showers.
Progress : Took some material for composting. Having emptied the the circular compost container by plot 3, I restarted it with a bed of leaves and shredded clippings followed with kitchen waste then fresh horse dung.

Tue 22 Jan 2008
Weather : Heavy rain and strong wind overnight. Sunny and mild day.
Progress : Managed to get another trench double dug on plot 3a. Harvested some Beetroot to make soup. Placed a forcing pot over one of the Rhubarb plants.

Wed 23 Jan 2008
Weather : Overcast with light showers. Mild.
Progress : Double dug and top dressed the last trench on plot 3a.

Thu 24 Jan 2008
Weather : Dull start but clear skies later. Gettin cooler.
Progress : Delivered another carload of stable manure.

Fri 25 Jan 2008
Weather : Sunny but windy and cold.
Progress : Weeded and loosened the soil around the Asparagus then top dressed with stable manure. Cleared around the top of plot 1 and removed the surface stones ready to start digging. Found some Scorzonera remaining where I had dug the first row so scavenged enough for a meal for two. Cropped the first of the White Sprouting Broccol. Back at home I sowed a dozen Broad Bean (Aquadulce) into trays to fill any blanks spaces that may be left from the seeds I sowed in plot 3a before winter.

Sat 26 Jan 2008
Weather : Sunny but chilly.
Progress : No work today.

Sun 27 Jan 2008
Weather : Overnight frost. Sunny and warm day.
Progress : Double dug and top dressed the first trench at the top of plot 1 which is where I will replant the Jerusalem Artichokes.

Mon 28 Jan 2008
Weather : Dull.
Progress : No work today. Just popped in for some veg for dinner and a bit of banter with a neighbouring allotmenteer who was on site.

Tue 29 Jan 2008
Weather : Sunny start then very dull but mild.
Progress : Double dug another trench in plot 1. Pondered moving the Blueberry bushes but that will mean a shunt round of other plants which can not be done just at present. Went to the garden centre in Harnham and bought some Onion sets and Early Potatoes. Both seem to be in short supply this year, undoubtedly due to the poor crops last year. I am told that Shallots are impossible to buy.

Wed 30 Jan 2008
Weather : Sunny.
Progress : Double dug another trench in plot 1.

Thu 31 Jan 2008
Weather : Heavy rain and gale force wind.
Progress : No work today. Bought Desiree seed potatoes from Cadnam Garden Centre.