Planning and Reviewing April in Previous Years

Reviewing the diary over the last five years for April 

2013 - After Burning everything that could be burnt in March, I finally started digging and weeding the first four beds on Mill Green Allotment, installing the woodchip paths and establishing the comfrey bed.

2014 - Potatoes in buckets, Potatoes in the ground, Sowing Tomatoes, Beetroots, Spring Onions, weeding and fertilising beds, potting on tomatoes into vending machine cups. a cold snap and fleece over the spuds.

2015 -  New edging to beds, Planting potatoes in buckets, Potatoes in the ground, Brassicas into vending machine cups, Sowing Tomatoes,  

2016 - Daffs in Comfrey bed 1, Digging and weeding new beds, Freecycle Slabs, planting Potatoes

    

2017 - Infrastructure works, paths desperately need replacing Neglecting Mill Green in favour of Spencer Road site as access is just so difficult due to construction traffic and no where to park. Jen in hospital with pneumonia so huge reduction in anything associated with the allotment, finally discharged and turns into Hell boy and re admitted. Constructed runner bean cantilever brackets and the extension to the shed at Spencer Road. Construction and erection of the comfrey pipe at Spencer Road. Kerb edgings and a double Dalek picked up from Freecycle. 

Planned for 2018

Wet January and snow in late February and early March and then rain meant that visits to the allotment were not as frequent or as productive as I would have liked, and my programme of works is slipping and as always I'm playing catch up with a lot of items that were scheduled to happen. So if the weather permits I have planned to undertake more Infrastructure works, clearing and weeding the area on the new plot in the location of the shed and the greenhouse. 

On a positive side we have found a resource for wood chip and can arrange drop offs at short notice. I did start ferrying it from the drop off and pick up area and stock piling opposite where the shed and greenhouse is due to go in readiness. 

At least I'm no longer split between two plots on different sites, although in my mind Mill Green will always be Plots 1A and Plot 1, I think it will not be until I have the infrastructure sorted that I will truly start thinking of it as one single plot. 

I will still keep a look out for the Digital Thermometers from Lidl and purchase a few additional ones should they pop up in the catalogue, especially as we now have a local branch.

To Do List  

• As much infrastructure works as the weather will allow - Not enough over the last two months due to the weather.
• Weed & Level the Shed and Greenhouse Area - Started but need to be completed
• Remove the Trees from along the wall  - TBD too late to burn now
• Lay weed membrane over the whole plot - Now nearly all covered 
• Collect the slabs from Spencer Road - TBD
• Lay the slabs for the shed and Greenhouse - TBD  
• Erect the greenhouse - TBD
• Make Air Onion raised bed frame - Completed
• Move Comfrey Pipe from Spencer Road to Mill Green - TBD
• Rhubarb Bed to be created - TBD
• As too late to burn - stockpile timber and keep dry ready to burn next year - New

Home 

• Cut more path weed membrane - TBD
• Make a Spring Green planting membrane sheet - New 

Reminders

• Purchase vent opener for new greenhouse.- TBD

APRIL
April on	Asparagus - harvest when 15cm high
Week 1	Asparagus Crowns - plant outside
Week 1	Brussels Sprouts - Sow seed of mid to late varieties
Week 1	Onion Sets - plant
Week 1 Week 1	Radish - sow seed under cloches - French Breakfast 3  Spring Onions - sow fortnightly - Long Red Florence
Week 1 - 2	Carrot - remove cloches from early sown varieties
Week 1 - 2	Carrot - sow early seed varieties in open
Week 1	Onion Sets - protect from birds for 5 weeks
Week 1	Turnip - start to sow seed outdoors
Week 2	Beetroot - sow seed in pots indoors
Week 2	Leek - sow seed outside in a temporary seed bed
Week 2	Tomatoes - pot-up young plants
Week 2 Week 2 Week 2 Week 2	Squash / pumpkins - sow seed indoors Marrow - two varieties Lettuce - sow fortnightly  Radish - Start to Harvest early February Sowings
Week 3	Cabbage Spring - harvest
Week 3	Cauliflower (summer) - weekly feed
Week 3	Cucumber (ridge) - sow seeds indoors
Week 3	Kale - sow in pots or seed bed
Week 3	Lettuce - begin to thin seedlings, distance by variety
Week 3	Radish - sow seed outside - Eiszapfen
Week 3 Week 3	Spring Onions - sow fortnightly - Pompeii Sweetcorn - sow seed indoors / greenhouse
Week 4	Beetroot - sow seed outside
Week 4 Week 4	Leek - harden off container grown seedlings Lettuce - sow
Week 4	Parsnip - sow seed outside
Week 4	Sweetcorn - sow seed under cloches
Week 4 Week 4	Turnip - thin seedlings 15cm earlies, 25cm maincrops Last Frost

I'm early with onion sets as I have planted half of them into modules and they are already growing. However due to the snow rain and cold weather and the Beast from the East parts I, II and III most allotmenteers are behind with sowing and cursing the weather.