Planning and Reviewing January in Previous Years

 Reviewing the diary over the last Twelve years for January

2013 - Infrastructure works, Laying concrete 43 slab paths and patio area, Collecting Leafs  

 

2014 - Infrastructure works, Plastic edging from the Window Factory, Digital Thermometers from Lidl, dismantle a greenhouse, Bean trench, Chitting Potatoes, Onions from seed  

2015 -  Coir Blocks from Poundland, Onions from Seed, Spacesaver Greenhouse, Chitting Potatoes, Onions from seed. Allotment Winter Tidy Up   

2016 - Infrastructure works base for the Shed on Spencer Road, Sarpo Spuds arrive end of January, and were set chitting

2017 - Infrastructure works, Laying concrete slabs, Base for the patio area on Spencer Road,  Digital Thermometers from Lidls for the additional green house and Grow Station, Tomato Compost & Coir to the plot as soil conditioner

2018 - Infrastructure works covering the plot with weed membrane, Moving infrastructure materials like kerb stones from Spencer Road to Mill Green, Worked out the Tomato Grow List for 2018 after receiving the GYO Seed Circle packs, Overwintering Spring Onion experiment and walking onions in the greenhouse. Updates the Gardeners Guidance publication for idverde & LBS, Beast from the East & Terracotta Pot Heater in the greenhouse.

2019 - Only 8 post last January, Planted up a bed of tulips and daffodils. Reducing the amount of hawthorne along the wall and had a fire in the incinerators, Infrastructure work cutting joists to size and painting them. 

     

2020 - Buying and Sorting seeds, so much rain in December 2019 that the grotto canal was flooded, Davros and the Genesis of the composting Army II, Storm Brendan took Wally's polytunnel for a kite ride over the fence, First two full beds on plot 1 dug weeded and installed, Emma & Andy helped me build 7 raised beds and stack them ready to install during the year. Mentioned in Dispatches by Waltons, Reviewing the BioGreen Firefly, Mentioned in Dispatches by Thompson & Morgan   

2021 - Ground water table high and Carshalton Grotto Canal flowing. Two more beds dug and weeded. Leaf Bin and Arch off Freecycle. Seven more raised bed frames built on the plot. Mentioned in Despatched by both Thompson & Morgan and Waltons. Fire fly review for BioGreen.  Buying and Sorting seeds, Trial of Sweet Potatoes that ended up in a total failure as grown in containers in the back garden due to covid restrictions & Lockdown. 

2022 - New Washing machine V Allotment. -6C Coldest day. Ordered by seedless grapes from Suttons. Andy laid the patio area in front of the plot 1 shed & I made the third Rhubarb bed. Chitting Potatoes in Mushroom trays. I won the Mr Fothergill's New Year's competition. Clip Gloves review. Posts about new Varieties from D.T.Brown and their Spring catalogue.

2023 - Storm ripped off my opening vent of the greenhouse, temporary fix. My wife was admitted into hospital early January and passed away in St Georges Hospital three and a half weeks later, so not a lot happened on the allotment. Book review of the Backyard Forest Garden. Dying coffee grounds in the greenhouse. Building a Greenhouse Loft Extension to go in place of opening vent off the greenhouse at the end of the month to keep myself busy.  

2024 - First month of a new year following my treatment for cancer, with limited mobility there was lots of seed sourcing and getting on top of the contents of my seed boxes, and trying to work out what I may be able to manage in 2024. With my leg ulcers I didn't actually get my first visit to the allotment until the 27th of January.

2025 - Bags of shredded paper taken to the allotment and placed inside a Dalek specifically for browns storage. Rain ice and snow on the allotment. Picking up paving slabs from Freecycle and an inch of ice over night. Installing a Dalek on plot 1A. Mulching and fertilizing the boundary beds with coffee grounds and woodchips. Tidy up the plot 1 shed and Digby and the girls came to visit  Three draw cabinet from Freecycle for the plot 1 shed. Laying woodchip in the car park to cover the muddy tyre tracks. Storm Eowyn broke the timber entrance gate. Showed prospective plot holders -plot 11A. Re planned the allotment on the basis of obtaining free pallet collars, that eventually didn't happen. Showed Plot 3A to prospective tenants in the freezing cold  . I picked up a load of timber from the house they are building at the junction of my road with another   

 

To Do List  

The plan for January 2026 health & weather permitting is to get as much of the new raised beds infrastructure on Plot 1 in place as possible and get both plots and greenhouses ready for the spring growing season 

Mill Green - Plot 1

• Greenhouse 1 - Currently being used to house all the cardboard to be used in the new raised beds, The Loft Conversion has failed and needs rebuilding
• Infrastructure - Convert standard 2.4m x 1.2m beds to 2 number 1.2 x 0.9m Raised beds with a path between for bed, Install beds 11 & 11a, 12 & 12a and 13 & 13a and bed 15a
• Raised Beds - Scaffold Boards have been delivered and pilot holes drilled in 0.9m (3ft) boards for next two raised beds. the rest to be processed in December.
• Blueberry Area - Weed and make a base then fence in using spare panel. Pot up the six blueberry plants.

Mill Green - Plot 1A

• Greenhouse 1A - Set up more Coffee to dry out 
• Daleks - Dig in the additional Dalek by the Hotbin
• Bindweed  - Remove bindweed from all the affected beds on plot.
• Apple Trees - Pruned & Stabilise
• Plum Tree - Pruned needs more tidying up & under  
• Grape Vines - Prune.
• Path -  The main path, is now installed, needs a little TLC at the slope between plots 1 & 1A.
• Trees -  Prune back self seeders and save for backfilling Raised beds.