Reviewing the diary over the last Twelve years for February
2013 - Infrastructure works, drying weeds for burning, burning weeds, Rain start of the month, dry towards the end, delivery of woodchip to plot, built a coldframe
2014 - Infrastructure works, transplanting bluebells and daffs in comfrey bed, bought and planted fruit trees, Constructed Greenhouse Sub Frame, Seeds from Lidl I could not resist at 29p a pack or 5 for a £1
2015 - Allotment Winter Tidy Up, Spent tomato compost & coir dressing added to beds, Sprouts, Cabbage, Chitting Potatoes, Timber base for the greenhouse created, Onions from Seeds
2016 - Infrastructure works, kerb stones off freecycle, Base for the shed on Spencer Road. Erecting the Shed, Trimming shaggy weed membrane, gathering compost paper & Coffee Grounds.
2017 - Infrastructure works, Laying concrete slabs at Spencer Road in the Greenhouse area , Portable Grow Station created and Sprouts sown, Grow Station 2 created, Chitting potatoes in Grow Station 2,
2018 - Infrastructure works, Laying concrete slabs on Plot 1A, Installing the bed edging that had been brought from Spencer Road Allotment, Warming Up Beds with solar tunnels and obtaining Timber Roof Joists from the building site next door.
2019 - Infrastructure works, Frost and a couple or raining Allotment days this year. Andy brought leaves from home for my leaf pile. Burning rotted timber and dry vegetation. Painting timber joists on the plot. Attacking the Hawthorne along the wall. Purchased potatoes from Wilko and set up chitting potatoes in Space saver Greenhouse. Attended the Garden Press Event and came home with lots of packs of seeds and other goodies.
2017 - Infrastructure works, Laying concrete slabs at Spencer Road in the Greenhouse area , Portable Grow Station created and Sprouts sown, Grow Station 2 created, Chitting potatoes in Grow Station 2,
2018 - Infrastructure works, Laying concrete slabs on Plot 1A, Installing the bed edging that had been brought from Spencer Road Allotment, Warming Up Beds with solar tunnels and obtaining Timber Roof Joists from the building site next door.
2019 - Infrastructure works, Frost and a couple or raining Allotment days this year. Andy brought leaves from home for my leaf pile. Burning rotted timber and dry vegetation. Painting timber joists on the plot. Attacking the Hawthorne along the wall. Purchased potatoes from Wilko and set up chitting potatoes in Space saver Greenhouse. Attended the Garden Press Event and came home with lots of packs of seeds and other goodies.
2020 - Infrastructure works, picked up a stack of free slabs off Freecycle, Showed vacant plots and they took plot 4. Cleaned the Space Saver Greenhouse ready for the season and for chitting spuds in. The contractor converting the industrial unit to residential behind Plot 1 & 1A decided in the infinite wisdom to remove the trees that were holding the unstable wall in place and destabilise the wall directly behind my shed on plot 1A. They cut and dropped the branches directly on my shed! Not happy and informed them and the council.
Showing Chris the vacant plots available, he decided to take on plot 14. Storm Ciara blows many polytunnels off the plots and destroys them and light weight greenhouses on plots. Mentioned In Despatches by Waltons, National Nestbox Week
Lots of Rain during the early part of the month Storm Dennis with many photographs of flooded allotment plots, especially in Wales and then suddenly at the end of the month, dry weather bluebells and daffs showing and Fools Spring has arrived. Won Mr Fothergills Facebook competition of Swing F1 Cucumber seeds
Picked up another free Dalek to add to Dalek Army II. Attended the Garden Press Event and came home with not so many packs of seeds but lots of other goodies, and promises of equipment to trial. The Covid -19 Virus starts sweeping around the globe, and people start to think twice about shaking hands at the Event. Still cataloguing what's in my Seed Box, need to get this done a lot earlier next year, if not by the end of 2020
2021 - Making Warm Mushroon Trays. Chitting Potatoes, covered in the Norfolk Space Saver Greenhouse . The beast from the East II and snow. The Paved path was installed and so were the scaffold tubes to the first 3 Raspberry beds. The first SFG bed frame was installed in February 2021.
2022 - Sowing Grow With Me tomatoes, Sowing Brassicas and planting seedless grape vines against the wall. Storm Dudley came and went and then Storm Eunice removed greenhouse panels and took items on a journey around the allotment site. Laying slabs around the Plot 1 greenhouse. Grow With Me 2022 with Joe Mills Basil. Spuds in the Space Saver Greenhouse chitting. Making a new store on plot 1A at the location of the old potting table and adding the bench with roof to the new potting table behind the greenhouse on plot 1.
2023 - .Loft extension for the plot 1 greenhouse completed and erected. Lots of time spent on the plot as I didn't want to be in the house without my wife her funeral was on the 20th February. New Spear & Jackson spade and fork set and broke the handle to my fork. Mulching the asparagus bed. Cleaning out the space saver Greenhouse in readiness for the potting shed arrival on the plot. Installing the potting sheds base. Garden Press Event attended. Review of Sophie McKays book. The boundary beds with the main path was started in February and completed at the end of the month. Well rotted woodchip was placed in the bottom of the new beds and the rotary sieve was use on my allotment made compost to complete filling the beds.
2024 - As a result of my ongoing ulcerated leg problems, and having to learn to walk unaided, I only visited the plot a couple of times in February, I was hoping I will be able to get down to the plot a little more often with the assistance of family and friends but some of the February sowings happen in the Space Saver greenhouse at home.
My objective was to get healed enough that I can drive and get myself to the allotment in March so most of February was spent sorting out my seed boxes and what new seeds had been sent to me to trial.
To Do List for 2025
The plan for January 2025 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
- Infrastructure - Convert standard 2.4m x 1.2m beds to 2 number 1.2 x 0.9m Raised beds with a path between.
- Potting Shed - Finish tidying up the potting shed ready for Spring 2025
Mill Green - Plot 1A
- Greenhouse 1A - Set up more Coffee to dry out
- Daleks - Dig in the additional Daleks along the path with plot 2A
- Main Crop Potatoes - Harvest the last 3 buckets as required
- Onions - Overwintering Onions and Shallots in weed bed as necessary.
- Leaf Cages - Move contents of secondary cage to primary cage
- Apple Trees - Prune & Stabilise
- Grape Vines - Prune
February
February Apple - plant trees
February Apple - prune trees
February Pear - plant trees
February Pear - prune trees
Infrastructure Work
Week 1 Parsnip – Germinate in Take-a-way containers
Week 1 Welsh Onions (D.T.Brown) - sow under glass / indoors (14 – 28 days)
Week 1 Shallot Simiane (Dobies) - sow under glass / indoors (14 – 28 days)
Week 1 Cauliflower (early summer) - sow seed indoors
Week 2 Brussels Sprouts - sow seed of early varieties
Week 2 Broccoli (sprouting) early varieties - begin harvest
Week 2 Aubergine – sow in modules
Week 3 Parsnip – Transplant into loo rolls once signs of germination
Week 3 Radish – Sow fortnightly
Week 3 Lettuce (Winter) – Sow fortnightly
Week 3 Potatoes- chit / sprout seed potatoes
Week 3 Cauliflower (summer) - prepare ground
Week 3 Cauliflower (autumn) - prepare ground
Week 4 Broccoli (sprouting) late varieties - begin harvest
Week 4 Celery - sow seeds indoors
Week 4 Sweet pepper - sow seeds
Week 4 Carrot Water Butt – Core out sand & Compost ready for sowing seeds
