[Mr Rotavator]

Pruned the vines, berries, apple tree and pear tree.

I also got a letter from the council stating I need to, 'remove the children's play equipment or further action will be taken.'   

[Thrutchington]

Made a replacement shed door yesterday, planted some blackthorn hedge this afternoon to form another natural border. Lots of jobs to be done.

[Plot 1 Problems]

Finally got the garlic out of their pots and into the ground.

[snowdrops]

Finally transported the shreddings from our sons new garden to the allotment,plus the water butt he doesn’t want. Tipped it all out into the big open pile until I get the compost bins turned & sorted, then it will all go in the 5 bins when I get some fresh manure to get it started. Cleaned out & fed the chickens, then barrowed 3 loads of finished compost onto the rhubarb bed.

[Mr Rotavator]

Turned a bit of compost, tidied the fruit bushes and did some strimming  .

[WeavingGryphon]

Today we extended the bed by 2x2 meters and are 1 plant away from linking up with the Honeyberries.
Put cardboard and manure around some of the gooseberries and

Planted
2 redcurrant cuttings
one blackcurrant cutting I took last year with a nice rootball that was camping out with the raspberries.

Moved and planted a very sad 5 years old blackcurrant that failed to thrive in the bottom plot

We brought our kitchen scraps up and hid under all the grass in the compost heap.

[Kelebek]

Dug over a bit of bed, edged more path with wood and got the garlic in. The ground isn't ideal, but it's better than it was and they definitely won't grow in my rucksack so I've given them a bit of a chance.

I then stared at my shed a bit and wondered how Instagram allotmenteers have such lovely sheds.

[pigeonpie]

I then stared at my shed a bit and wondered how Instagram allotmenteers have such lovely sheds.

I'm pretty sure it's because they don't actually do any gardening as well as owning said sheds!   

I spent some time looking at potting shed ideas (some on instagram) before realising that none of them would last 5 minutes in the gale currently blowing out there!  So I looked at seed catalogues instead. 

[snowdrops]

Spent a couple of happy hours in the sunshine, some of it was spent weeding part of the strawberry bed, some chatting & some cleaning the chickens out, all of it was thoroughly enjoyed even though it was cold.

[Plot 1 Problems]

Lifted out out the salsify and bunged them in the compost. They're tasty enough, but they're a pain to dig out and prepare. Covered another bed a with a few barrowfulls of compost.

[WeavingGryphon]

We are 1.5m square off of having finished behind the blackcurrants-the established row.

All the spiky Worcesterberries along the back fence are in. Alternating with Jostaberries, to keep things out and wind break above the spikes.

The gooseberry row in front of the fence was taken to the back right with 2 gooseberries and an blackcurrant cutting planted in there. The back left needs 1.5m square dug out. The gooseberrry in the bottom plot had hardly any rootball for a 5 year old plant. Again not enough roots to fill a 2L pot. Cardboard and manure and that section is finished.

One more redcurrant in the redcurrant row and black currant cutting. My side twinged and I snapped a bit off a damaged black currant so we stuck it in beside a gooseberry. It was damaged already, you could see the rotted bit. 1.25m square in the redcurrant needs done before that pair of rows are done.

I really need to put up a photograph. Our little birdy friend wasn't about, the larks were silent. We realise why when the cat caught a mouse and wandered by with it.

[Wellington]

There are instagram sheds?  I wonder where I can buy one of those...

Not strictly speaking on the plot, but in the garden at least. I think I have finally managed to pen the chickens so they stay in their half, and started tidying up spare pots and so on ready for getting things sown. Got the trays out To wash for chitting potatoes, which I’ll do later on and put an early sowing of carrots and salad in the bottom of the mini greenhouses (largely because they blow over if there is nothing heavy in them to hold them down, but you never know, they might grow)

Ordered compost, but none to be had for a month, so will need to see if I can find another bulk supplier.

[WeavingGryphon]

Dug the last part of the gooseberry area. Put in 2 gooseberry cuttings I found in pots in the garden. They have a while to put out roots before I trim the bottom-one looked like it had tiny brown hairs so it could be roots. We did the last of the redcurrant area but didn't put anything in, too cramped. Started on the final strip.

[Wellington]

A beautiful day today, after a very cold start. Couldn’t get up to the plot, as I had the electrician in, but I did sneak out to the garden and do a bit of tidying up in the sunshine. Need to get some wood-preserver in for the old bookshelves which are soon-to-be raised beds tomorrow.

[Mr Rotavator]

I went to go to the plot but first knocked on the lady's door who owns the garden and ended up sitting and having a chat for an hour and half!