[plum crumble]

this cold weather is keeping our musculature so tight at the moment, it really is easy to strain yourelf. Take care!

[mumofstig]

that's assuming you have muscles in the first place...I can't find mine, where did I put them last time I used them

[JayG]

This might sound like a silly thing to have to do but after all the winter inactivity it is quite important to warm up (stretching exercises) and warm down (same) before and after a serious session of gardening (apparently the worst thing you can do after a bout of digging is to collapse with a sigh of satisfaction and relief into your favourite armchair; it's that which can do more damage to overstretched muscles and ligaments than the digging itself!) 

[kingston boy]

had a grape vine delivered today that i'd forgotten about as i ordered it last season.They said the whole of the previous seasons plant were diseased so they sent the replacement now. Anyway i planted my new grape today. I also dug in the rest of my oh so tiny leaks. Checked lettuce in polytunnel and found signs of them being eaten, so i put down some slug killer.

[titch]

did nothing today....but sunday dug over around a third ready for some well rotted muck to go in with it...........the ground was nice and soft, easy to dig, weeds and grass came up like a dream and i could still move yesterday - got a little bit left to do at the top and i am good to go

[Mahogony]

This morning I marvelled at the wonder of nature.
I was making labels for the seeds I have put in the propogater and I looked closely and 2 of my chilli seeds are showing signs of life.  Little white shoot starting to curl out of them. I'm sure the others are working away below the surface. I'm so excited. They were seeds from a couple of chillis I found at the bottom of the veg drawer which were going a bit squidgey. Assuming this is the first sign of germination I will be taking off the lid and setting up my tinfoil reflector as recommended.  I planted 12 seeds of Jalepenos and 12 of some kind of red dutch chilli. Not too adventurous but its a start. Hopefully a few do well so I can give them away.

On the down side, I didn't make the labels as soon as I planted the seeds thinking I would remember which was which, but can I? No! lesson learnt.
Also the labels I made for the allotment for my garlic and red and white onions have faded. I used permanent marker on plastic milk bottle strips. I know vaguely which is which but glad I noticed this problem sooner rather than later. Will try pencil on plastic strips and see if it works any better.
I am so grateful for this site, thank you all for your help

[JayG]

A (soft-leaded) pencil does work better.

For me the thrill of seeing seeds germinating and the simple pleasure of eating a bacon sandwich are about the only two experiences in life which never seem to lose their intensity! (OK, whisky ain't bad, either!)   

[plum crumble]

.and those first runner beans steamed and buttered.............

[harry]

This might sound like a silly thing to have to do but after all the winter inactivity it is quite important to warm up (stretching exercises) and warm down (same) before and after a serious session of gardening (apparently the worst thing you can do after a bout of digging is to collapse with a sigh of satisfaction and relief into your favourite armchair; it's that which can do more damage to overstretched muscles and ligaments than the digging itself!) 

I think i'll chance the armchair.
 Exercises are no good to man nor beast always remember the man who invented jogging died jogging

[dexyblue]

seeds sowed last friday have started to show, lettuce, cucumber, cabbage showing still waiting for chillies, peppers, and 4 tomato varieties.
This is my 1st season for my allotment so fingers crossed I achieve a good crop

[plum crumble]

What did I do on the allotment today???

Got BLINKIN' rained on and nearly struck by lightening, that's what!! Back home sulking now. No excuse not to clean the bathroom now I can't go to the lottie. 

[Lupin lurcher]

Yup me to went down fist thing started digging a trench for runners, it poored down, sat in shed for a while but it didnt stop. Went back home checked on me seedlings, beetroot started to show their lovely little heads, but nothing else.  Done a few chores round house then it stopped raining, went back down lotty and it started again.  Thats it for today no more wandering up and down the round for me today. Fingers crossed it a better day tomorow for all of us.

[gardener247]

hey lupin lurcher is it okay to make a bean trench, i haven't made mine and thought now is a bit late??

[plum crumble]

nah, course it's not too late!!!

[flitwickone]

i burnt the rest of the shed