Very Early Spring

Not that it felt like it, as we drove through the drizzle and the wind and the clouds to the garden centre at Coal Aston.  It was perishing cold as we were wandering around as well.  But we had been given some garden centre vouchers when we got married and were getting a bit worried that the time on them might expire (wouldn't - apparently they last for 6 years) or that I might lose them (unlikely, but you never know).  And it would be a pity to waste £120 worth of garden vouchers, especially since we want some fruit trees and bushes for the allotment.  So we persevered through the weather and came home with: two more blueberry plants for the garden; three blackcurrant plants; one red and one green gooseberry plant; one jostaberry plant (just because we had never heard of them) and one bramley apple tree.  There is room for perhaps two more trees in the middle of the fruit plot, and two more bushes to form a gateway.  We are pondering what to get.  Plus only have £20 of vouchers left so will also need to save up a bit of fruit money.

So here is the plan for the allotment for this coming season:

We also have plans for the garden, but they haven't been finalised yet - except that we have more or less (but not entirely) decided to do the flower garden from scratch, obviously leaving in the bulbs and shrubs, and some of the established plants like the hellebores.  I'll update a garden plan when we have finalised it.

I must say, though, that the winter wreaked rather more havoc than I had expected.  Even the bay tree, in the greenhouse, has snuffed it :-(

But spring is definitely here.  The soil is warming up, the sun has some warmth in it.  And while it is too early to get over-excited - I have nonetheless planted some tomato seeds in modular seed boxes and put them in the recess by the front door.  I shall do the same with some other seeds over the next few weeks and see how we get on.  And shortly I shall order some new asparagus crowns and the pea and broad bean seeds