With everything that is going on in the world, I am very grateful to have my little allotment plot. Somewhere to relax, get some exercise and fresh air and most importantly, to stay away from people. Although really, not much in my life as changed as I am pretty anti social anyway; but I hope you’re all staying safe out there.

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Spring has finally sprung. The ground has finally dried out [perhaps a little too dry!] so we can now crack on with turning the ground over and getting some seeds sown. Red and white onion sets have been planted, along with some red spring onion and some Chioggia beeetroot seeds.

Once Tom had dug the ground, I had to break down the clumps of clay between my hands and add in compost so that the soil would be good enough to sow the seeds directly into. The sets were easy enough to plant in the soil as it was, we just covered them with compost. Seeds wouldn’t have thrived in the soil as it was so we did our best to improve the quality. With all of the rain the last few months, the clay in the soil seems to have become even denser making the ground much harder to work; I think we will need to invest in some clay breaker.

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The sweet peas have been planted outside, although part of me wishes I had left it another week or two as there have been a couple of frosts since planting them. They were beginning to outgrow their pots, so I thought planting them was for the best. Unfortunately they don’t look as green as they did, but they have fared better than expected. I have wrapped them in some bubble wrap in hope that it protects them from any further damage in the meantime.

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The strawberry patch has now been boxed off. Because of the size of the pallet wood we had, we decided to shorten the plot but make it a little wider. Luckily only a handful of plants needed to be moved. I’m still unsure what to do with the plot behind the strawberries, originally it was going to be a wild flower plot but now I’m not so sure. The plot is quite awkward as the elder tree and brambles grow over it, any suggestions would be appreciated.

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Now really is the time to get seeds planted. Tom had ran out of space on his windowsill, so he whipped up two shelves out of pallet wood to double the space. Another level might be needed at this rate!

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Spring is always a good time to clean; the shed had become somewhat unruly after winter. We emptied out the shed, swept up the dirt and dust [a somewhat repetitive and fruitless task] and reorganised the drawers underneath the workbench. The back of the shed had also become somewhat askew with all of the empty plant pots and scraps of wood from the summer before. The pots were put in size order and the wood that had rotted is now in a pile to be disposed of. I freshened up the window box and some of the pallet bin with a lick of paint as well, as they were looking a little drab after winter.

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Amongst all the uncertainly of current times and most places being closed, I celebrated my birthday down at the allotment. It was a beautiful, sunny day. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. We managed to achieve a lot, but left some time for tea and cake.

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One can only hope that allotments continue to be accessible for everyone in the coming months so people are able to enjoy the fresh air and get some exercise. I know it will be a vital place for me.

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Stay safe, friends.