March 2003

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Tuesday March 18th

Up to the allotment at lunchtime armed with the trug, the kneeler and a fork, now my back has settled a bit. . Started the long task of weeding the carrot bed without resorting to digging it. Managed to get a good square yard or so done, before diverting myself to planting the long white keeper garlics, of which there were 41 lurking about in modules. Then went back and did some more weeding until it got colder and I realised my arm was aching a bit. Decided not to overdo it. Checked all the new bushes and some are starting to grow quite nicely. The one that amazed me is the tripover apple. I didn't expect it to do anything, but it's buds are growing well. Wow.

Thursday March 20th

Off now until April 1st hoorah. My taxes are now being used to murder people, so I am not best pleased at the moment. Still, an afternoon weeding was nice and relaxing, so preventing me from getting too wound up. Have finally finished the carrot bed and new paths, with only the French Bean bed needing forking over in order to get that lot finished. Then I have the potatoes to deal with. Maggie was up, digging over a carpeted bed, and hoping to plant some earlies as well. I am taking my international kidneys to be first earlies as per most of the potato suppliers and not the one I got them from! The bed is still slightly grassy, but that should disappear as I earth them up. Next to do: finish edging the grass path and get the spuds in, then sow early carrots. Finish going over the old broccoli bed and shift the verbascums to the orchard, then put in the shallots. Take up canes for beans.

Friday March 21st

Overcast instead of clear to begin with today, which did at least mean no frost. Took up the shallots and spuds and after finishing off the weeding of the allium bed (and tidying the path back again) growmored it and planted the 34 shallots. Chucked the baby verbascums in the end as they were too small to do anything this season, and I have two much better ones for this year. Then it was the turn of the spuds, and despite having 22 of them, only planted 20 as they fit into a neat grid with the correct spacings.  Raked over some of the vacant plots to prevent weeds taking hold. The sun came out, and so spent some time just looking at the plot. The new fruit bushes are all growing now. Photos look really quite nice, with the bed borders having been shuffled out and the tops raked. And I am really pleased with how the orchard now is – I can walk through it without having to dodge bushes or branches, and it feels much airier. Also the red gooseberries are finally a decent shape, so look well. The forsythia is in full bloom and looks lovely.

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