Blog Anniversary Competition

The first of April is traditionally known as April Fool's Day. This is the day when tricks and practical jokes are played on people. For some reason, this is the date I chose to start my blog, exactly a year ago today. But I'm no fool, blogging has brought me many things, pleasure, enjoyment, knowledge, and not least of all, many new friends. I want to thank everyone who has signed up to become a follower of my blog, those who leave a comment, those who read my blog on a regular basis and come back for more, and those who read occasionally or drop in by accident but linger to read more. Who would have thought a year ago that by now I would have over 50 followers, over 11500 hits, over 900 comments and countless friends?

To celebrate my first blog anniversary and to thank everyone for reading, following, commenting, and for their friendship, the wonderful people at Love Thy Space have very generously allowed me to run a competition with one of their super products as a prize.

Love Thy Space sell a whole range of wild birds which are ethically hand crafted in India. Each bird is attached to a garden stake standing approximately 1.2 metres high, and although powder coated to prevent corrosion, they do weather over time adding to the charm of the bird with contrasting rustic tones. These birds retail at £29.50 each.

I am very excited to be able to offer a Kingfisher garden stake as a prize in the competition. All you have to do is leave a comment on my blog telling me which of my posts from the past year is your favourite, and why, and you will be entered in to a random draw. To give everyone a chance to enter, a winner will be selected and announced next weekend. Please note that due to the size of this item, it will not be able to be posted outside of the UK. Therefore, if you are one of my overseas visitors and you would like to enter the competition, please ensure that you have an address in the UK to which the item can be delivered.

I'm sure you'll agree that this is a fantastic prize, so get your comments in and be in with a chance to win it. Don't forget to follow the links to Love Thy Space and check out what other fabulous products they sell.

I hope that you all have a lovely Easter, and that the sun shines for us all.

Running Out Of Space

The windowsills are full, the greenhouse is overflowing, I need more space. This is my plastic mini greenhouse which is inside my normal greenhouse. I find that I am able to get away with moving even tender seedlings, such as tomatoes, outside with the added protection. I am starting my seeds off inside on windowsills and then moving them into the mini greenhouse once they have germinated, but I am fast running out of space. It won't be long now until I can start planting some of them outside.

I managed to get to the allotment on Saturday, but the ground was extremely wet after all the rain we had on Friday. It was such hard work digging, so I did a few tidying up jobs and then came home to sow yet more seeds, whilst I left hubby at the allotment to carry on with some digging.

Don't forget to check back later in the week, when I will be hosting a competition where you will be in with a chance of winning a fantastic prize, courtesy of Love Thy Space.

Aren't I Lucky?

A couple of weeks ago, I entered a Mother's Day competition on Ryan's Garden blog to win a pair of luxury handmade ladies gardening gloves. Now I'm not the luckiest person in the world, so it was a great surprise to me that I won, especially considering there were so many entrants.

I emailed my address to Ryan last Monday, who in turn, passed on my details to Love Thy Space, who were supplying the gloves. I was very pleasantly surprised to receive the gloves in the post on Wednesday, how's that for service?

The gloves are leather and handmade, and although they look feminine, will be ideal for the tougher jobs around the garden and allotment. I love them, so thank you Ryan for hosting the competition, and thank you Love Thy Space for supplying them.

Ryan hosts lots of competitions on his blog and has a fabulous one running at the moment where you could win tickets to RHS Chelsea and a guided tour by Andrew Fisher Tomlin.

I would also urge you to check out the Love Thy Space website as they sell some beautiful items. If you want to be in with a chance of winning one of their products, check back on my blog next week as I will be hosting a competition.

Potting and Pottering

I was hoping to get to the allotment on Saturday but unfortunately, the rain had other ideas. Instead, I took myself off to the local nursery to buy some bedding plants. I used to grow all my bedding plants from seed, but since having the allotment and the need to be growing more vegetable plants instead of flowers, I have been buying my bedding plants as plugs and growing them on at home. A tray of 40 plugs costs £3.50, which I think is good value, so I bought some nemesia, viola, petunia and the trusty old busy lizzie, which will perform well all summer, whether in sun or shade. They are sold as very small plugs, about 1cm square, and as you can see, I have potted them on into larger cells. I will keep these indoors for about a week to settle, and then they will be moved into the greenhouse to grow on before being planted out after the risk of frost has gone.

I also started some more seeds on Saturday, including a courgette - All Green Bush and a squash - Carnival. It still may be a little early to sow these, but I have more seeds if I need them. I haven't grown squash before but I've got quite a few varieties this year and I have allocated a large bed on the allotment to them as they are a sprawling plant.

It was the first day of spring yesterday and also exactly a year since we took on the allotment. The weather improved from Saturday, in fact it was a lovely day, so we took ourselves off to the allotment. I had a lovely time pottering about, tidying up the strawberry bed, pulling up some perennial weeds and chatting to other plot holders while hubby did some serious digging. Of course, there's plenty more still to do, but we've made a start.

And The Winner Is...

Thank you to everyone who showed an interest in my giveaway. It appears that My Life on a Hillside Allotment by Terry Walton is a book which many people would like to read. It also shows that this is a popular way of recycling books, so watch out for future giveaways on my blog.

My daughter did a good job of drawing a name from the cup, and I am pleased to announce that the winner is Flighty. Please let me know your address so that I can get the book posted to you. You can find my email address on my sidebar.

A few people mentioned that it would be a good idea for the winner to continue passing the book on to interested bloggers, and Flighty indicated that he would be happy to do this, so watch out on his blog for a future giveaway. You can find his blog here, Flighty's Plot.

It's a lovely day here today, after torrential rain yesterday, so I'm hoping to spend some time at the allotment.

Book Giveaway

My hubby bought me Terry Walton's My Life on a Hillside Allotment for Christmas, which I read and thoroughly enjoyed. I don't keep many books once read due to lack of space, instead sending them off to the local charity shop to be recycled. I thought that this book may appeal to my readers though, so instead of sending it off to be recycled, I thought I would offer it as a giveaway on my blog.

Terry Walton has had an allotment for over fifty years in the Rhondda Valley in Wales. He is a regular contributor to the Jeremy Vine Show on radio 2, where he gives updates on his allotment, but I know him better from BBC2's The Big Dig, which has also been repeated on Sky.

The book looks back at his life from the age of four, when he first started helping his father on his allotment, and also gives monthly tips as well as a few of his wife's recipes.

If you would like to be considered for the giveaway please leave a comment indicating this, and I will make a random draw to determine a winner.

Chitting Parsnips

I've discovered that the easiest way to get parsnips to germinate is to chit them prior to planting them. I lay a piece of kitchen roll inside a plastic container and dampen it. The parsnip seed is scattered onto this and then I give the seeds another water with the mister. I cover the plastic container with cling film and then position it on top of the boiler where it can get a gentle heat. Within a few days, the seeds will begin to sprout. I then pick each seed up carefully with tweezers so as not to damage the root, and pop it carefully into a toilet roll inner filled with compost. This must be planted into the ground before the root hits the bottom of the toilet roll inner otherwise it could cause the parsnip to fork. This year I'm trying Tender and True, and also some seeds which were saved by my hubby's uncle, variety unknown. He always manages to grow fantastic parsnips, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that mine turn out just as well.

Yesterday saw the drainage pipe being laid. I say saw, I didn't actually see it, as I sent my hubby down there to do the hard work with the help of our next door plot neighbour who kindly volunteered his services. A trench of about 60 foot had to be dug down the side of our allotment, and a perforated drain pipe was laid into this. There is a beck running along the edge of the site and this is where the excess water will drain. The other plots on our site have already had this done, and it has made a huge difference.

Today I have potted on most of the seedlings from my last lot of sowing, as well as sowing lots more seed. Hubby has erected the mini plastic greenhouse which has now been installed inside the normal greenhouse. This gives the seedlings some added protection as my greenhouse isn't heated. I used this method last year with great success. It means that I can move some of the seedlings out into the greenhouse earlier that I would otherwise be able to, so some of the seedlings have been evicted from my windowsills today, just in time for other seedlings to take their place.

Next weekend I plan to take a trip to my local nursery and purchase some bedding plants. I've started buying them as plug plants and growing them on myself as it's quite economical, and less faffy than growing them from seed. It also means that I have more space to start off vegetable seed which is my main priority since having the allotment.

Spring Is Here

I'm whispering this, just in case Mother Nature can hear me and decides to play a cruel trick. It seems that spring has been a long time coming, but I think it's finally here. We had some lovely sunny days last week, but on Saturday morning I woke up to drizzle. I thought that the weather was on the turn again, but it brightened up and turned into a lovely sunny weekend. It's sunny again today too. It's quite crisp, and there's some frost and ice about, in fact the small pond is frozen solid, but it's a lovely clear day. Long may it last.

Last year I bought a couple of rhubarb crowns. The allotment wasn't ready for them to be planted there, so instead, I planted them into large containers. They grew really well, but as they were new I didn't take any stems from them. I didn't get round to planting them out at the allotment so they're still in their containers, but they seem to be thriving. They've bulked up into good sized crowns and the Timperley Early is already throwing up new stems. I'll take a small harvest from them this year, enough to make a crumble, and then they can be planted out into the allotment. Rhubarb is a hungry plant so I will make sure that the ground has plenty of manure incorporated into it.

My kids have never tasted rhubarb. I hated it as a child, but I also hated beans. Since growing beans on the allotment they're now one of my favourite veg. Would you believe that before I had the allotment my hubby would not eat any veg at all? Talk about picky eaters. He now eats nearly everything I grow, and my son, who is also a picky eater, is eating much better. My daughter, well, she's just like me. She'll eat anything put in front of her, but that's one of the best things about having the allotment, not only knowing where your veg is grown and that there have been no chemicals used on it, but knowing that the family is eating much healthier. As well as growing all the things we like, I'm also growing things we're not so keen on, as it shows with the beans that our tastes can change. I'm hoping that we're going to enjoy the rhubarb.

As I've mentioned, we had a lovely sunny weekend, but I still haven't been to the plot. Instead I sent hubby down there to do some digging while I stayed at home and sowed more seed. I'm hoping that I can get down there this week to do some more preparation, and all being well, next weekend will see the drainage pipe being laid. Fingers crossed that this gorgeous spring weather continues.

Lady Of Leisure

It's official, I'm now a lady of leisure. I have worked for the same company for over fourteen years, but as they are now relocating the office twenty five miles away, I have decided to call it a day. I'm not going to look for anything else straight away, but the money situation may mean that I will have to in the future. My last day was yesterday, and I was presented with a lovely bouquet of flowers, some Thornton's chocolates and some wine. This has come at just the right time, as I can now devote more time to the allotment and garden, just as the season is beginning. As I will now be watching where every penny is spent, I will be doing what most allotmenteers do and recycling what I can, getting the most use out of everything. Something else which I'm eager to have a go at this year is seed saving. I've never saved my own seed before so this is new to me.

I potted on my seedlings at the weekend. They are all now in individual pots on my son's windowsill, as that gets the most light. I didn't manage to get round to sowing any more seeds, but will do that this weekend.

I have been presented with another award. Thank you Gary, Jen and Ruby from Reads Allotment Retreat. This is the happiness award and the rules are that I have to link to the blog which presented me with the award, list 10 things which make me happy, and pass on the award.

This is the third time that this award has been presented to me so my blog must be making some people happy. Instead of listing 10 things which make me happy, this time I am going to list 10 of my favourite flowers. So, in no particular order, they are:-

Lily

Fuchsia

Iris

Sweet Pea

Tulip

Snowdrop

Freesia

Nemesia

Rose (yellow)

Kniphofia

I'm sure that there are lots more that I have missed off this list, but these are the 10 which spring to mind at the moment. I would now like to pass this award on to some other blogs which make me happy.

Flighty's Plot

Lettuce and Love Is...

Lynda's Organic Garden

Raising Seedlings

Grow Our Own

You are under no obligation to accept the award or pass the award on, but I just wanted to let you know that I enjoy reading your blogs.

Since I started blogging, less than a year ago, I have had more than 10000 visitors to my blog. I would like to thank all my readers for coming back for more, and especially for commenting. It's lovely to have made so many like minded friends, and I hope that you will continue to enjoy my blog.

Sprouting

Nearly all the seeds which I sowed almost a fortnight ago have now germinated. The only exception is the Micro Tomato, which I know a few of you were interested in. I do have a couple of seeds left, so I will sow those this weekend and keep my fingers crossed. I really do hope that I can get at least one to germinate as last years plant produced lots of tiny tasty tomatoes.

Last year, my hubby made me a light box for my windowsill which worked really well. One side of a cardboard box needs to be cut out, leaving three sides which are then covered with silver foil. The plants are placed in the box, which is then placed on the windowsill and the light reflects onto the silver foil and back at the seedlings. This prevents the seedlings from leaning towards the light, and encourages them to grow straight. It's also a time saver as you don't have to keep turning the plants every day. I shall dig out my light box this weekend in readiness for my seedlings.

It's pouring down again today, so digging the allotment over will have to be put on hold again. This weekend's jobs will consist of sowing more seeds and potting on some of the seeds which have already germinated.

Planting Potatoes

Today, I have planted some first early potatoes - Sharpes Express and some second early potatoes - International Kidney into containers. I have planted three tubers into each container and as the foliage grows, they will be earthed up until each container is filled with compost. I have moved the containers into the greenhouse and covered them with fleece to keep the frost at bay, but once the weather warms up they will be moved outside. It's too early to plant potatoes into the ground yet, but I hope that by doing this I will have an early harvest, a few weeks before the potatoes planted at the allotment are ready.

Some of the seeds which I sowed last weekend are now showing through the compost. There are still lots more to plant, some of which will be done during the coming week.

We've had a few snow flurries here this week, but luckily it hasn't settled. I was hoping that some digging could be done on the allotment today, but unfortunately the ground is frozen solid. At the risk of sounding despondent, I'm hoping to get down there again before the end of August.

One thing which lifted my spirits this week was the award which Kella from Kella's Musings on Growing her Own, Wildlife and Her Brand of Parenting presented me with. It's the All Things That Glitter Award, and Kella has presented me with it as she thinks that my blog sparkles. I love to receive these awards as it shows that people do enjoy my ramblings, so thank you very much, Kella.

I would like to pass this award on to some blogs which I have recently discovered. I will keep popping back to catch up with these blogs as they too sparkle, and I would urge my readers to check them out.

Plot Notes

Two Chances Veg Plot Blog

Scented Sweetpeas

My Knitting, Allotment and Other Witterings Blog

A Smallholder's Diary

You are under no obligation to accept the award, but I wanted to let you know that I enjoy your blogs.

The Start Of The Season

My gardening season officially started today with the sowing of my first seeds. I may be a little early with the tomatoes, but decided to have a go anyway. I've got more seeds if they don't germinate. After much deliberation I have decided to grow Tigerella and Gardener's Delight, which are ones I've grown before and always seem to go back to, Whippersnapper and Tangella, which are heritage varieties, and Harbinger, just because I received a free packet of seed. I'm also growing Micro Tomato which I grew last year after my friend, Georgie, sent me some seed. This is the cutest litte tomato plant I have ever seen and produces tomatoes which are smaller than cherry tomatoes. They were the first to produce any fruit last year and were the last to stop, such a hard little worker.

This year I want to make more of an effort with a patch to raise flowers for cutting. I did have a go last year, but with only just getting my allotment, my efforts were mainly concentrated elsewhere. With this in mind I have started by sowing some dahlia's and rudbeckia. I have others to sow at a later date such as zinnia and cosmos.

Other things planted today were leeks, lettuce and sweetpeas. I have decided to try two varieties of leek this year, just really to compare as last years leeks never really bulked up, though they were tasty just the same. I'm growing Musselburgh, which is a well known variety, and Lyon-Prizetaker. The lettuce will be grown in containers in the garden rather than at the allotment to keep the slugs as bay. We don't tend to eat a lot of lettuce so I have chosen Salad Bowl which is a cut and come again lettuce, and Little Gem. The sweetpeas have been sown into toilet roll inners, those very same which my hubby lovingly prepared for me. I'm undecided whether these will be planted at the allotment or in the garden.

It's always so exciting to be starting the new growing season and I hope that the sunshine we've seen here in Leeds today continues so that I can start preparing the allotment for planting out.

Cold Snap

A couple of years ago, my hubby bought me a lovely watering can planter for Christmas. Each winter it has been moved into the greenhouse and has been perfectly fine, but not this year. I know that these type of planters aren't frost resistant but it's been covered with fleece and it's still cracked and broken. It just shows how cold it's been this year. I suppose I could always put another on my Christmas list for this year, but at the risk of sounding ungrateful, it wasn't a very practical design. The top had a band across it which made planting and watering difficult, the compost was always drying out. I do like to have quirky planters and ornaments around the garden though.

It's my weekend off this week, so I've decided that I shall start off my first batch of seeds. Some people can't resist the start of the new season and start their seeds off in January, but I've been trying to wait a bit so that the seedlings aren't hanging around on my windowsills for too long. This makes them go leggy due to the reduced light levels, and I find that later sowings usually catch up anyway. I have some shallots to plant and have heard of people starting them off in module trays before planting them out. I'm wondering if any of my readers have any experience of this and find it beneficial. Perhaps you could let me know.

There still hasn't been any work done on the allotment. It's still far too wet to get a spade in there, and at the moment it's snowing again. When will it ever end?

Heaving A Sigh Of Relief

They're here! My seed potatoes were delivered on Wednesday, and I received all my first choices. I placed my order this year with Thomson and Morgan, though I have heard of some people receiving substitutes from them in the past as they had run out of the ones on their order. I have set them out in egg boxes to chit and they have been placed in my conservatory which isn't heated, so they're in a light, cool place. This year I will be growing Sharpes Express for my first early, International Kidney for my second early, and Lady Balfour and Blue Danube for my maincrop.

My hubby is out shopping today looking for the drainage pipe which will be laid at the allotment to aid the drainage there. I didn't notice any drainage issues last year, but this is the first winter I have had the allotment and I can now see why it needs to be laid. It's a good job really that I wasn't growing crops there during the winter months otherwise I would have lost them all.

We had snow again on Wednesday evening but it had disappeared by Thursday evening. Thankfully there has been little rain so I'm hoping that the allotment will dry out so that we can get on with laying the pipe and some serious digging.

Under Starter's Orders

Look what my lovely hubby has been spending his evenings doing. There's over 100 toilet roll inners all ready to be planted up. When I first started recycling the inners I used to scrunch a bit of newspaper up to go in the bottom of the tube to stop the compost from falling out, but then I came across the idea of making a bottom from the tube itself. Four cuts are made in the bottom of the tube and these are folded and tucked into each other, like the bottom of a cardboard box. It stops the compost from falling out and the seedling can be planted out without removing it from the toilet roll inner, preventing any root disturbance. The toilet roll inner will just rot away once it is in the ground.

This week I have been given two awards, well actually it's one award but given to me by two people, Tanya from Allotments 4 You, and Kella at Kella's Musings on Growing Her Own, Wildlife and Her Brand of Parenting. Thank you both very much. It is the Happiness Award and has been given as my blog makes them happy.

There are some rules to the award. You must link to the blog who gives you the award, list 10 things which make you happy, and pass the award on to other blogs which make you happy.

So as this is a gardening blog I will list 10 things, in no particular order, about gardening which make me happy.

Being outside in the fresh air.

Seeing a weed free patch.

Having a hobby which the whole family can take part in.

Starting off the first seeds of the year.

Producing fresh food.

Growing things which I've never tried before.

Encouraging lots of wildlife (except slugs).

Sharing my harvest.

Having a colourful garden.

Seeing everything growing.

And now for the blogs which I would like to pass the award to.

Pam's English Cottage Garden

Greentapestry

Carrots and Kids

Green Patch

Allot of Veg

These are some of the blogs which make me smile.