This week, the perennials and occupied beds got a watering twice and I refilled the pond! It’s dry, we didn’t have as much rain as we usually do this winter and it’s been a while. There is light rain predicted for Thursday but I’m not sure that it’s going to be enough. So the flowers, perennials and potatoes are getting a soak once and week and the beds (onions, shallots, garlic, peas, broad beans, carrots, beetroot, newly sown salsify, parsnip and salad beds) will be watered at least twice and more if it gets any warmer. It’s earlier that I’d like for watering but it has to happen, my poor blueberry bushes are not looking well.

So this week there was epic watering, pond re-filling and filling up the bird feeders. I tidied up the back of the plot and got the water bins cleaned and filled. Ma lined some of the empty beds with cardboard which had the added bonus of clearing it out of the shed so that Ma could have a small tidy. There is a ‘take everything out of the shed, clean it and put it all back in a more orderly fashion’ session in my future, my partner in crime is going to insist on it.

We picked the first rhubarb of the year, which made me very happy

Every year, Ma and I try to grow something we’ve never grown before, last year it was sweet potatoes. This year Ma wanted to grow salsify and I agreed but only if I could try parsnips, sow we’ve got half a bed each and sowed them this weekend. We were going to sow celeriac but there was some debate about whether it was the right time to sow outside, so instead we sowed salad, spinach and radishes, we’ll see how they get on. We also sowed a second set of peas in the pea bed. I really would like to get around to trying fennel this year but I have until June to think about that!

The allotment tasks for next week are painting the shed and strimming the paths (me) and weeding (Ma). This week, I need to buy more wood and compost and get the summer and winter squash seeds sown. It’s going to be interesting as last year I was working in the kitchen and growing in the living room. This year the seedlings and I are going to be in the same room!

It’s fine, there is plenty of time and we will find a way to source all the compost we need.