Here is last week’s unposted (until now) post:

A new year and only slowly surfacing from flu, it’s time to think about the developing plot and its flowers as well as the other plots and places I grow in, with a hope that this year there will be an overall plan that works for all of them without one suffering complete neglect.

Last year it was the allotment which got thicker with weeds and worst still didn’t get planted up enough to be properly productive. This meant a colossal waste of time and energy – not only mine –  as we dug it over only for it to get tangled with weeds again, before going back to where we began and digging again. So it is time to make a plan for this growing season to make sure I don’t remember things just a little bit too late. So here is the plan for the week or so remaining in January

Indoors and in front of the fire:

1. Sort out my seeds and try hard to be ruthless about throwing away any that are out of date (that will be include the parsnip seeds I have bought fresh every year and not sown and the very old seeds of annual flowers still hoarded in the bottom of my seed tins year after year).
2. Order only the seeds that are genuinely going to be used – not a quirky experimental mix that won’t get planted, let alone picked. Antirrhinum, chillies are top of the list to buy.
3. Draw up a planting calendar to make sure seeds are planted at the best time.

Outdoors and in the greenhouse:

1. Plant up all the broad beans seeds left, to make a good long row at the allotment and to have leftovers to sell at the early spring stalls at the Farmers markets.
2. Use any sizeable pot to plant up the bag of daffodil bulbs I found hiding in the shed. They are surprisingly still stout and firm so should flower – if a bit later.
3. Plant more sweetpea seeds to ensure a longer season at the developing flower plot and make sure that I add some bolder colours to add some depth and richness to my bunches.
4. Sow antirrhinum seeds – Night and Day.

Visited the frozen plot this week which was glittering with frost and ice so impossible to do anything there yet. Warmer this week so hopefully a chance to mulch at least. If it stays dry. the roses might actually get planted as advised: close together to encourage good long stems for cutting.

And what has been done of all this planning as I read over this on first day of February? Not much! Though sweetpeas and bulbs are mostly planted – the latter to be dug up again and stolen by squirrels. When is it they hibernate exactly? So Feb will be for broad beans and the other jobs, while I take a rest from sweetpea planting until March for the final fling.