Panzies putting on a show

AT the end of the autumn, there were little panzy plants for sale at the local supermarket.  I bought a few to make the allotment look a bit more cheery as winter drew in.  We had a really mild December, and I was rewarded with panzies right through to new year.  Then came three weeks of permafrost with temperatures down to -19C and the panzies duly withered away.  Fair enough.

Panzies back from the dead

But here's the thing ... either someone has sneaked in and replaced the dead panzies with new ones or they have all magically come back to life, and burst into full flower.  I'll go with the coming back to life version; it fits somehow with the time of year.

I have decided to add panzies to dahlias in the list of acceptable flowers to be grown at the allotment.

Over in the raised bed (home to the currant bushes and last year's beetroot) there are also signs of life.  The final poppy plant waiting for transplantation to a tub at home is looking very well, and the first of the currant bushes is full of fresh new leaves.  The other two bushes (different cultivars) are a bit further behind.

Currant bush and poppy in raised bed

With the eye of faith, it is even possible to make out a self-sewn leek plant in the centre of the bed.  I think it's Blauer Wunder or something like that.

The beech hedges are also setting leaf and look full of life (apart from the dead bits, that is).

Beech hedge

I just couldn't hold off any longer

Really it's still too early to be planting most things.  At night the temperature is down close to freezing and the mornings are still fresh until after the second cop of coffee.

But it's the SUN.  Everything was swimming in vanilla light begging to be set free.  I couldn't hold back any more.  Although I had firmly decided not to bother with any potatoes this year after last years rubbish results, they're one of the only things I dare to put in the ground.  So I grabbed a pound of floury Oldenwald sourced (local) seed potatoes and popped in a row.  And also a row of garlic.  And twenty or so decaying gladiola bulbs I found in the back of the shed.  I don't suppose much will come of the glads, but the sunshine at the allotment was worth it.

Note to EHS competition people:  you are all going to lose.  My "red devil" chilis have germinated and are about 1 cm high already.  That trophy will be mine!

Cold frame in action and log tagging at plot

The sun came out on Saturday and at last I could get going with out side stuff.

Up at the allotment, I went over most of the beds with a (dutch) hoe to slow down the weeds a bit.  Then I planted the coriander seeds directly out in a seed bed (next to the compost bins).  I also planted the celeriac seeds, squash seeds, pumpkin seeds and a few runner bean seeds in modules, and put them in the newly completed cold frame.

View from inside the cold frame

The window on the top needs a bit of refinement but it works pretty well.

Down at the plot, the neighbour has been dumping plenty of soil.

Mole hills ... not really

 If he manages to dump enough soil on his plot, he should be able to bring the level up to ours.  That will make things much easier when we come to plant the hedge later on.

I also took the chance to mark the fire wood.

Chopped wood duly tagged

I got special spray paint for timber marking, so it should be okay.  The plan is that any wood thieves will find the marking and be scared off.  Hmm.

First kebab of the year - elinize sağlık

During a stolen hour up at the allotment today, I was lucky enough to get my first hard-core kebab of the year.  I was trimming the goji bushes (I wonder if you're actually meant to do that), when the neighbours on the Turkish/Kurdish side were kind enough to interrupt their cooking and family party to bring me freshly made kebab.  They had even made the bread there and then freshly at the allotment over an open fire.  Yum.  I win. Afiyet olsun.

Spring is sprung

Whilst in Exeter last week, I saw primroses growing in the church wall on the way down to the station.

Primroses in Exeter

Suitably inspired, I took the first chance when I got home to finally finish off the cold frame.  I started it last year when my allotment neighbours gave me a double glazed window from an old villa in Turkey (I think).

Cold frame

I put in some concrete foundations and laid a few courses of bricks sized for the window.  Inside, after removing the perennial weeds, I made the floor flat, covered it with weed proof matting and then filled the bottom with about 3 cm of black gravel chippings.  The next job will be to block out the sides with some insulating foam, but basically its ready to go.

I have also finished reworking last year's beds used by the children.  They had strawberries, chillis and dahlias.  Now the whole thing has been weeded, leveled and sown with grass seed.

New bit of lawn

Once the grass gets going, the upkeep should be much reduced - just push the mower over with the rest of the grassy bit.

I also pruned the currant bushes.  I gave them a good chop ( 2/3 off and back to an open bowl shape).  I don't expect any currants this year, but next year should be back to full production.