It’s lovely, isn’t it? I never realised how tender it is
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Very true. And I was under strict rules for the first 4-5 weeks after the operation: no work, no bending, no lifting, no cleaning, no gardening, no exercising. (So not all bad.) And then for 2-3 months any long time spent in bright sunshine and my eye really ached. So the veg plot was left to fend for itself.
Still, got a few good beetroots and (amazingly after being stripped by huge hailstone storm in May) I still got enough tomatoes to make 10-12 kg of passata. And half a kilo of ketchup.
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Well I finally got some seeds planted this afternoon.
I have set some cherry tomato “Sonata”, some tomato “Ailsa Craig”, some sweet peppers, and some spring cabbage on the utility room windowsill where it is warm. I have also started some broad beans which I would normally plant straight out into the raised bed, but with that continual threat of another really cold spell to come I have started them in pots on the garage bench, and if they survive I will set another row alongside them when they get planted out towards the end of March.
Hey, I’d always thought that broad beans were pretty frost hardy. And the earlier you get them in the ground the more that they are resilient to black fly. But I’m in the SW of France so probably a month ahead of the UK in planting terms. Good to know the thoughts of others.
I’m no expert on broad beans, although I’m not an expert on anything come to think of it, but we’ve had some hard frosts and didn’t want to risk it damaging new seedlings and that’s why I’ve left it until now. However, I do think most things catch up and I often start too early anyway and have to replant later, so I’ll take my chances and see how we go… 
The raised beds look immaculate Barry : 
I have just bought some manure to mulch my autumn raspberries which I am allowing to take over one raised bed apart from garlic at the front. Last year growing later things in the same bed disturbed the roots of the raspberries so I won’t do it again.
Last year wasn’t great for growing, my beans runner and french were a disaster and swamped with blackfly. I will plant runner beans and salad this year and not much more. Health issues make gardening difficult these days and Pippin takes up a lot of time and energy.
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Hi @Meg , I know what you mean about blackfly the’re an absolute pest, and the drier the year the worse they seem to be. I’ve started to spray with dilute detergent as soon as I spot a few, but the speed at which they breed is astonishing! Last year was also a nightmare for whitefly on my brassicas which decimated the cabbages and brussels but hey, you win some you lose some I guess… 
Sorry to hear that your health is letting you down now in the garden, but hopefully Pippin is giving you some joy to raise your spirits in other ways… 
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A great session over the allotment today. Gardener arrived with his rotavator and he had a petrol strimmer as well, which made short work of the grassy lumps and areas. We marked out the paths to be made, he then got to it, rotavating. I raked up some grass, put into a raised bed. Then my delivery of more pallet collars arrived. Pleased with the timing.
I walked round to our cafe to get my man a coffee and biscuits, then left him (after paying about half his fee) so I could shower and do the dog before going off for the carvery with sis.
I will walk over there tomorrow, see how it all looks and wait for him to tell me the balance owing.
Next step. Getting the greenhouse put up, and assembling my potting bench.
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Exciting times @Jazzi , and what great timing for the coming season. Here’s wishing you a good first year’s growing on your new allotment.
Thanks Barry, if he has completed the work over there, then there’s no stopping me!
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Spring Cabbage well done, @Barry have you got a greenhouse?
@Jazzi Did the rest of your site get rotovated?
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Yes Kazz, where I directed him. I had already got part of the plot done myself, by laying down weed control fabric, and then using a fork. I had already laid out pallet collars. He went over one tiny section there for me. I will take photos next time I am over. I just popped round on Friday with the dog to see how it was looking.
Yes @Kazz I do have a greenhouse but I germinate the seeds inside the house on a window cill and then move them to the greenhouse after a few days where they live until it’s fit to plant them out.
Yes @Jazzi ,I’d be interested to see your allotment plot photos…
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@Jazzi Yes pictures will be good. A nice project you have going there you and the dog will adore it in the summer
Looks like my tomato seeds have germinated OK, with several seedlings showing themselves overnight last night. I will keep them inside for the time being where it’s warmer, until the weather improves before then transferring them to the greenhouse staging to grow on.
This afternoon I will have a go at pruning my blueberry and gooseberry bushes while they are still dormant.
Here are my tomato seedlings (2 varieties) and sweet peppers which I will keep in the house for the time being until the greenhouse is warm enough for them. The other seeds just poking through are broad beans which I brought inside to germinate but will now put them in the garage by the window until the ground warms up a bit when I will plant them out.
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Seeds looking good Barry 
I managed to get out and put a layer om farmhouse manure from a sack on the raspberries.
I know lot of people who are having problems growing things with some of the new none peat based composts. I have looked on 'Which; for the best ones and need to make a trip to Homebase in Ledbury to buy some when I feel ok.
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It’s a fact Meg that seed compost isn’t as good now, but to me that seems to be a minor inconvenience when compared to the alternative, which is losing all of the remaining peat bogs and the benefits they bring.
Good idea to use farmyard muck on the raspberries, I like to replant the roots every couple of years in garden compost which seems to give them a boost…
Good luck with the trip to Ledbury, quite an interesting town…
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