Beginning of my allotment year

Welcome to my allotment! It is long and narrow and on a north facing slope, shaded by neighbouring tall trees, but it is somewhere to attempt to grow some of our fruit and vegetables and I love it.

 

 

We must have had the allotment for about 8 years now and it was a neglected overgrown tip when we acquired it.
Over the years I have discovered that this shady bit of ground is good for beans and courgettes, but not so good for cabbages, onions and (the supposedly easy to grow) beetroot. Now I know what works well here, I can try different varieties that aren't so readily available in the shops. It's such a precious space to me as I love sowing seeds in the greenhouse and growing what I can to supplement our dinner table with some tasty organic produce. The boys love it too and have their own little patch.

This weekend it was good to start cutting back and clearing in preparation for the season to come. It felt good too to be outside for a few hours with sons #1 and #3 working alongside me... and with the birds singing. Spring doesn't seem too far away, especially seeing things beginning to grow.

 

The garlic I planted last October, is starting to show itself  ...thank goodness as I was beginning to worry that nothing was happening
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These early signs of growth are quite beautiful. 

Natalie