Full Metal Wheelbarrow

Somebody has done something very odd with the weather, but I'm not complaining - this afternoon it was bright and sunny and warm and I was able to toddle down to the allotment and Do Stuff. And there were ladybirds and a bumble bee!

And later, when I'd fetched Rob back from work we had our first outdoor cup of the year. Weird for February, but jolly nice all the same.

Here are some teeny irises that live in the new raised bed.
( Flahs! )

More pictures of springtime, just because :-)

( Pictures of spring! :-) )

Spent a couple of hours this morning rotovating a patch on the allotment for my potatoes, which I need to plant soon, before they grab the spade off me and go and plant themselves.

Actually, I spent nearly as much time clearing the grass strands and earth from the times as I did actually rotovating - very carefully, because I don't want any sharp metal bits sticking in me, thank you. On the plus side, I was quite prepared to have to buy a new supply of petrol, as I did last year (it tends to "go off" in storage with the lighter parts of it evaporating) but the Mantis was quite happy to run on what I had.

Not sure if I've tilled enough space for all the potatoes, but I should be able to get a fair few in there. This year I'm planting Pink Fir Apples, which are the best boiling potato ever, IMO and Desiree, which are better for roasting and baking if I can get the things to grow big enough.  As well as these, we had some blue-skinned potatoes in the veg box, some of which had started to chit when I came to use them, so I'm going to plant those too. i know you're not supposed to do that, but I suspect it won't do any harm really.

The broad beans are growing nicely in the root trainers in the greenhouse and I seem to have one solitary tomato seedling. Tomorrow I need to fetch the new bag of potting compost down to the plot and get some more seeds planted.

It was lovely and warm on the plot today - I was glad of the bottle of squash I took with me.

The Comfrey Squad (collectively known as Humphrey) are sending up new leaves, as are some of the artichoke plants, albeit slowly. Things are waking up...