I am growing both Sturon and Red Barron again this year as my main crop of onions, both from sets.

The first year I planted onion sets they did quite well. Last year I took to starting them off in a compost mix in cell trays with added organic onion fertiliser and fish, blood and bone feed. When I came to plant them out, they went out with really good root systems and I got some really good onions last year with this method. Carrying out the same this year, I hope for a good crop again in 2015.

Some of the sets I have bought are huge so I hope I will be able to get some big onions from them.

Picture of Arran Pilot potatoes chitting in an egg tray

This year I am going to plant three varieties that I have planted before. Arran Pilot which is a first early, very earthy taste and actually my favourite spud. Then Catriona, another favourite and finally as my main crop later in the year I will plant ‘Nadine’.

The Giant Shirley onions seemed to have stopped growing in their cell trays. I have kept them frost free under the cloch and under a fleece.

Time to move I thought so have potted them on in part fish, blood and bone mix with fresh compost and put them back in the closh in the greenhouse.

Although I have seen the odd bud here and there it is only now that I notice many plants buds starting to open into leaf.

Once again the gooseberry’s were first this year. Now the Raspberries and some of the honeysuckle plants are starting to leaf up. Also, the blackbird is back in its tree again this year its song getting louder and louder. Do blackbirds hibernate? I don’t think so but they are very quiet over the colder months, its great to see them back around and also to hear them again.

Had to make a replacement garden gate this year as the current one had simply rotted and fell off its hinges.

However, I was able to salvage part of the wood and made this herb planter which sits right outside our kitchen.

Plants are very small right now but they will soon fill up and the thyme’s will spill over the sides. I also planted up the large tea cup with thyme, mints and sages, all for the kitchen.

Varieties planted are Green Fennel, Archers Gold Thyme, Purple Sage, Variegated Lemon Balm, Common Thyme, Lime Mint, Black Peppermint, Common Rosemary.

Last year I moved the two rhubarb plants I had into the fruit section of the allotment into another really sunny position. They absolutely loved their new home. However, they outgrew their home to such an extent I have this year moved them back too their original position. It is still in lots of sunlight and they are responding well already.

Filled with lots of chicken manure and fish, blood and bone meal I hope to get an even better crop this year.

The very first signs of giant onions. These are the onions I sowed on 10th January when it was trying to snow.

Ive got these in a closh which is in the greenhouse and I have also protected the seedlings from frost by putting fleece over the closh as well.

I will have to be careful they don’t dry out or suffer wilt.

Slowly but surely I am tidying the allotment and have had numerous fires.

All the ash from these fires will get dug into all the fruit beds.

This is what’s left of a large hedge that ran down the side of the fruit section of my allotment.

Last year I thought that it would be a good idea to utilise the spaces around the raspberry canes and plant lots of strawberry plants. However, what happened was that the raspberries lost a lot of nutrition too the greedy strawberries and I did not get a good crop of rasps.

Now I have weeded and lifted all the strawberry plants as well as putting down a lot of chicken pellet manure, I hope this will aid this years raspberry crop.

I have read that tying or grouping the canes together helps protect the canes in high wind and I am pleased I have done so as we are suffering really high winds in the North East right now.

Last year I ordered Heritage onions quite late in the season but they still grew to huge proportions.

This year, I am going to experiment and try to grow the same variety but from seed.

Arriving in the post this week Shirley’s Giant. Bizarrely, I am sowing these while it is trying to snow and the wind is at near hurricane proprtions even here in the North East.

The beginning of the year, when the ground is not frozen is a great time to cut down raspberry canes. these are the Autumn late fruiting variety.

The early and main crop varieties are left as these canes will bear this years fruit.

I am also starting to creosote all the fences in the allotment again. I have pushed back soil so the boards can dry out a little before I apply a coating of creosote.

I had to purchase some logs at the wood store today in order to burn a great pile of refuse that was simply sodden. After getting the fire up to a hot temperature it will burn anything, and it did.