Diary - 2021

January 2021

Changed my mind regarding the greenhouse. Decided to dig that area and turn it over to herbs. Will grow rosemary, lavender, parsley, chives, coriander & mint.
Ordered more veg seeds: cucumber, spring onions, cabbages (Tundra), salad leaves, rocket and Cos lettuce.

February 2021

Started the potato chitting in garage (frost free).
Early February I sowed Pepper seeds, sprouts, geums and geraniums. Peppers, geraniums and sprouts all germinated within a week.
Erected plastic greenhouse in garden as overflow for the glass greenhouse.
On the allotment, I prepared the potato bed with chicken manure pellets and well rotted horse manure. Asparagus bed was fed with both horse manure and chicken pellets too.

Clingfilm on top of trays is industrial wrapping used in the Packaging Industry

March 2021

First week of March, I sowed all Tomato varieties (Alicante, Beef Steak and Cherry), Vanilla Marigolds, Parsley, Mint, Petunias, Busy Lizzie, Chilli Peppers, Salad Leaves, Sweet Peas and Dahlias.
Also, I potted on the sprouts and two new Dahlia Tubers Called Eveline (white in colour).
Geums just germinating after 3 weeks.
Prepared bed for first early potatoes mid March and planted them on 22nd March. Charlotte and Maris Peer.
March 24th - planted chives and buried a large plastic pot in the herb plot. The pot was for mint in order keep it constrained.

April 2021

Last two days of March we experienced a mini heatwave but by April the Arctic blast returned. The first image was taken 12th April 2021. We had widespread snow in the morning but it had all melted by midday.
I sowed Chives, Sweetcorn, Parsley, Basil and Leeks in the first week of April, all under glass
Second week of April, we sowed Pumpkin, Sunflowers, Beetroot (Boltardy) and Burgundy Sweet Peas. The pumpkins and Sunflowers all germinated within a few days. The seeds were either under glass or in the house.
I have prepared an area on the allotment for my second early potatoes (Maris Piper & King Edward) and some spring onions. These will be sowed in the third week of April. Spring onions will be under a cloche - second image.

May 2021

Sowed second batch of sweet corn 4th May (first batch had a low germination rate due to cold weather), runner beans and corn flowers
First early potatoes Maris Piper through soil on 5th May. Charlotte potatoes came through 11th May
Dug trench for sweet peas and runner beans, fertilised with well rotted horse manure and chicken pellets. Constructed bamboo cane wigwam for supports 5th May
Planted sweet peas, beetroot boltardy and 3 lavenders (in herb bed) 11th May
Sowed 12 Italian beans and Cabbage Tundra 12th May
Hardening off plants 13th May to 20th May
Transferred cauliflowers into planting area15th May
Sprouts and Carrots transferred to planting area19th May
Very strong winds (50mph) 21st May. Blown over a shed (not mine!) and knocked out panes of glass from greenhouses up on the allotments.
Planted out runner beans, courgettes and leeks 25th May.

June 2021

Planted Savoy cabbages, tomatoes, spinach perpetual, sweetcorn and cornflowers 2nd June
Trying some sweet peppers on allotment - planted 2nd June.
Planted dahlias and harvested broad beans on 6th June. Cooked beans in their pods and ate both pod and bean. If they are too mature, the pods become stringy so take beans out of pods.
Planted 10 Italian beans 9th June
Beans were big enough to eat out of pods from13th June. Attacked by black fly from mid June. Using soft soap to eradicate but having mixed results
Sowed more beetroot and spring onions 10th June germinated 20th June
Harvesting spinach perpetual 15th June
Heatwave from 1st June to 16th June. Weather broke 17th
Harvested first of the courgettes and spring onions 27th June
Began harvesting the Garlic. Somewhat disappointed as not all the bulbs have an outer skin surrounding them but the tops were beginning to die off so I decided to dig them up anyway. I'll try again next time but in a different place.

July 2021

August 2021

Finished harvesting first early potatoes12th August
Continuing the harvesting of runner beans - we have so many that we're freezing them
Continuing to harvest courgettes - freezing these too.
Harvested cauliflower and Savoy cabbage
Sweet corn has cobs but they aren't ready for picking just yet.
First flower on Dahlia Eveline -12th August.
Tomatoes on allotment all have blight and are so far gone that I have dug them up. Greenhouse Tomatoes started to suffer the same fate shortly after. I'm hoping that I can get some tomatoes to ripen but I think I'm fighting a losing battle. Everyone I talk to is having the same problem with their tomatoes. It's been a mixed year with certain crops doing very well but others failing badly.

September 2021

Started harvesting second early potatoes Maris Piper
All tomatoes suffered blight. Managed to rescue some from greenhouse.
Harvested first of the sweetcorn in late August/early September
Planted some new spinach and Swiss chard. The cooler weather stops it going to seed.
Sweet peas still being picked and sunflowers are growing multiple heads of flowers.
Garlic seeds arrived in post. Awaiting planting but will have to be after 9th September when I am out of isolation.

October 2021

Cleared Sweet Peas and Runner Beans beginning of the month
Planted Garlic seeds 6th October.
Dug up Dahlias 16th October and put in greenhouse.
Ordered Red Duke of York, Charlotte, Maris Piper, King Edward and Maris Bard seed potatoes from Marshallsgarden.com on 17th Oct.
Garlic sprouted 19th October
Sowed first batch of broad beans 26th October

November/December 2021

Tidied Tundra cabbages, weeded them and removed the netting to allow better air flow around them.
Dug out the old sunflowers.
First real frost of the winter on the night of 2nd November.
Dug up Begonia corms and over-wintering in the greenhouse.
First of the broad beans germinated 17th November.
Ordered 1 packet of red onions and 1 packet of shallots 7th December. Due for delivery in march 2022