A couple of beautiful, sunshiney days have put me in a mood to get started again. I popped down to the allotment to bring home some seed starting mix and generally have a poke around. The new raspberries I planted (Joan J) are starting to show signs of life.
The rhubarb is coming up (even though it has an obnoxious bramble growing in the middle…). Rhubarb is just astoundingly gorgeous when it sprouts. One of the nice things about this whole blogging/instagram malarkey is that you take time to notice how lovely things are. The newly divided rhubarb is actually looking really good–possibly ready for a bit of harvest this year? But I should be good and just leave it ’til next.
The sorrel from last year has put on some new leaves. I should really have planted more of it–the broadleaf is lovely to eat and easier to deal with than what I have in the garden at home. It looks like some of the yellow chard from last year is ready to go again this year. I have a bunch more in the greenhouse, so my fantasy of living on chard may be about to come true.
I finally started planting seeds, too! Two flats of Zebrune Shallots (from Real Seeds), seven plugs each of Jen’s Tangerine, Orange Banana and Fiaschetto tomatoes. I also sowed some perennials for the back garden.
And, as luck would have it, a local community group was selling hellebores at the Jesmond Food Market for £2.50 this morning. I snapped up three gorgeous specimans. I had been thinking for a while that I could use some hellebores under the cherry tree in back, so I’m super-excited to get these.
Seeds planted so far:
12 February:
- Artichoke Tabor
- Delphinium Belladonna mix
18 February:
- tomatoes (Jen’s Tangerine, Orange Banana, Fiaschetto)
- nasturtiums (Tall Climbing mix)
- bronze fennel
- malva zebrina
- shallots Zebrune
- acanthus
- Beetroot Jannis
Allotment Adventures in Newcastle 