Today I didn't go down to the Allotment due to the weather. I also didn't have time to go down to the Greenhouse today due to lake of time. I do however hope to be able to go down to the Allotment tomorrow as it is expected to be a sunny day. The weather last night was mostly cloudy so this helped to keep the temperatures up. Throughout today there has been a lot of rain however the winds are quite light. The temperatures have been around average for the time of year. No frost is expected overnight tonight.

Brought Spear & Jackson Secateurs

Today I brought the following from Screwfix:

Spear & jackson Sacateurs - £14.99
£10 Voucher used - -£10.00
Total - £4.99

Dug rest of Allotment 1 and continued to dig round Raspberries and Loganberries

Today I went down the Allotment for about 4 hours and I dug over the rest of Allotment 1 where all the autumn brassicas were. While doing this I took up the net and blue pipes that covered this part of the Allotment and have placed these into the Polytunnel for now. I have also continued to dig over where the Raspberries and Loganberries are removing lots of couch grass roots as well as bindweed roots. While doing this I dug up and a few of these but I have temporarily put them back into the ground and will replant them when I have fully dug over the area. I will continue doing this the next time I am down the Allotment as well as dig throughout the fruit cage. In the foreseeable future I will also mulch around all of the fruit bushes with manure once I have removed and dug around them. The weather for the day was mostly sunny and feeling really warm but getting chillier as the evening started to draw in. A frost is expected overnight however rain is expected to move in from the west and bring some rain first thing before clearing east during the day.

Plan for today on the Allotment

We had a hard frost last night with temperatures dipping below freezing however it is starting to warm up now and is very sunny and is expected to be like this for the remainder of the day. The plan that I have for today is the following:

Go down the allotment and do the following:

- Dig over the remainder of Allotment 1 where the Brassicas were planted last Autumn but are no longer there.

- Dig over more of where the Raspberries and Loganberries are on Allotment 1 to tidy up the area

- Continue digging on Allotment 2

No Progress on Allotment or in the Greenhouse today

Due to me doing revision for an exam next Tuesday I didn't get time to go into the Greenhouse today. Also the weather was quite bad this afternoon with heavy rain starting in the late morning and continuing into the afternoon. It is expected to dry out this evening and a frost is expected overnight tonight before a really sunny day tomorrow and temperatures slightly above average.

Brought Garden Sieve

Today I brought the following from Aldi, East Grinstead:

- Garden Sieve - £4.99

Nothing done on Allotment today but done some sowing in the Greenhouse

Today I didn't go down the Allotment as I have work later on this evening. I did however go down to the Greenhouse and sow some vegetable seeds. The weather overnight was some heavy rain however throughout the day it turned sunny and was a mostly sunny afternoon but with some cloud. Feeling very mild with temperatures beginning to get into double figures. More rain is expected tomorrow some heavy in places and it remaining quite mild.

Brought Westland Multi Purpose with John Innes Compost

Today I brought the following from Squires Garden Centre:

- Westland Multi Purpose with John Innes Compost (50 Litres) - £2.99

Brought Gloves, Twine and Wellies

Today I brought the following from Wilko:

- Jersey Gloves (3 Pack) - £2.50
- Wellies Size 11 - £2.25
- Garden Twine - £1.00

Went down the Allotment and dug more of Allotment 2 and had a tidy up

Today I went down the Allotments and continued to dig over Allotment 2. I finished off about 2 rows that I started a while back as well as digging across the plot which I have been doing recently. I also relaid the Groundsheet, have put the nettings into the Polytunnel as well as put some of the bags full of couch grass and weeds all into one place. The weather last night was heavy rain once again. The weather for the morning was cloudy however it then turned more sunny and this helped to make it feel quite warm. However in the afternoon it started to cloud over once again with a few spots of rain. Overnight more rain is expected and further rain is expected tomorrow.

Sowed Cabbage 'Mozart F1', Brussels Sprout 'Evesham Special', Brussels Sprout 'Napoleon F1', Broccoli 'Stromboli F1', Sweet Pepper 'Gypsy F1', Golden Berry 'Pineapple', Cape Gooseberry 'Goldie' and Asparagus 'F1 Araine' Seeds

Today I went down the Greenhouse and sowed the following:

- Cabbage 'Mozart F1' into a 7cm square pot in a heated propagator (Seeds left)
- Brussels Sprout 'Evesham Special' into a 7cm square pot in a heated propagator (Seeds left)
- Brussels Sprout 'Napoleon F1' into a 7cm square pot in a heated propagator (Seeds left)
- Broccoli 'Stromboli F1' into a 7cm square pot in a heated propagator (Seeds left)
- Sweet Pepper 'Gypsy F1' into a 7cm square pot in a heated propagator (Seeds left)
- Golden Berry 'Pineapple' into a 7cm square pot in a heated propagator (Seeds left)
- Cape Gooseberry 'Goldie' into a 7cm square pot in a heated propagator (Seeds left)
- Asparagus 'F1 Ariane' into a half tray in a heated propagator (Empty Packet)

All these were sown into Westland Jack's Magic Multi-Purpose Compost mixed with vermiculite.

I also noticed that my the Melon 'Sweetheart F1', Melon 'Charentais' and Watermelon 'Sugar Baby' seeds that I sowed on 9th February have started to germinate. I have also noticed that the Sweet Pepper 'Colour Spectrum', Strawberry 'Sarian F1 Hybrid', Alpine Strawberry 'Regina' and Celery 'Marine' seeds that were sown on 24th January have also started to germinate. The Strawberry 'Florian' seeds that were sown on 31st January have also started to germinate' I have taken out the pot of which I sowed Lettuce 'Vaila - Winter Gem' seeds into in the heated propagator because these have failed to show any sign of germination. I took out the Pineberry runners that I planted into pots on 3rd February out of the heated propagator as these appear to have grown really well. I will move these down to my Nan and Grandad's greenhouse when time allows. I also noticed that some of my Onion ' ' seedlings appear to have died and these are currently in an unheated propagator. I will keep a close eye on these and try to keep the rest of the seedlings alive if possible. On the other hand the Onion 'Ailsa Craig' seedlings appear to be filling up there cells quickly and may need potting on at some point soon. The Cabbage 'Derby Day' seedlings that were sown are currently in the unheated greenhouse will need to be moved down to my Nan and Grandad's greenhouse potted up into a 6 cell tray when I have time to do this.

I also popped down to my Nan and Grandad's Greenhouse and have noticed that the Strawberry 'Cambridge Favourite' runners that I planted into pots on 3rd February and placed into a heated propagator have grown really well. When I get time I will take these out of here and put them into the unheated greenhouse as these no longer require the heat. 2 of the Strawberry 'Elsanta' runners that I planted into pots on ....... and placed into a heated propagator appear to have possibly rotted off however the one remaining appears to still be alive. I will take this out the heated propagator when I can and see if I am able to save this one. The Cauliflower 'All the Year Round', Cauliflower 'Mayflower', Cabbage 'Greyhound', Calabrese 'Marathon F1' and Broccoli (Sprouting) 'Summer Purple' seedlings that I sowed on 10th January will all need pricking out into 6 cell trays at some point. I will leave the Celery 'Giant Red' seedlings to grow for a bit longer as these still appear to be very small, and the Leek 'Musselburgh' seedlings appear to be looking very healthy however do not appear to be growing too much. The Pea 'Meteor' seeds that were sown on 31st January have now started to germinate.

Went down the Allotment and continued digging

Last night there was further rain so no frost and this morning it started off cloudy however throughout the day it turned brighter before turning very sunny into the Afternoon. It remained relatively cold throughout the day with a slightly strong north westerly wind. I went down the allotment this morning for about 1 1/2 hours and started to dig more of Allotment 2. Some parts were still quite soggy from the rain of yesterday however it wasn't to bad to dig. The places where I have already dug looked to be very wet though so hopefully these will drain. The weather overnight is expected to be showers moving in from the west bring more cloud which will help to keep the temperatures up. Tomorrow is expected to be a dry and sunny day so I will hopefully be going down onto the Allotment and doing further digging. It is also expected to be slightly milder than today, however by mid week further rain is expected however getting even more mild.

Weather for today and popped down to look in the Greenhouse

After being away for a few days today I am still recovering, as well as having work later today so I didn't get time to go to the allotment. I popped down to the Greenhouse to see on progress and have noticed my Watermelon's beginning to germinate aswell as my celery 'Marine' seeds that I sowed. The weather overnight was a hard frost, however it has warmed up ever so slightly throughout today. It has been a cloudy day and into this evening there is expected to be rain coming in from the west which will help to lift temperatures before a sunny day with showers tomorrow.

Brought Capillary Matting

Today I brought the following from Crawley Horticultural Society:

- 2 Metres of Capillary Matting - £2.30 per metre - £4.60

An update on planning and weather for Saturday 21st February

I am back again today from being away for a few days up north. On the way back I visited the plant centre at RHS Wisley but due to having work later this afternoon I will be unable to do anything for the rest of the day. Over the next few days I will be doing some sowing in the Greenhouse as well as when the weather allows going down to the Allotment. I also have an exam that I need to revise for at the start of March so this will also take up some of my time. The weather for today was mostly cloudy with temperatures a little below average for the time of year. Also there was a warning of some wintry showers however these failed to materialise.

Brought Cauliflower 'Igloo' Seeds

Today I brought the following from RHS Wisley Plant Centre:

- Kings Cauliflower 'Igloo' (70 Seeds) - £1.50

Weather for Friday 20th February

Today it was a mostly cloudy day however there were some wintry showers around. Temperatures a little under average for the time of year.

Weather for Thursday 19th February

Today it was a cloudy day with rain in the afternoon and temperatures are now slightly below average for the time of year.

Weather for Wednesday 18th February

Today was another sunny day with temperatures around average for the time of year once again. The wind is very light from the south west and high pressure is in charge down south.

Weather for Tuesday 17th February

Today was a very sunny and settled day with the temperatures around average for the time of year.

Going away up north for a few days and Weather

No Progress on Allotment or in the Greenhouse due to going away for a few days up north. Today the weather was mostly cloudy with some slightly heavy rain this afternoon but it was feeling quite warm.

Brought 17 x 5 1/2 inch round pots and Plant Rings

Today I brought the following from Crawley Horticultural Society:

- 17 x 5 1/2 inch round pots - 5p each - £0.85
- Plant Rings (50) - £0.90

DT Brown Order Arrived

The following arrived from DTBrown today:

- Potato 'Epicure' (1.5kg) - 22 Tubers

I have put these to chit on the windowsill.

No Progress on Allotment due to weather

Today I didn't go down to the Allotment due to there being some heavy rain. The temperatures have once again bounced back after yesterday's cooler temperatures.

Brassica Plan and weather for today

This evening I have started to construct a rough plan of what my brassica patch will contain however this is likely to change. I have decided to have the brassica patch on Allotment 1 this year and I have also decided to move some of the potatoes from Allotment 2 to Allotment 1 in order to allow more space. The weather today was cloudy once again but feeling much cooler than of recent days and temperatures slightly below average. No frost last night once again.

Went down Allotments and planted Raspberries

Today I went down to the Allotments and went onto Allotment 1. I was going to take up the Blueberries as well as some of the fruit trees as it was a cool day and the weather of late has been quite dry. I ran out of time though so did not get round to doing these. Instead I put in my raspberry canes (4 x Autumn Bliss and 3 x Fall Gold') and have started to weed around the Loganberries and Raspberries. This lead to me pulling out lots of bindweed roots as well as couch grass and this was very time consuming. I will continue doing this at some point in the future and in amongst the digging of Allotment 2. I will also take up the fruit trees and blueberry bushes when I have the time.