It’s officially spring. There’s more light, for longer, which always makes me feel generally happier and energised. The urge to get outside and garden is stronger than ever… spring fever has truly set in!
As a new allotmenteer, spring fever is a powerful thing. It turbo charges my motivation – supplying me with the enthusiasm for digging, weeding and planting. Spring time on the allotment is most definitely work time! Time to get the seeds sown, plants planted, beds weeded and pack the greenhouse full of ‘goodies’. I’m learning not put off until tomorrow and I grab the golden days of opportunity – carpe diem (seize the day) as the saying goes.
This Bank Holiday I thought I would be waving goodbye to winter, dumping the woollies and enjoying some quality planting in the sunshine. Instead I’m dodging raindrops wearing a bobble hat, thermal socks and a baggy woolly jumper! Arrrrrrrrghhh…..it’s still blinkin’ cold! Far too cold for most of my tender plants…
I admit, I’ve been tempted in the hustle and bustle and excitement of planting season to start filling up Plot 5A with all my beautiful seedlings but I’m trying not to get carried away. The nights are still very nippy and I’m waiting for the ground to warm up but it’s tough, really tough – I want to plant but I don’t want Spring fever to leave me with a pile of ‘chilled’ sick plants! Come on sunshine, it’s time to shine…
beentheredugthat 
It is cold isn’t it. Not had a frost all month but it’s been close in Birmingham!
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We’ve had a few frosts here which has caught a few allotmenteers out 😦 Glad to hear it’s held off with you 🙂
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Love your rainbow planter – I want one! Tomatoes and beans won’t be happy with cold wind, but lettuce etc are OK. If you are worried, throw a bit of fleece over them.
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Thank you…It’s fab isn’t?! I bought it in the hope of growing a few carrots. My ground is still a little ‘lumpy’ despite my hard work – plot 5A was neglected for so long before I ‘adopted’ it! Yes thanks I think I’m going to have to start ‘lagging’ the plants if we don’t get some warmth 😀 Hope your planting season is going well 🙂
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Don’t be in too much of a hurry to get your seedlings out. They may look healthy and as if they are taking over every available bit of space but there is nothing worse than watching previously healthy plants whither away after a late, hard frost.
Lost most of my newly planted seedlings back in about 2010 or 2011, when a very hard frost hit mid-May (12th/13thish) and I have to sit on my hands(figuratively speaking), around this time of the year, the urge to plant out is so strong. Mind you this year is making it much easier to keep things confined to the greenhouses – if it’s too cold for me then it’s too cold for most of my seedlings, is my thinking 🙂
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Thank you for the good advice. I’m hanging on but it’s sooooo difficult to resist that ‘to hell with it’ urge….I will hold on….I will hold on… 😉
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Yep. Know the feeling. My beans and French marigolds are still braving it out after having been planted out way too early. I’ve been fortunate there, though they could do with some warmth to really get going. It will be great when the warmer weather finally comes! I have window sills full of stuff waiting to go out…
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I genuinely thought I would be planting out this bank holiday but I’m having to ‘pot on’ quite a few of my seedlings because they’ve grown to big for their peat pots! Fingers crossed for some warmth soon… 😀
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I feel exactly the same, and my first earlies -which I was too keen with – were exposed to a bit of frost last week. They look fine but I’ve heard that it’s really not good news 😦
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Oh no! I was one of the last to put the potatoes in but we’ve had a frost too 😠 Look fine as you say but…ah well guess it’s fingers crossed time!!
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