February frustration

February can be a frustrating month for the allotment gardener. We’ve decided what we want to grow, ordered our seeds, planned where we intend to grow everything and now we’re waiting. Yes, there are a few vegetables to sow in February if we have a heated propagator, a warm sunny window sill and a co-operative partner but there’s so much more that we would like to do but can’t get cracking on yet.

This year seems even more frustrating than usual for me, I think it might be something to do with writing this blog. Earlier today I was finishing off my Allotment in March page on the web site and sowing beetroot, carrots and turnips and planting out onion sets in the warm spring sunshine were on my mind, then I looked out of the window to see some quite hefty snow flakes floating down and the garden gradually turning white. No doubt it’s a beautiful site but it’s not very good for your onions! It was quite a jolt for the brain too, one moment I felt I was in spring, the next I’d gone back to Christmas.

Earlier today we nipped up to the allotment to drop some vegetable scraps in the compost bins, measure up a space for a poly tunnel that we may or may not buy and have a general nose around. As you might imagine it was pretty cold but it was so wet and muddy too. It will obviously be a good while before we’re able to put anything in the ground at the allotment in February, but there are few things we can do indoors.

Now, where did I put those chilli seeds?