March 2021
Sowing & Planting
01 - 07 March
Saturday 06 March
Sowed our first seeds of the new season. Garlic cloves were planted in pots for later transplanting in the allotment. They have been left in the greenhouse to shoot.
A few batches of salad leaves and some early lettuce seeds were sown in seed trays and brought inside to germinated under the growlight.
Our young lupin plants have survived through winter in the greenhouse. The plants were given a bit of a tidy up and some water.
A batch of Suttons seeds arrived in the post but our basil and tomato seeds were missing. It’s possible they were dispatched separately.
The roses in our medlar bed were pruned and last year’s dead foliage cut back.
Sunday 07 March
We spent a cold afternoon at the allotment doing some tidying up. The vacant beds on plot 42 were raked over and are probably dry enough for planting up.
A couple of beds on plot 42 were raked over and were wetter than the ones on plot 41. The rhubarb crowns on plots 41 and 29 were given some fish blood and bone fertiliser.
Sue continued sorting out the raspberry and chive bed.
08 - 14 March
A cold wet and windy week meant no sowing or planting. We didn’t visit the allotment either.
15 - 21 March
Monday 15th March
Spent the afternoon in our home greenhouse making the first sowings of the year and doing a little bit of tidying up.
Outdoors our ferns were cut back.
Tuesday 16th March
This season’s sweet peas were sown. Fifteen seeds of each variety were sown in 1/4 seed trays and all the seed trays have been placed under our indoor growlight to germinate.
In the afternoon tidying up work continued at the allotment. After overnight rain conditions were very wet. I started to clear the old strawberry bed that was on plot 41 whilst Sue continued clearing the chive and raspberry bed on the same plot . There’s more work to be done on both beds.
Thursday 18th March
Our early brassica collection arrived from DT Brown’s. Rather unexpectedly we had 2 different varieties of cabbages Regency and Mozart. The plants were of decent quality and they have all been potted into small pots forming 18 pot modules. One module has both cabbage varieties and the other module has Aquiles and Seoul.
Saturday 20th March
Sue started sorting out our perennial bed ready for some plants. We might have extra plants when we sort out the border next to the garage at home and these will help to fill out the perennial bed at the allotment.
I managed to finish digging over the old strawberry bed on plot 41. The soil is very wet and compacted. I’ll have to attempt to break it down with the big cultivator before it dries out completely.
I removed the weed control fabric from a couple of beds to allow them to dry out a little bit before digging them over.
The weed control fabric was also moved from last year’s overflow bed of runner beans.
There are now 3 large beds on plot 30 that are ready to be rotavated.
22 - 31 March
Sunday 21st March
Our plan today was to try and sort out the border at home alongside the garage. New fencing had been erected a few weeks ago. The plan was to remove all the plants, dig over the bed before splitting and returning the plants. Any remaining plants would be moved to the perennial bed at the allotment.
All the plants were removed and left on the lawn until the bed was dug over 
Most of the plants were split and smaller pieces of roots replanted. The border looked much better once it was finished.
We have plenty of material left over to to take to the allotment and help fill up our perennial bed.
Another job was to plant our apricot and peach trees that had been taken out of the greenhouse greenhouse last summer.
Monday 22nd March
Sue planted up the leftover plants from home into the perennial bed at the allotment. The black elder bushes were cut back to reduce the amount of shade on beds bordering the perennial bed.
The last of the parsnips were dug up and the weed control fabric removed from the bed. It will be reused for this year’s parsnips.
The remaining 3 buddleia bushes on plots 28 and 29 were pruned back.
The rose that climbs along the side of the compost heaps on plot 30 was cut back hard.
Hopefully, we’ll find some time to try to remove the grass growing at the base of the plant.
Tuesday 23rd March
We spent another afternoon at the allotment getting more tidying up done. The big cultivator was used to dig over the small bed on plot 29 ready to plant this year’s onions. Three long beds on plot 30 were cultivated. We’ve still to decide what will be sown In these beds this year.
The recently cleared old strawberry bed was cultivated and surprisingly should be okay for planting up this season.
Sue did some more tidying up of our main strawberry bed and the chive and raspberry bed on plot 28/29.
Monday 29th March
Monday was a lovely day and I got some jobs done in the greenhouse. Our sweet peas that had been germinated under our grow light were pricked out.
Our broad beans De Monica have germinated pretty well.
On the other hand, our carrot germination is very poor. I think mice might have got to the seeds. I’ll re-sow once I have some more seeds.
Lettuce Marvel of Seasons was pricked out into modules. I’m growing on just six plants for some early lettuce.
Garlic that had germinated in the greenhouse was moved into the cold frame.
Tuesday 30th March
This Tuesday turned out to be the warmest March day I’ve recorded in the last 12 years.
Two small beds on plot 29 had the weed control fabric removed. I think these beds were dug over last autumn and should be okay for planting up.
The beds were hoed through and seemed in good condition.
Wednesday 31st March
Our home compost bin was emptied for the first time and it provided a good quantity of well rotted material. This was added to our medlar bed as a mulch.
The grass was mowed for the first time this year.
