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-blasted, rain-lashed hill, albeit without any Heathcliff. I’m desperate to keep toasty but I can’t dig anything as the soil is too wet.I’m very lucky – my plot has a lovely, rich soil, well dug and manured by many a plot holder before me. But, like much

At this time of year, gardeners and plot holders take advantage of any dry, sunny weather to improve the soil and get their beds ready for planting. My neighbours on the allotment have been doing just that - everywhere I look there are freshly

view to nesting sometime soon. It would be great to have a little family to keep an eye on while I'm weeding.Although the soil is warming up nicely I'm determined not to sow seeds too early. It's easy to get lulled into a false sense of security

.So this week I'm improving my soil with home-made compost. This seems a good use of my time as I can stop instantly and pack up as soon as a passing shower turns into steady rain (I'm not a wuss really - I get wet enough at work but I get paid for those

for my maincrop spuds.My only complaint is that the potatoes have scab. I've never had a problem with potato scab before, but this year it's affected my precious Charlottes, particularly at one end of the bed. Potatoes thrive in acid soil, and potato scab

According to the papers it's been the coldest start to December for 30 years - an average of only 1.7° C.The cold weather has hopefully killed a lot of pests, but I've not been able to get on with many of my jobs on the plot. I've not been able

It's this time of year when the allotments become a frenzy of activity. Everyone is digging, composting and manuring like mad. My neighbours Mr and Mrs Ron wait until Easter, then till and plant their three plots within a week. The rest of us just

a few baby vegetables. Baby beets and parsnips are just lovely. Besides, now the soil has warmed up and the evenings have got a bit lighter, my crops could well catch up with those on neighbouring plots.After all the weeding I've been doing recently

the garden centre, ready to plant.Plant them 10cm apart (15cm if you want bigger onions) and keep them well watered in dry weather. Onions don't like growing in recently manured ground, but they do like fairly rich soil, so if you have any home-made compost

in Scotland, which gives you some idea of the conditions they thrive in, which include a slightly acidic soil.When I cut down the canes, I also clear away any leaves that may be left on the ground, in case they're carrying any disease. Now is also a good time