Well, things are really starting to move now. I was away for a few days this week so didn’t get to visit the plot until the weekend and everything’s gone a bit crazy.

Something’s definitely had my parsnips, I’m sure, but the carrots, onions, leeks and potatoes are surviving, and some even thriving. The things I’ve inherited are doing really well too, so I’d better start finding resources to work out how I’m supposed to look after them!

My potatoes are doing best of all – they were the first to be planted, and I was assured that they’d do well. I always thought that I should be covering the growth with soil to maximise their yield, but unless I’m willing to cart more compost to the plot or dig a hole, that’s not happening this year. Let’s see what the weekend brings. I may shift some dirt from the plot 4 site, but I’m going to need quite a lot of it to make an impact.

The leeks, onions and carrots are all in the same plot together – I might have to pull some out as we progress to make space for the stronger growers, but that’s only a good thing I guess? There are a few weeds in the plot, but some of the carrots and leeks are so small that I don’t want to accidentally pull them out. I left them uncovered for a couple of nights this week to see how they’d fare and they seemed to enjoy it, so I’ll soon put the covers away altogether.

All in all, the plot’s doing surprisingly well considering my lack of experience, and the amount of time I’m able to dedicate to tending to it. It’s still a scruffy hole, but my neighbours are complementary as to the progress I’m making, so all’s good for now. I expect that the pressure to get down more frequently will increase as the weather gets warmer…watch this space!

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