Thursday 3rd April 2008 - Weather: gorgeous, warm and sunny with a light breeze.

At last, normal play is resumed and I got to the allotment for more than a 10 minute visit. Today was only for a couple of hours, but in that time I managed to get nearly all of my spuds planted. I got in, Epicure, International Kidney, Kestrel, Romano, Picasso and Red Duke of York. I still have Ratte, Pink Fur Apple and 2 others whose name escapes me, but they are destined for plot number 2. I also moved 3 asparagus crowns, but luck rather than judgement as the new spud bed is where the 'sparagrass grows. I have no idea if they will survive the move, but to be honest they are so unproductive for me, producing only a couple of spears a year that I have stuck them in a corner with my sorrel and jerusalem fartichokes, and of course, they will grow like the clappers!

Picked some rhubarb which is growing better this year than ever before. I don't know if that is the chicken manure I have been using throughout the season, or the thick layer of home made compost I piled over the crowns last autumn. I also puled the last of the kale and picked a bundle of young chard. Plot one is ready for action and the far end is going to be my seed bed this coming year for roots like carrots, snips, nips, swedes, spring onions and salads etc. Plot number 2 is going to be divided into squashes and brassicas and onions. I am trying to be much more organised this year - famous last words - so I get plenty in, staggered, making the most of the room. The toms and beans will go in their usual place along the centre of plot 2.

Before I left I picked a lovely bundle of daffs. They have been great this year on plot one, those on plot 2 struggle as I am forever digging them up or damaging them because I planted those when I first took on plot 2, and I only had half of the plot so planted them at what was then, the end of my plot. Of course, once I got the lot, I ended up with them running smack bang through the middle. Oh well, maybe if I am organised enough, now they have finished I can dig them up and dig a big hole under the apple trees and chuck them in there.

Glad to see Peter, my lottie neighbour, is back and working hard. He also has 2 plots and it seems he has turned one completely over to fruit with strawbs, rasps, currents and goosegogs all planted. I wonder if he will build a fruit cage to protect them becuase on our site, any fruit is stripped the minute is starts to colour up. His other plant seems to be 50% spuds at the moment. Hopefully, once the kids get back to school and my job levels out, I will get to the plot more and I will see him and be able to catch up.