Lovely Allotment Stuff

Well, I have been doing a lot of allotment planning in my head. I am really very, very keen to get on with Plot 7b, but am having to content myself with theoretical gardening because the flipping weather is still too flipping cold to be putting things in the ground, and I fear that if I tested the soil for readiness in the age-old way of parking a pair of bare buttocks on it, I would freeze my nethers to the earth and be caught, sans pantalon, by the site manager, which would not bode well for future entente cordiale.

But perusing seed catalogues is a very companionable way of wiling away a dark evening. Trouble is, though, there are too many varieties to choose from, don't you think? Take garlic, for example. I used to hate garlic. But nowadays, I am chucking it in everything. Except cake, of course, because that would be crazy talk on a stick. What has caused the change in my tastebuds I can only guess at - well, I am suspecting dwindling hormones - anyway, I am now liking the garlic, and I want to grow some in the allotment.

Now, I know you are supposed to plant garlic in Autumn, so it can over-Winter, but I have discovered some types that are happy to be Spring planted. Trouble is, there are 25 varieties in one catalogue I looked at. 25?? I have trouble choosing which socks to wear out of a two-sock option sometimes, let alone assessing the various merits of 25 types of garlic. I suppose if I was a garlic connoisseur I would be a bit more particular, but I am not, so I shall likely do what I always do when it comes to choosing seed varieties and that is go for the one that has the most entertaining name.

Meanwhile, we have seed potatoes and shallots at the ready, and there is talk of an Easter weekend gardening extravaganza involving cleaning out the greenhouse and copious seed purchases. We also need to purchase a new trug (large -one of - preferably red or blue) because the old one finally collapsed from the strain of carrying too many weeds to the compost heap and too many courgettes home from the old allotment. (Note to self - don't have more than 3 courgette plants - you know what'll happen otherwise....lots of swearing, that's what'll happen.) And I fancy to get a new pair of wellies, because my old faithful green pair are getting on a bit now, and when I wore them last weekend I sustained a bit of rub to the back of my left ankle where the inside liners are perishing.

Do I go for a sensible green pair, like the ones I have now? Or do I go for a snazzy pair? Can you get wellies with chickens on? Not literally...although Primrose always tries to sit on my feet when I do the hen feed in the mornings. Or ones with bees. Or butterflies? Or Adam Ant? ( Although I still haven't quite forgiven him for bringing on my tinnitus with his overly-loud Antmusic ways.)

And I need some new gardening gloves, too. Oh, and a fork trowel because the old one has been commandeered for hen pod cleaning duties. And we need to dig the camping gas stove and kettle from the loft for doing a brew in the shed. And I am going to make a plot number sign to stick next to the arch. I have already designed one with 7 bees on it, because it is plot 7b - clever, huh?

And we must take the lawn edger down to tidy up the paths...and...and....and....