April, ’tis a funny month. One never knows what one is going to get. As is Easter, one never knows whether it is going to be early or late. And within that differentiating spectrum I have always held dear to my own premise that the majority of the allotment must be done by Easter bank holiday Monday. One can always pick up plants for the garden at home and mow the grass, but to catch up on seed sowing and digging at the allotment, well that is a task in itself. There are many that use the full moons as their aid memoir to allow that slight trigger in the brain to remember tasks. And so it was with me, I looked at that this month, but then the next day after a full moon was cold and harsh, so I again stuck to my Easter regime. Whatever works for you is what I say.

It has been a struggle, but we have got there. But there have been changes. We have decided not to grow parsnips, carrots, garlic and onions from now on. These all require hand weeding, as does leeks and beetroot but they are worth it to us. Although we love these vegetables, we know that the wear and tear on us is simply not worth it, no matter how delicious they are.

So instead, we have put in a couple of rows of raspberries, a much more worthwhile crop I am sure you will agree and also I’m growing from seed some globe artichokes. Globe artichokes are most interesting to grow, they are like fingerprints, you never get the same plant twice, some fruits are spiky, some round leaved, some larger and some smaller.. successful plants are then grown on and used for cuttings. In my last plot I had quite a selection of them, it’s time to try my hand at this again.

And then apart from the usual vegetables, plus a couple more broccoli and purple sproutings to try I have gone with some herbs. We will see how well I do with those.

But the new potatoes are in, always a good start.

The kale keeps on going. A good veg in that hungry gap. Any veg at this time of year is one we are most grateful for and one I don’t tend to crop too much early on, lest I get tired of it.

And we have a delicious late cropping purple sprouting, I must check last years notes to find out which it is. I love a purple sprouting, something to look forward to in that hungry gap of the year.

The chives are growing, the mint is sprouting, spring is on its ways.