Next Stop The Great Outdoors

Onions, shallots and garlic. All should have been planted out to overwinter on the allotment but I never quite got round to it... Still they look happy where they are and now occupy the back garden to get a taste of some real weather. Hopefully they'll be making the acquaintance of Mother Earth later this week. I need the space for seedlings that have to be potted on.

The Engine Room

Having an allotment with soil that is far from breaking down to a fine tilth, as described in all good gardening books, I start most crops in modules. These 2 fine mini greenhouses are the engine room of my growing aspirations. Everything gets started in here, or overwintered, and then they are moved out to the back garden where they harden off or until I get round to planting them out.

They're only about 5' tall, with four shelves each, but they hold a surprising amount of seed trays and pots. The first one I bought about 3 years ago is now starting to break down. The plastic covering has an inner mesh work and the small plastic squares are starting to fall out. I've now developed a transitional stage where seeds are germinated in the perfect one, 'exposed' to some of the elements in the older one before moving to the back garden. Simple but effective and it seems to work.

How Not To Chit Potatos

Receive the seed potatos in December by post, in a box. Place box somewhere safe and frost free in the garage. Forget about potatos. 3 months later remember about potatos. Forget safe and frost free location of box. Turn garage upside down to find box. Find box and open it. Place netted and 'chitted' spuds into mini greenhouse as it's now too late in the day to plant them.