Alan's Allotment

This month in GYO Magazine I've been lucky enough to get five different varieties of tomato seeds free. This is my first year in a long time that I've had a greenhouse, and I'm excited to be growing under glass so I'm thinking ahead already. Having read around a bit...I've decided that I'm going to try and grow for a successional crop...and according to what I've read, I could be in Tom's until November.  So, here's my plan: Growing the largest fruiting varieties first, in February, with a second day sowing of a standard tomato in April, and a third sowing in June of a cherry type. So it will be Roma and Marmande first, with moneymaker and gardeners delight second. Some of these will end up outside due to space. Then I'm going to raid my seed box for some cherry ones to go in last. That's the plan...I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm inundated with monthly newsletters telling me what to do in the garden each month. Here's my own version of the monthly newsletter with what I'll be getting up to this month. In the flower garden • Prune overwintered fuchsias back to one or two buds on each shoot. I brought 3 hardy fuschia plants in the autumn for a splash of colour. It's time to cut them back ready for them to burst into life again.  In the vegetable garden • I'm sowing parsnips ourtdoors. • Hoe vegetable seed beds. The frosts have broken up the clumps in the mushroom compost I have spread. • Plant out winter brassica under cloches. These were a bonus as I planted a load of seeds in November and they all took. I'll be planting out All the year round cauliflower, spring greens, perpetual spinach and chard bright lights. I've gone for cloches as they're still young. In the fruit garden • Plant out strawberries. I opted not to move strawberries from the allotment for two reason