In my last post (nearly 2 months ago! - doesn't time fly) I talked about manuring and digging. The manure was fresh horse manure, with wood chippings used as bedding. This is why I was keen to get it done early, in the autumn, so it had a chance to rot down a bit over winter. This manure is on the right of the photo - we get a small trailer load delivered every week by a local stables. However, in the last few days we have had 3 large trailer loads of well-rotted cow manure delivered, which is on the left of the photo. You can of course see the difference immediately - this is just the best. So today I've worked hard at barrowing quite a large amount to my allotment, where it has gone onto those plots that I manured in the autumn. I shall dig it in (and remove more flints at the same time, no doubt) which will improve the soil structure, help to raise the bed so the drainage will be better, and improve the soil fertility at the same time.
It's also time for the first jobs of the new season - chitting potatoes (allowing them to sprout before planting) and planting onion seeds. It's very cold at the moment, but when it warms up a bit I shall plant some seeds in my cold frame.
