It feels.....

.....as though the season has opened. In truth, all I've done is spread some manure around all the fruit bushes and more generally. But I was doing it in shirt sleeves, in bright sunshine and feeling good about it.

This is what the blackberries look like;

I do like a nice straight edge.

And all the raspberries have a nice little hat of manure. Tasty! Actually, it's so well rotted down it doesn't look like manure any more, just like really fertile soil, which should percolate down to the roots by the combined action of rain and worms. Just remember that when you're eating raspberries this summer.

Not much action.....

.....on the blog, because there's not much action on the allotment, it being cold and wet and snowy etc.

But it's still producing Leeks


, and the Rhubarb is coming back
- don't forget the Wakefield Rhubarb Festival (24th to 26th Feb in, funnily enough, Wakefield).

Despite snow still on the ground and it being pretty cold it feels a bit as though the year has turned a corner; it feels poised and ready, just waiting for light and sunshine. I'm about as prepared as I can be at this stage:

• Garlic is up and growing in the greenhouse
• Shallots and Onion sets are bought
• seeds are all bought
• Raspberries are pruned
• Blackberries are pruned and tied in
  

Bring it on; I'm ready!!