On my allotment rhubarb is normally the first splash of colour each year. As if by magic the bright pink of baby stalks suddenly emerges from the cold, wet soil, tantalising everybody with hints of a warmer, brighter spring that is now just around the corner. At the same time that the rhubarb appears the days start to draw out and each evening it seems a step closer to the moment when planting, picking and weeding will be possible at the end of the day.
This appearance also means that other preparations are starting to take place on Plot 45. The broad beans and sweet peas are in pots, the garlic shoots are showing, and this week the chili seeds will be planted in the heated propagator in the kitchen at home. All of this combining to make early February a time of hope and expectation for growers like me. The full flow of summer is still a long way away but suddenly the hints of spring making their way out of the winter darkness make it clear that, once again, the time for real focus on growing is tantalisingly close.
You are going really well with your preparations, appreciable! I agree, time for real focus on growing is very close. We need to be well prepared. Tremendous work with this blog. It was really convenient from a reader’s perspective.
Posted by: garden design online | April 18, 2013 at 11:33 AM
I was forced to work late this evening and drove home in the dark. Grrr. However, not having an allotment I make do with my little yard and pots that I fill with annuals every year so by the late spring the place begins to take on an effect last seen in Babylon. Well, we've all got to do our little bit.
Posted by: dan flynn | February 13, 2013 at 09:09 PM
Ah, you've cheered me up. Like you I've noticed the nights are drawing out, mainly because I'm driving to and from work in the light. But spring, ah, spring. My favourite season. I get pretty miserable in winter and am not keen on all this darkness so spring for me is like Friday nights. Friday are special because they herald the weekend and more specifically they are as far away from Monday as it's possible to get. Spring means winter is behind, spring is about new colour, snowdrops, crocuses, daffs, tulips, and new growth. In spring the light softens, we can spend more time outdoors, we can hear things like the birds and see things like snowdrops et al. Part of spring's joy is the anticipation of, well, everything springy but also the SUMMER!!!! Spring is as far away from the darkness of winter as it's possible to get. So, let's hear it for Spring. Huzzah!
ps, I like your rhubarb photo too.
Posted by: dan flynn | February 12, 2013 at 08:38 PM
Well said! Our plot is still completely sodden and unworkable, but at least sowing broad beans and getting the spuds chitting reminds me that spring will, eventually, come.
Posted by: Lee | February 10, 2013 at 06:16 PM