Is anyone else in a strange state of excitement and panic at the same time? Whilst it may be cold and miserable outside, Spring really is just around the corner now and thats great, but I still have so much to do first!Longer days will soon be here and boy do I need it! Not only to have more time on the allotment but because sunlight, like many gardeners, is my medicine! I even saw a blue fuzz of daylight in the distance when I left work yesterday so it won’t be long now until I can potter about the allotment after work for an hour or so.
I have a long list of jobs to complete before Spring and it’s been getting to me a little bit. Now that I’ve written them down and categorised them by urgency, I’m already feeling a little less overwhelmed.
Urgent
- Finish pruning the hedges ✅
- Prune the dwarf apple tree ✅
- Re-felt the shed roof ✅
- Sow chillies, sweet peas and peppers ✅
- Plant spring bulbs (bought on sale) ✅
- Draw an allotment plan
- Order seeds ✅
Can wait a week or two
- Remove hedge and tree clippings
- Tidy the shed ✅
- Pot up strawberry runners
- Clear area for new cut flower planter
- Build leg (A-frames??) for polytunnel table
Can wait a month
- Weed the strawberry patch
- Wash the polytunnel
- Dig and clear ground for new woodland plant bed
- Dig and woodchip paths
I should do, but probably won’t happen
- Sharpen tools
- Clean plant pots and trays
That’s just it for my winter jobs! I have so many big projects lined up for the year some of which are tackling overgrown areas that haven’t even been cultivated yet. I really hope I can stay on top of everything to get at least some of them done. The biggest part of that for me is to not feel overwhelmed and when you’re managing a 300m2 on your own, it’s pretty tough going!
How are you getting on with your winter jobs?
Homegrown Garden 
You have certainly got your work cut out to do all that this year plus all your planting and growing as well .it will be interesting to see just how much you get done 🌻🌻🌻
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Yes I’m sure that most gardeners feel like that, I certainly do.
I’m lucky as being retired I can generally make the most of good weather during the week providing that the ground isn’t soggy, which it is at present. My to do list constantly changes,and I guess like most gardeners always seems too long.
This winter I’ve done well which I hope continues over the coming months. xx
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300m2 ? huge! It is too wet and cold to do anything this weekend.
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Yeah it’s 15m across and 25m long so actually it’s about 375m2 😆 It was horrible today but I did manage to prune the apple tree! The weather is said to be very wet again tomorrow, argh! Set backs are so frustrating 😫
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Yes – excitement and panic pretty much sums it. Maybe some allotment withdrawal as well? It’s been truly miserable weather and I’m averaging on a visit every fortnight. So much to dig, sow and weed!
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It’s so reassuring to hear I’m not alone on this! I discovered last weekend that my shed is no longer water proof after finding huge puddles of water on my new dresser! 😦 So now I also have to re-felt the shed roof! Ha, just another job to add to the ever growing list! Praying for good weather this weekend..
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I feel like this around now every year, and I’m always playing catch-up. You can’t beat the power of a good list though 😉 I’ve got a bit of a mammoth weed-clearing job to do at the allotment – it all got a bit out of hand last year, and my plan is to get it under control before things warm up and all hope is lost!
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Great to hear it isn’t just me drowning in allotment jobs! I’ve been pruning all my hedges and removed LOTS of ivy over the last few weeks. It’s such an epic task but they should be back to a normal size, giving me more sunlight 🙂 Hope your weed clearing is going well!
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