Previous Years Diaries - 2024

Over the last 3 years of growing (2025 being our 4th year) I have kept a growing diary, starting with a 8 meter square growing bed at home in the back garden.  Then in 2023 we started our first season growing on the allotment and continued to keep a diary on paper.  In order to share my adventures with others, this year I started these allotment diaries, so I've now stopped using paper in favour of the blog.  In an effort to keep all my diaries in one place, I've transferred all my previous years entries into one page which if anything else, will help looking back easier to do.

Date	Diary Entry
January 5th	Bean experiment - most germinated in poo and no poo.  Under lights 9hr/day
January 6th	Digestate on beds 7+8. Turned manure/compost heap and added paper. Harvesting parsnip. 3 cauli heads, but 1 gone too late. Turned compost/digestate in carrot bath.
January 7th	Sow 8 seeds Chilli Numex. Sow 8 seeds Chilli Cubanelle. Sown 2" apart in 1/2 seed tray with lid.  Light covering of seen mix and misted. Put on heat mat at 27 degrees.
January 14th	Pulled up last cauliflower.  Very small heads rotting back on remaining plants. Bed 2 covered in digestate and weed membrane. Test beans continue to grow without visible problems so far. Bought grow tent.  Fitted lights and heat mat.  Brought chillis indoors.
January 17th	Seed potatoes Cara and Charlotte arrived from DT Brown.
January 18th	Chillis + Sweet Peppers germinated on heat mat in spare room and grow tent. Grow lights switched on.
January 21st	Moved test broad beans to mini polytunnel and potted onto larger pots. Sowed 1 xt rough with salad onions as a trial in small polytunnel. Sowed 2 x pots Lobjoitis lettuce.
January 27th	Emptied water butt and moved compost/manure heap to left of shed. Broad beans test all good. Arranged to purchase IBC tank from FB marketplace.
January 28th	Sowed 4 pots of 4 seeds chilli sweet and hot in humax compost. Placed on heat map.  Germination of other seedlings OK, but some died off. Chives sown in soil blocks and put into trug outside. Corriander sown in soil blocks and put into grow tent under lights.
February 3rd	Sow 20 cells Beetroot Cynlindrica under lights in grow tent. IBC levelled, top fitted, cover fitted and water capture in place.  Lots of parsnips harvested.  Charlotte seed potatoes put out to chit.
Febrary 10th	Grow tent and lights moved to garage and put on its side to fit more plants in. All peppers still on heat mat.
February 11th	Raked and levelled bed 9.  3 barrows rotted horse manure from the heap added and levelled.
February 17th	Beetroot cylindrica move to mini polytunnel. Corriander soil block in grow tent germinated (50%) and growing well.
February 19th	Pepper seeds in pots just starting to germinate.  Pepper seeds in trays still not growing much. Sow 2 8" pots of Musselburgh Leeks - left in grow house under lights.
February 23rd	Potted pepper seeds continue to germinate.  Some peppers starting to get their second leaves.
February 24th	Sow 10 x tomato Crimson Crush in pots individually.  Put in heated propagator under lights in garage.
February 25th	Put test beans into compost/manure bin.  Manure test complete and all good. First harvesting Purple Sprouting Broccoli. Set up quad grows in mini polytunnel to check spacing.
March 1st	Tomatoes starting to germinate.  Leeks starting to germinate. Unforecast overnight snow.
March 2nd	Moved all peppers (hot and sweet) indoors. Growth stalled.  Keep on heat. Sowed 6 pots drumhead cabbage (2 holes per pot, 2 seeds per hole).  Kept under lights in garage. Sow 12 'Steenies Seeds' in root trainers.
March 3rd	Harvest more purple sprouting.  Put lime on bed 6 and covered back up.
March 7th	Moved tubs of leeks up to mini polytunnel.
March 11th	Added lime to 1/2 bed 1.  First signs of Drumhead Cabbage germinating. Cabbage pots moved to mini polytunnel.  Harvest more purple sprouting.
March 12th	Potted on lettuce.  10 plants into individual tubs. Sowed 6m gutters Peas Hurst Greenshaft.
March 13th	Tomates kept getting leggy.  10 tomatoes potted on to larger pots and kept indoors. Second sowing Chilli Numex potted onto individual pots. French dwarf beans sown into root trainers.  20 x Amethyst, 15 x Faraday, 15 x Annabel. NOTE - Next year, sow in pots, not root trainers.  Start them later.  Protect from ants.
March 16th	Sow 4 x 1/3 rows Parsnip White Gem in bed 1.  3 seeds every 6". Sow 3 rows (bath width) Carrot Top Weight. Steenies flowers moved to mini polytunnel.
March 17th	Sow 3 pots Kale Nero di Tuscan (2 seeds per pot) and put in mini polytunnel.
March 23rd	Sow 1 trough (2nd) Onion Snowqueed in mini polytunnel. Sow 30 Hurst Greenshaft additional plants in root trainers in mini polytunnel. Sow 5 tubs first early Potato Charlotte (13 weeks to harvest). Sow 1 tray cut and come again lettuce. Moved Corriander to mini polytunnel. Peas in gutters and beans starting to germinate.  Beetroot transplanted out from polytunnel root trainers into bed 1.
March 24th	First mow of season.  Purple sprouting is rampant!
March 25th	First signs of Kale germination.  First signs of carrot germination.
March 29th	Sow: 3 x Squash Uchiki Kuri in brown pots - mini polytunnel. 3 x Squash Sunshine in brown pots - mini polytunnel. 20 x Cauliflower Tirza F1 in root trainers (2 seeds ea) - mini polytunnel. 6 x Cucamelon Mexican Gherkin in root trainers (2 seeds ea) - mini polytunnel. 25 x Sweetcorn Earlibird F1 in root trainers - mini polytunnel. 3 x pieces Ginger in shallow compost tray - mini polytunnel. 5 x Pea Hurst Greenshaft in root trainers - mini polytunnel. 3 x Dhalia Pampone Double Mixed in brown pots - mini polytunnel. 3 x Nasturtium Jewel Mixed in brown pots - mini polytunnel. 1/2 seed tray Cosmos Mixed - mini polytunnel.
March 30th	Moved 7 lettuce heads to bed 8.  Put cold fram over 1/2 the bed to keep them protected.  Added slug pellets.
March 21st	Moved hoops/netting from bed 5 to bed 6.
April 1st	Potted on Red Drumhead cabbage.  Kept 8 plants, but germination was excellent.  Plants left in mini polytunnel.
April 9th	Transported peas from gutters in polytunnel into bed 3. 1 1/4 rows.  Direct sow remaining 3/4 row.  Some left in root trainers for later transfer. Potato Cara and Wilja planted in buckets.  21 weeks and 16 weeks to harvest. Re-sow carrots.  First sowings dampened off.  Early Nantes.  Continue to harvest Purple Sprouting.
April 11th	Transplanted 4 tomatoes into buckets and taken to allotment.
April 12th	Transplanted 4 other tomatoes into buckets and moved to mini polytunnel. Pricked out 12 Cosmos and potted on.  Potted on 2 Steenies Seeds (rest did not germinate). Transplanted all 3 varieties of beans to bed 9.  Attacked by ants so will see how they go. Transplanted last remaining peas. Gave 2 tomato plants to Carolyn.
April 13th	Given 3 Chilli Pepper Plants.  1 x Jalepeno + 2 x Fiery Tongue.  Left in mini polytunnel.  Moved 2 x trough salad onions out from mini polytunnel to outside.
April 19th	Thinned out Cauliflower Tirza
April 21st	Covered bed 7 with weed membrane ready for tomatoes.  Moved cold frame off bed 8 to bed 7.  Potted on 23 corn plants to larger plots. 1st Signs of early potatoes coming through.  Moved chillies from hom to mini polytunnel. Planted out 4 Red Drumhead Cabbage to bed 1 and left under net.  Brought home tray of cut and come again lettuce.
April 23rd	3 Hoops and mesh put over carrot bath.  1 corriander plant brought home.
April 26th	Second cold frame erected on bed 7.  Tomatoes in polytunnel showing signs of cold damage.  Beans in bed 9 also looking bad from cold. 30 new bean plants sown (12 Faraday, 9 Amethyst, 9 Annabel) and left under 2nd cold frame.
April 27th	Sow 1 tray cut and come again lettuce. Purchased 1 chilli plant Gusto Purple from 3 Shires.  Dug up last of Purple Sprouting from bed 5.  Potted on cauliflower from root trainers. Sow 1/3 row Spinach Matador in bed 8.  Sow 1/3 row Radish Cherry Bell in bed 1. Split out chilli Fiery Tongue into 2 pots.  If all chilli plants survive, we will have 9 in total.
April 28th	Sow 2 row Carrot Early Nante at home in trug.
May 4th	Leeks taken out of mini polytunnel and left in tub on bed 5 ready for planting. 4 Kale plants transplanted.
May 5th	Steenies Plants and some Cosmos brought home.  Sweetcorn planted out to bed 2.  4 Squash (2 x Uchi + 2x Sunshine) planted out on bed 2.  Aprinkle of chicken manure in each hold for corn and squash.
May 6th	Tomatoes moved out to bed 7 from mini polytunnel.  Left under mesh.
May 7th	8 Chilli plants into 2 Quad Grows.  They were very droopy.  The temp in the mini polytunnel reached over 50 degrees.  Left the mini polytunnel slightly open. 3 Rows od Autumn King 2 carrots in bath tub. Remaining seedlings moved on their trays onto bed 7 until they can be transplanted out.
May 9th	Transplanted 3 rows leeks into bed 5.  Only 1/2 of 1 pot used as sowed too many.  Put cucamelon seedlings into mini polytunnel. Warm period of weather (20 - 23 degrees).   Leaving tunnel propped open day and night.  Night time temps 9 degrees. Signs of carrot germination in trug at home.
May 10th	Onion sets showing signs of bolting.
May 11th	Fed chillis in Quad Grows for first time.  Transplanted last Numex chilli into blue bucket and put in mini polytunnel. Beans germinating well. Added chicken manure pellets to peas.  Took cold frames apart and took home.  Transplanted 8 cauli plants into bed 6.  Added lime and compost into hole before planting. Sowed 1 tub of cauli All Year Round just in case.  2 spare squash (Sunshine F1) transplanted to spud buckets in manure from the heap.
May 17th	Start harvest salad Onion Snowqueen.  Fed chillis Nutrigrow.  Fed tomatoes tomatorite.  Transplanted 3 nasturtiums to edge of tomato bed.
May 18th	Bought new trough from Lidl.  Sowed another trough of salad Onion Snowqueen.
May 24th	Potted on 3 Cucamelon plants.  Very slow growing.  Transplanted Marigolds to bed 5. Generally, chillis have put ona  spurt, tomatoes coping well, gutter peas put on a massive spurt but direct sowing a little slower, beetroot nearly there, lost possibly 2 cauliflower and onions doing OK but nearly all have bolted.
May 25th	Given 4 plants: 1 x Autumn Squash, 1 x Butternut Squash, 1 x Melon and 1 x Outdoor Cucumber.
May 26th	Sow 6 small pots Spinach Matador.  The direct sown sinach failed.
May 27th	3rd Sowing Onion Snowqueen have germinated.  Transplanted second chance beens into bed 9.
June 1st	Beetroot harvest started.
June 9th	Sow 1 x trough Onion Snowqueen.  Sow 1/2 Autumn King carrot in bath tub. Sow 1 x tray cut and come again lettuce in mini poltunnel.
June 26th	Harvest all onions from bed 4.  Most bolted.  All quite small.  NExt year, return to growing from seed. HArvest 4 x replanted garlic.  All are good size.  Harvest first picking of pease - 1 shopping bag full!  First harvest of carrots from bath - success!  Fiery tongue chillis going well.  Jalepeno showing first signs of fruit.
June 27th	HArvest first few beans, but they are infested with blackfly.  Harvest 1 lettuce and threw 2 bolted.  Pulled remaining radish.  Will not plant more as we don't use them.  Harvest 5 x beetroot.
June 29th	Sow 20 cells Beetroot Cylindrica and left outside.  Raked over bed 4.  Bought 6 Cabbage Ormskirik (Winter Savoy) and planted into bed 4.  Handful of lime in each hole.  First harvest of potatoes.  1 bucket of first earlies.  Small but OK.
July 4th	Purchase mole repellant and dropped into holes.
July 11th	First cauli harvested from bed 6.  Additional cauli transplanted into bed 6 to try for wintering.
July 13th	Last peas harvested from bed 3.  Plants pulled out.  2" of manure dug in lightly. Purchased Pease (Hurst Geenshaft) and Broad Bean (Aqua Dulce) loose from garden centre.  Also bought Maris Peer and Red Duke Your seed potatoes to try to grow for Xmas.  (15 - 22 weeks harvest.
July 14th	Planted 5 tunbs potatoes for xmas.  2 1/2 Maris Peer and 2 1/2 Red Duke York. Harvest remaining 1st earlies.
July 27th	Transplanted 2 Cabbage Red Drumhead to bed 1.
July 28th	Transplanted 1 row Beetroot Cylindrica from tray to bed 3.  Transplant 1 row lettuce to bed 3.  First harvest of tomatoes.
July 29th	Continue to harvest cucumber, salad onions and tomatoes.  Potatoes planted 2 weeks ago are starting to show.  First signs of Cucamelon showing.  First harvest Purple Gusto chillis.  Sow 2 rows Paris Market carrots into bath tub.
August 1st	Extended the blackberry trellis by using 2 old stake bolted to the 1/2 rounds.  HArvest 1st Red Cabbage.
August 3rd	Sow 1 x trough Onion Snowqueen salad onions.  Harvest 1/2 shopping bag of beans.  Started removing unhealthy plants.  Direct sow 1/2 row spinach Matador in bed 3.  Harvesting more chillis.
August 4th	Seaweed feed for everything. Harvest 2 tubs Wilja potatoes - 2 tubs remain.  Harvest 1st sweetcorn.  Much more successful than last year.  Harvested about 1/2 to 2/3.  Rest left to mature.
August 7th	Last beans harvested from bed 9.  Generally stunted growth due toblackfly then slugs.  All plants pulled up and 2 barrows manure added to the bed. Spre chilli in blue bucket binned.  Never developed any fruit. First leek harvested.  First signs of rust and leaf miner coming. Possible last cucumber harvested.  1 small one left to grow but no signs of new flowers.
August 9th	Last of first red cabbages harvested.  2 seedlings remain. Cattepillars starting to come out in force. 3 melons (1 slug damaged) starting to grow in tunnel.
August 10th	Foliage cut off Cara potatoes.  Early potential signs of blight.
August 11th	Last 2 tubs potatoe Wilja harvested.  3 further tubs of Potato Foremost planted for xmas.
August 17th	On Monty's advice! Planted late Dwarf Beans in containerwise  Huw Richards cells for October harvest. - Bean Annabel.
August 20th	Sow 10 Huw Richards cell Cauliflower All Year Round. Sow 10 Huw Richards cell Brocolli Marathon F1.
August 30th	First load digestate arrived.
August 31st	Last leeks harvested from bed 5.  Much better harvest than last year.
September 2nd	Digestate on bed 2 - covered for winter. Harvested all squash from bed 2.
September 3rd	Binned Cucamelon from mini polytunnel as no fruit developing.
September 4th	Planted out late beans into bed 5.  Pulled out half Marigolds from bed 5.
September 14th	Pulled up chilli plants and emptied Quadgrows.
September 15th	Cut back and disposed of tomatoes.  Showing signs of blight.  Mini polytunnel empties and raked.  Cardboard removed and membrane put back.  Bed 7 tomatoe tubs removed and bed uncovered.  Cauli and Brocolli seedlings brought home to pot on.
September 19th	Melon plant in polytunnel died.  3 melons taken off to see if they will still ripen.
September 21st	Still harvesting cucumber.  Possibly 1 or 2 more remaining.  Planted 1 tray lettuces in mini polytunnel.