Where has all of the space gone

Well I suppose it doesnt help if you produce in excess of 600 tomato, pepper, chilli and aubergine plants for one (soon to be two) polytunnels, three greenhouse and friends and allotment neighbours. Invariably I sow too many seeds and can't bear to destroy healthy plants so always end up giving 2-300 plants away.

Thankfully it is mild here so the Humberstone Shallots and onion seedlings are outside for the moment but will be brought into the workshop if a frost is forecast. There are brassica seedlings (cabbage, red cabbage and cauliflower) that will soon go over to the allotment greenhouses freeing up a little space. The cauliflower are an experiment, they are going to be planted about 15" apart in a raised bed with the hope of being able to harvest small curds for use as individual cauliflower cheeses at dinner parties or for suppers and snacks.

Beetroot seeds were sown today in modules (40 to a standard sized tray) ready for planting out at the end of April,. Spring onions were sown the same way, again for planting out in April. No thining of either occurs, they are just pulled when required.

My Rose de Roscoff onions are all sprouting vigourously and these will again be relegated to the allotment cold greenhouses this week. I want these to run to seed as I intend to circulate the seed next year as I did the shallot seed this year, hopefully getting a UK strain going.

Finally I pricked out about 15 "Blaby" tomatoes today, this variety stopped being produced after the war and was grown by a proffessor at Lancaster University. I missed out on seed last year but a fellow allotmenteer "Mick the Beard" had grown them and saved seed, some of which he kindly gave to me. Some of this was further distributed to a grower in Canada and one in Dublin. Apparently its a very tasty tomato, time will tell.