Dreaming of this seasons salads

A super soggy trip to the allotment today, but I was not going to let a little bit of rain put me off, I had things to do. Also me and the sun really aren't the best of friends, I would rather be a little damp, than crispy and like a lobster.... and anyhow the plants need it. My water butt is just dregs (which is actually not too bad timing wise as I want to add a tap), and things are all a bit dry. Now that new plant babies are going in any help, in the form of natural watering, is absolutely welcome.

It was quite a physical trip to the allotment today. I bashed 5 more stakes into the ground. Two, to support a trellis for cucumbers and three to hold up an old metal garden gate. The garden gate should become a support for climbers, initially sugar peas. It is also going to be providing a little shade for the pond and some where for feathered pond visitors to perch. There is going to be a lot more vertical growing at the plot this year, hopefully this will help to maximise the growing space. In my layout I do use up quite a bit of ground for paths, although they make the plot useable, they do use up what could be growing space.

I have my first Rocket Gardens veg patch delivery in the next week. Most of the plot is prepared for it, but I have put out a message on the family WhatsApp requesting helpers. I have made and shared a (very) thorough to-do list with my main helpers and once again I have used excel to map out the plot plans for the year ahead. I find this really useful.

I spruced up the raised bed zone adding cucumbers and salad grown from seed and two types of tomato grown from seed collected from last year. Not sure how reliably they will be like the varieties they came from, but we shall see. Hopefully they will be a yellow cherry sized tom and a nice big variety that is like a very creased and lumpy beef tomato - much nicer than the description sounds. I didn't bother with the plum tomatoes this year, they suffered very badly from blossom end rot last year, and I am not planning to do anything differently so Unless the weather is much different I would anticipate similar problems this year.

The bed that is still covered and empty will be very similar, just slightly different varieties planted a little later. Hopefully staggered planting will extend the harvest and the mix of varieties will keep things interesting.

Spend: £18.80 on 200l litres (4 big bags) of compost

What have you grown from collected seed & how well did it go?