Happy New Growing Year all.
Well, a turn up is that I found two boxes of potatoes hidden behind the mower in the allotment shed this week. Whoop whoop. So will be having some of them for roasties later today.
Have sown leeks, onions, chillis, peppers and going to do some sweet peas today. I have decided to try and do all my sowing and growing on the relevant Moon day this year, and have coloured my bullet journal in so that the days are marked with the relevant colour for each crop type. i have in the past dabbled with and trialled sowing and growing by the moon, and got a 35% increase in yields in my garlic trial so will try to stick to it this year now that I am only growing for me. [See pic of Bullet Journal diary]. Today is a flower day so sweet peas are good. For reference, my colours are yellow for flower, green for leaf, orange for root, red for fruit.
It is so manky out there today though that I will be sowing them onto damp kitchen roll, and put into sandwich bags in the airing cupboard. And then I will put into Root Trainers once they have cracked open. I will be doing just 4 of each variety for the early start, and will do another 4 in Feb and another 4 in March. This should keep a good supply going through the summer. I bought some gorgeous blue ones [Blue Velvet] , plus some giant ones [Early Mammoth] and some Night and Day which are white and burgundy mixed for this year. And of course Cupani which I originally got from a fallen seed pod at Ryton Organic Gardens and have saved from each year.
Next door's quince hedge was in flower yesterday. 
. I am hoping that this colder weather holds the flowers back as the last thing we want is another bad year for fruit.
We have a Grape in my courtyard and a Chocolate Vine Akebia Quinata which we put in to fill some space but it has drowned out the grape in the last couple of years, but the Akebia has never flowered so it is on it's last chance this year. The grape hasn't cropped since we put the Akebia in, which would be fine if we got some flowers from it. So annoying.
My Lemon Eucalyptus that I found at the local wood festival has survived those frosts, so if we get snow and it still survives I should be able to plant it out - it is currently in a pot and I really would like it in the ground. A few leaves have shrivelled but it still looks healthy.
My other Eucalyptus, which is a Snow Gum which will have that wonderful white and grey peely bark, and was 3 inches tall 18 months ago, is now pushing 7 foot tall, and will be coppiced next May. As in 2018. I need to leave it for another year to fully establish before I coppice it. We bought it for firewood supply as eucalyptus is my favourite wood to burn. I am so chuffed it has grown so well and fully expect another 7 ft on it this year.
Still plenty to do though - raspberries to move, gooseberry to prune, blueberries to dig up and move to a space with some ericaceous compost dug in [I found a ripped bag of it on offer for £1 so snapped it up], plants to move to new homes, several quinces to prune; just loads more maintenance to spruce it all up for the coming season.
So hope everyone is well, and here's to a fruitful 2017