It is 2009 and I would like to wish all of my readers a very Happy New Year, let's hope it is a successful and exciting growing year. Saying that, if everything does grow perfectly, it will give us gardeners nothing to moan about!

Now that the celebrations are coming to a close, it is time to get out into that garden and lose a few pounds (said he, who is sitting comfortably indoors!). There are plenty of jobs that still need attention, from general tidying up to pruning deciduous shrubs (if you would like to know what deciduous means, have a look at 'BBC - 'How to be a gardener' ).

About a week ago, on a cold Saturday morning, I was down on the allotment for 10.30 am (couldn't get out of my cosy bed) and it was freezing cold. There was a cold wind blowing across, and everywhere was frosty white. As we drove down towards the big iron gates, I noticed a thick plastic sheet put over the barbed wire fence which looked very much like someone had climbed over. I gave dad the keys to open up (while I stayed in the nice warm car), and he removed the sheet which was put in the allotments dustbin.

We were the only ones down there, which I pointed out to dad, to which he replied 'we are the only idiots!' After struggling on with my wellies, I went for a stroll around my plot (or a slide, as it was so muddy).

The ground is still very muddy, which is worse towards the right hand side of my plot. I may have mentioned this before (apologies if I have, it must be my age), but approximately 10 years ago, the plot was ploughed (according to the long standing plotters on the site). It was ploughed badly, which resulted in clay being lifted towards this right side. As a result, it has caused very bad drainage problems and formed a concrete type structure. This part of the plot I ignored, well, until I fell into it some time ago! However, apart from this, the ground is very wet and squidgy and is best kept off as it will compress very easily, causing damage to the soil structure.

I did go onto the top part of the plot for a few swedes, this part being better drained. My swedes have come to an end now, as the remaining few have split badly which has made a haven for slugs and insects. I have done brilliantly with them, and I am looking forward to growing some more (that is if I can persuade Websailor to look after them while we are on holiday!). I might try another variety, although the 'Marion' ones I grew last year were delicious. I would recommend anyone to have a go at growing swedes, I was surprised at how quick and easy they are. See the swede growing guide for more information.

I like to try a new vegetable each year, and I am currently thinking about what would be my star one to try this year. It has to be something which does not need watering every day (like runner beans during the summer time), and likes the clay soil conditions we have. At the moment, I have not got a clue but I will keep thinking and looking through seed catalogues.

My leeks are still struggling, they are weak and stopped growing because of the cold weather. I am hoping that they will fatten up, ready to be harvested in spring. Last year was a bad year for leeks, and I am hoping that I can try some new varieties this year which will be successful. I like to start them off in seed trays in my greenhouse first. It is heated which makes me wonder whether the reason they didn't germinate last year was because it was too warm for them. I must have a read through my past article on Leeks, to familiarise myself on the conditions they require.

Anyway, after a stroll around, I decided to have a go at finishing pruning my young fruit bushes. I say 'pruning' but it is more like trimming. I like to cut off any dead or diseased stems as well as any misshapen stems which spoil the look of the particular bush. This is the first time in two years that I have maintained these four fruit bushes, an appropriate job if the ground is too wet to get onto (they are near a main pathway). They also needed a good tidy up, as they were getting swallowed up by the dreaded bindweed. The four fruit bushes are: two gooseberries, one redcurrant, one blackcurrant, and a partridge in a pear tree. The last one was an exaggeration, but it wouldn't have surprised me if there was a pear tree growing in between! I still have the redcurrant to finish tidying up, but I am almost done.

I would have finished the redcurrant the last time I went down, but it was so cold, I could hardly breathe and was frozen to my little garden seat. Any job these days requires a helping hand, and it takes me a considerable amount of time to complete. It is worth seeing the end result though, and to stand back and say 'I did that' is a good feeling.

Apart from the pruning and tidying, there is not much that can be done down the allotment at this time of year, but it is 'the time for planning'. This means looking through seed catalogues and planning where and what you are going to grow in 2009. Planning is important, as you don't want to plant the same vegetable in the same area of ground. I always rotate my crops, to give that piece of ground a break from the same veggie, and help to prevent that particular vegetable from suffering with any problem they had last year. This is not going to guarantee your vegetables will be perfectly healthy, but steps like this will certainly help.

Generally, the site is looking empty and depressing at this time of year, but the wildlife brightens the day. The birds were singing, and the robin was watching me close by, hoping for a worm or a bit of food. The composted mound of soil up the top of my plot is showing four or five holes. They look too big to be for mice, but possibly the right size for a rat. I haven't seen what or if there is anything living down there, but I am keeping a close eye.

The half plot next door has not been taken yet, but it will be much better now that it has been cleared of brambles and weeds. There will be a lot of work for the new tenant, as it looks like there is a lot of rocks and rubble buried beneath. The site does offer a good rotavating and ploughing service to new tenants now, but there has to be plenty of room for the big tractors to get through. As my neighbour is only giving up the top half, it will mean that manual digging will be in order. I hope the new tenant is fit! If not he/she will be fit soon.

Talking about my neighbouring plot, I can always remember what I was told when I took on my allotment four years ago. My neighbour said 'nice to meet you, good luck with the plot. I say good luck, because the last tenant of this plot had a heart attack while trying to clear it'; I am not sure to this day whether or not he was joking! On saying this, he shook my hand and said 'I just hope the same thing doesn't happen to you'. If it was true, I can understand it as the soil is rock hard in places. As long as no bodies are buried underneath, that is the main thing. Thinking about it, I have found some odd looking bones!

Now, where was I? That's right, the site is looking empty and depressing. There is lots of mulch around this winter; we get supplied with leaf mulch every year which is good for composting. Some plotters put it on top of their soil to keep any weeds down, digging it into the ground in spring. I don't mind composting, as it makes very good compost after a couple of years but I wouldn't use it as a mulch. There are three reasons for this, the first being that if it is not covered it blows away. I get my helper to spend all morning wheeling it from the other side of the site to my plot in a wheelbarrow, and a gust of wind comes and blows it away. The second reason is because it usually has lots of little weed seeds in it, which cause a problem during the summer time. If the leaf mulch is finely shredded then it can be good for the soil, but if the leaves are fairly big then it takes a long time to rot down. Thirdly, when dug in it holds too much water. This is not a good idea, as clay soil holds too much water anyway.

Our local tree company has been bringing bark down to the allotments, which is ideal for pathways and parking bays. However, everywhere I look there are big heaps of the stuff which is steaming away. I did put my hand in one pile to see if it was hot in the middle, all I ended up with was a load of splinters which took days to pick out.

That is all the latest news on my allotment, now onto my garden and greenhouse. There is not much to report on the garden, except during some heavy winds before Christmas, the Pyracantha (Firethorn) hedge broke away from the fence and leaned precariously towards the middle of the garden. We had to prune it back, and tie it back with wire this time instead of string. Apart from that, the garden needs a good tidy up but it will have to wait until the weather gets a little better.

There is lots going on in my greenhouse though. At Christmas, a friend brought me an Amaryllis starter pack which included bulb, pot and compost. I have potted up the bulb, and it is now just started to shoot. I love Amaryllis flowers; they are usually big, bold and colourful blooms which brighten up any dreary winter's day. Also, as part of my Christmas present, I was given a pack of two hyacinth vases (one red and one frosted) with the hyacinth bulbs ready to grow. I filled the vases up with water just below the bulbs and put them back into the box where it is cool and dark. I am looking forward to watching the roots trail into the vases, and, although the blooms are never as good as they will be in pots, it will be interesting to watch them grow.

My geraniums are suffering from frost damage a little, mainly because it takes longer in the cold weather for the heater to kick in when the thermostat tells it too. My little fan heater comes on when the temperature drops to 40 Fahrenheit (4 Celsius). If I set it to come on at a higher temperature, then it will go off much later which will be too warm. My geraniums will survive through the winter, and if they don't then I will buy more baby plugs than I usually do. I find that these modern geraniums do not last as well as the real old varieties, and that cuttings do not take very successfully. I am hoping to visit a specialist geranium nursery this year to try and get some of the old varieties that Grandad used to grow. The old species are definitely much better, and stronger.

The last time I visited this specialist nursery, I was ticked off. This was because I said 'geranium', when the proper name is supposed to be 'pelargonium'. Many people call them geraniums, but in a specialist environment, geraniums are referred to as the herbaceous hardy species ( see this link for more details ).

Apart from the problem with my pelargoniums, geraniums, or whatever they are, everything is doing okay. My Cymbidium orchids are still in bud, and my cacti are patiently waiting for some sun. Spring will soon be here, which will bring light nights and a longer time to relax in our gardens.

Happy Gardening!

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