Cold frames are an all important, halfway house for protecting tender seedlings from harsh frosts. They tend to be a stand alone item that gardeners either buy or make, and sometimes they’re an appendage to a greenhouse.

I take a slightly different approach on my allotment, because I have beds that are surrounded by scaffold boards that are around 6-9 inches higher than the soil. Over the years I’ve scavenged several shower screens, and patio doors that are around the same width as my beds. This means that I can jury rig a cold frame on any of the beds to either protect seedlings, or in the case of the photo here give some early potatoes a helping hand.

I’m taking a bit of a punt on the frost this year – in particular with the beans. Its a yearly judgement to know when the last frost has come and certain vegetables really can’t cope with it. Two out of three years everything survives, and the other third I end up kicking myself as I stare down at dead seedlings wondering when I’ll learn to wait a few more weeks before planting out.

Most plants will catch up if planted out a few weeks later so there is no particular advantage to things out early, but I had some beans coming through and I had a big plant out this last weekend, so we’ll just have to see how they fair. It is an entirely unnecessary gamble really. I never seem to lose the excitement of a new season, and therefore I’m always planting something a too early and then worrying that the faintest sniff of a frost and it’ll turn to mush.

Of course, I am aware that the sensible thing to do would be to use fleece and protect them, but I’m out of fleece on the plot, so this year the beans are living dangerously.

After a long hiatus in writing about my little allotment in Thames Ditton, I thought it was about time to refresh this site, and what better time to start again than at the dawn of a new planting season.

So here we are: Plot 13. Lucky for me. I’ve spent the winter clearing out the weeds, digging over and liming the soil, repairing a damaged shed, finding a replacement for a stolen lawnmower, and now I think we’re pretty much good to go. The ground is just starting to warm up and its almost time to start planting little seedlings. How exciting … let’s see what the winners and losers on the plot are this year!

Its about this time of year that many people end up taking on their first allotment plot. People tend to give up their allotments in winter, and many allotment societies collect their subscriptions early in the year, so there tends to be a fresh batch of plots ready to be dished out to eager new allotmenteers early in the spring.

If you’re one of those people who’ve received a phone call inviting you to come down and choose your plot, possibly after a wait of many years, I have a few words of advice:

• Arrange to choose a plot as soon as possible. In many cases allotment societies will have a few to pick from, and they tend to be given out on a first-come, first-served basis. If you want the best plot get there quickly.
• Consider carefully whether you want a full or a half-size plot. A full size plot is 250 square metres, and will require around 8 hours works a week. Many allotment societies will only give out half plots to start with. Be careful taking on a full size plot as a novice, because it is a lot of work and I think its better to manage a smaller plot well, rather than manage a larger plot badly.
• Ask questions of the person showing you around. In particular, find out if they know whether the plot has a more difficult weed problem like mare’s tail. (Bare in mind though that a plot with weeds might in fact be a sign of fertile soil.) Find out whether there are perennial crops planted like asparagus. Find out where the nearest water point is. Find out whether there are flooding issues known on the plot. All of this information can be important in choosing your plot.
• Finally, once you’ve received your plot, don’t be put off if its a little overgrown. Don’t rotavate the ground if its packed with weeds, as this will make a perennial weed problem worse. Instead, cover the ground, (or if you’re not too squeamish about weedkillers use those), and dig through the plot methodically to remove weeds and make the beds usable again.