It has given me sleepless nights. I’ve tossed and turned, fretting about this, worrying about that. My fingernails have been bitten down as I’ve wrestled with my internal conflicts. Like a chess player, I’ve had to move each piece with exact precision, knowing there is no excuse for failure.

But finally, and with great excitement, I can stand back and admire my work. Ladies and gentlemen.. drumroll please.. I’m proud to present.. ALLOTMENT BLUEPRINT 2016!

So there you have it. No doubt, as the months roll by, the plan will change here and there. And of course this is only part 1. Once we get into summer, I’ll be thinking ahead to autumn and winter and will introduce swede, sprouts, winter greens and other treats onto the plot.

In the end, I scrapped my plan to knock the potato bed into the one beside it to make one large bed as I’ve decided not to grow quite as many spuds this year. However, I am considering introducing a Fig Tree ‘Brown Turkey’ alongside the shed.

Of course there are some returning visitors to my beds, not to mention my established nature hillocks on the outer borders. I may create another area for wildlife behind the sunflowers and next to the polytunnel as the large trees that surround this part of the plot have drained the soil of moisture and nutrients. As I can’t create another plot for myself here, I can at least create something for the critters.

In regards to flowers, I’m going with Cosmos, various varieties of sunflowers, Cornflowers, Marigolds, Gladioli, Foxgloves and a sprinkling of Ammi majus. Not only do they look good, but they pull in pollinators and if I’m not around, something needs to police the land for pests.

But for now I think I can afford a little downtime, take stock and look ahead to what will hopefully be a productive and fulfilling year.

..And so the adventure continues.