Any plants which have been over wintering might like a little boost of food just now: If you have any lovely wood ash from a wood burning stove – sprinkle some around your garlic and fork in. Can also be added around leeks and onions as they come along. No wood ash? No worries garlic, brassicas and fruit bushes will both enjoy some seaweed extract or blood fish and bone. Those brilliant perennials, Rhubarb, strawberries and fruit bushes would love some mulching with compost o

There is some ‘Big Bud Mite’ around the allotment Big Bud Mite is bad news for blackcurrants, it causes a disease called reversion which eventually stops the bush fruiting. You can minimise damage and spread by removing the ‘big buds’ now. If you look closely at the bush you will see healthy, slightly elongated, normal looking buds – any larger, more round buds have the mite in them. You can pick off these buds now – DON’T COMPOST them – put them in landfill or burn them. Oth