March 2026

            

Here are the links to Mr. Middleton's tasks for the month of March:

March 1st Week
March 2nd Week
March 3rd Week
March 4th Week
March 5th Week

Below are the above tasks set out as if they were a MOA fact sheet:

         ✤✤✤ MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE ✤✤✤

                               MARCH ON THE ALLOTMENT

                     DUTIES FOR THE INDUSTRIOUS PLOT‑HOLDER

        Issued for the Guidance of the Allotment Holder and Cottage Gardener

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                           CLEARING & PREPARING THE LAND

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[ ] Clear land as crops are used; heel in leeks and celery in a sheltered corner or frame.  

[ ] Clear Brussels sprouts as used; save the tops for spring greens.  

[ ] Fork soil only when dry; avoid working heavy wet ground.  

[ ] Complete any remaining digging before growth begins.  

[ ] Work sandy soils now: add manure, dig, and lime.  

[ ] Prepare trenches for peas and beans (18 in. deep), lining with cardboard, manure, peelings, then soil.  

[ ] Prepare outside seed bed with superphosphate (3 oz per sq. yd.); rake fine and remove stones.  

[ ] Attend to asparagus beds; lightly fork in winter manure.  

[ ] Make new asparagus beds (5 ft wide for 3 rows).  

[ ] Case mushroom beds once spawn threads radiate; maintain earlier beds at 75°F for spawning.

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                               PEST & DISEASE WATCH

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[ ] Watch for cabbage aphid; use peppermint‑based spray or strong mint tea with a little soap.  

[ ] Remove swollen buds on blackcurrants (big bud mite).  

[ ] Watch for fruit diseases; lime sulphur or Bordeaux mixture historically used.  

[ ] Freshen greasebands on apple trees; do not remove too early.  

[ ] Attack apple pests with nicotine spray (historical).  

[ ] Spray apples and pears for caterpillars, scab, or mildew (historical materials).  

[ ] Manage Tarsonemid mite on strawberries (historical burning method described).

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                                 SOWING OUTDOORS

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[ ] Sow parsnips without delay; intersow lettuce and radish to mark rows.  

[ ] Sow onions outdoors promptly; spring onions also.  

[ ] Sow spinach outdoors; also sow leeks, cabbage, cauliflower, sprouts, peas, and broad beans.  

[ ] Sow carrots, beetroot, and turnips outside.  

[ ] Sow outdoor tomatoes now.  

[ ] Sow parsley, sage, thyme, and celery outdoors in patches or drifts.

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                     SOWING INDOORS, UNDER GLASS & IN FRAMES

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[ ] Prick out leeks, onions, and celery; move to cold frame to harden off.  

[ ] Make another sowing of tomatoes indoors.  

[ ] Sow celeriac in trays.  

[ ] Sow brassicas indoors; prick out and transfer to cold frame.  

[ ] Plant out lettuce seedlings or grow under cloches.  

[ ] Plant out overwintered cauliflowers from frames.  

[ ] Sow sage and thyme in trays.  

[ ] Sow sweet corn indoors.

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                         HARDENING OFF & EARLY PLANTING

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[ ] Harden off onions and leeks in cold frames; give leeks plenty of air.  

[ ] Plant out early potatoes 6 in. deep; continue planting as weather allows.  

[ ] Reduce sprouts on seed potatoes to two for larger tubers.  

[ ] Plant shallots, garlic, and horseradish (3 in. pieces).  

[ ] Plant out autumn‑sown onions, cauliflowers, and early cabbage.

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                     GREENHOUSE & COLD GREENHOUSE WORK

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[ ] Pot tomatoes into 5‑inch pots.  

[ ] Use cold greenhouse for winter lettuce followed by early cauliflower, then tomatoes.  

[ ] Sow tomatoes for outdoor and indoor crops.  

[ ] Sow celeriac, herbs, and brassicas in trays.  

[ ] Train cucumbers up wires or canes in heated greenhouse.  

[ ] Stake cucumbers as needed.  

[ ] Ventilate greenhouse fruit and spray with water (historical nicotine wash).  

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                        FRUIT TREES & SOFT FRUIT CARE

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[ ] Feed fruit trees with general fertiliser or sulphate mix (historical).  

[ ] Complete planting of fruit trees before growth begins.  

[ ] Support raspberries; prune gooseberries.  

[ ] Cut back autumn‑planted raspberries to 1 ft.  

[ ] Examine blackcurrants; remove big‑bud‑mite buds.  

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                               MUSHROOM BEDS

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[ ] Spawn mushroom beds when temperature falls to 75°F.  

[ ] Case mushroom beds with poor, weed‑free soil once spawn threads radiate.

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                               ✤ DIG FOR VICTORY ✤

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1st No allotment visit today as work from 7am -8:15pm

2nd Rain today, no allotment visit but did arrange for the neighbourhood watch to check the allotment site in the evening.

3rd visited the allotment, completed 2 hours of weeding and pruning. Planted up a row of Swiss chard. Harvested rhubarb and some salad leaves. 

4th 

5th 

6th 

7th 

8th 

9th 

10th 

11th 

12th 

13th 

14th Submitted my application form to continue on the allotment committee to the secretary. I've been the chairman for over a decade now despite having a very busy job and having taken on several volunteering roles in between. Managed to get two other plotholders to propose and second my application. Visited the allotment, weeded a row of leeks and removed a strawberry barrel from the plot after several years of limited success.

15th Potted on the tomato plants from seeds sown in January. Sown Welsh onion, French beans, gherkins, winter squash and peppers.

16th Sown marigold seeds this morning ahead of setting off on holiday.

17th 

18th  

19th 

20th 

21st 

22nd 

23rd 

24th

25th 

26th 

27th 

28th 

29th

30th

31st

February 2026

                     ✤✤✤  MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE  ✤✤✤

                           THE KITCHEN GARDEN

                     DUTIES FOR THE LATE WINTER MONTHS

        Issued for the Guidance of the Allotment Holder and Cottage Gardener

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                         CROPPING, SOIL WORK & PREPARATION

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[ ] Prepare the cropping plan using past records and sound rotation.  

[ ] Dig whenever soil conditions allow; work little and often as beds clear.  

[ ] Add manure during digging; lime autumn‑manured beds now, never together.  

[ ] Break down soil after frost; fork to produce a fine tilth.  

[ ] Clean paths and working areas after digging to discourage pests.  

[ ] Lift parsnips and leeks in wet spells; store parsnips in sand.  

[ ] Start a new compost heap using suitable household waste.  

[ ] Remove 1–2 inches of soil around wall fruit and top‑dress with bone meal.  

[ ] Prepare onion beds with bone meal and general fertiliser; apply lime where needed.  

[ ] Break up compacted ground around fruit trees after pruning.

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                     SEED ORDERING, STORAGE & CHITTING

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[ ] Order seeds and seed potatoes without delay.  

[ ] Begin chitting seed potatoes; later reduce sprouts to two for maincrop.  

[ ] Examine stored potatoes and root crops; remove unsound specimens.  

[ ] Select sound onions for seed‑saving and pot individually.  

[ ] Sort stored apples and pears; use any that show shrivelling.

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                     SOWING OUTDOORS WHEN CONDITIONS PERMIT

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[ ] Sow peas, radish and round‑seeded spinach in warm positions.  

[ ] Sow parsnips as soon as soil can be worked cleanly.  

[ ] Sow broad beans outdoors or in trays for later planting.  

[ ] Sow shorthorn carrots, beetroot and radishes under cloches or in warm spots.  

[ ] Sow early dwarf peas (round‑seeded) for hardiness.  

[ ] Sow Brussels sprouts and summer cabbage in cold frames.  

[ ] Plant autumn‑sown onions now.  

[ ] Sow early peas, sprouts and summer carrots in frames.

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                SOWING UNDER GLASS, IN FRAMES & INDOORS

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[ ] Sow onions, lettuce and cauliflowers in gentle heat.  

[ ] Sow peas in pots for March planting.  

[ ] Sow mustard and cress regularly; sow cress earlier.  

[ ] Sow leeks for June planting.  

[ ] Sow sprouts in trays; prick out later.  

[ ] Sow cucumbers singly in pots at 55–60°F.  

[ ] Make the first tomato sowing; light is limited.  

[ ] Sow turnips, radish and carrots in a newly made hot‑bed.  

[ ] Sow summer cabbage and cauliflowers in frames.  

[ ] Sow maincrop onions urgently; prick out January sowings.  

[ ] Sow parsley indoors.  

[ ] Sow celery in trays at 55–60°F.  

[ ] Maintain follow‑on lettuce sowings for frames and cloches.

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                        TRANSPLANTING & PLANTING OUT

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[ ] Transplant autumn‑sown onions to final positions.  

[ ] Plant onion sets 12 in. by 6 in.  

[ ] Plant shallots as soon as ground is workable.  

[ ] Replant leeks in sheltered spots.  

[ ] Plant Jerusalem artichokes 5–6 in. deep, spaced to avoid shading.  

[ ] Lift and store artichokes annually to keep them manageable.  

[ ] Complete planting of fruit trees if soil allows.  

[ ] Plant early strawberries in pots or frames for forcing.

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                     GREENHOUSE, FRAME & HOT‑BED WORK

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[ ] Make and begin using a hot‑bed for early crops.  

[ ] Pot young tomatoes into 3½‑inch pots; keep at 60°F.  

[ ] Make another tomato sowing if required.  

[ ] Pot cucumbers into 5‑inch pots.  

[ ] Prepare greenhouse troughs for tomatoes (12–15 in. wide, 10 in. deep).  

[ ] Maintain lettuce succession; plant seedlings 8 in. apart.  

[ ] Water greenhouse lettuces carefully, avoiding leaves.  

[ ] Grow strawberries in pots, increasing pot size gradually.

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                 PROTECTION & MANAGEMENT OF WINTER CROPS

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[ ] Protect autumn‑sown onions with cloches or fleece.  

[ ] Ventilate cold frames freely; cover in frosts.  

[ ] Remove dead or diseased leaves; block cloche ends against draughts.  

[ ] Draw soil up around broad beans; sow more if weather permits.  

[ ] Earth up spring cabbage to encourage fresh rooting.  

[ ] Examine cabbage, kale and broccoli; bend outer leaves over centres.  

[ ] Fill gaps in cabbage rows using frame‑grown reserves.  

[ ] Remove dead leaves from broccoli and calabrese.

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                     FRUIT TREES, SOFT FRUIT & WALL FRUIT

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[ ] Complete winter pruning of fruit trees.  

[ ] Thin fruit spurs on espaliers before spraying.  

[ ] Winter‑spray fruit trees with dormant oil on dry, non‑freezing days.  

[ ] Service sprayers and ensure materials are at hand.  

[ ] After gales, firm in or stake young trees.  

[ ] Protect peach blossom from frost with doubled fish‑netting.  

[ ] Spray peaches with Bordeaux or Burgundy mixture.  

[ ] Protect fruit buds from bullfinches using black cotton.  

[ ] Cut back autumn‑planted raspberries to 1 ft.  

[ ] Examine blackcurrants; remove swollen buds (big bud mite).  

[ ] Tie wall fruit to wires, avoiding canvas or rags.  

[ ] Paint large pruning wounds (historical practice).

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                           FORCING & PROPAGATION

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[ ] Force rhubarb indoors; keep crowns moist and dark.  

[ ] Prepare additional forced rhubarb if crowns permit.  

[ ] Force rhubarb and seakale outdoors using pots or barrels.  

[ ] Maintain succession of forced rhubarb and seakale.  

[ ] Lift last indoor seakale crowns for forcing.  

[ ] Propagate seakale using 6‑inch “thongs” in boxes of soil.  

[ ] Force herbs such as chives, mint and tarragon at 55°F.

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                           ADDITIONAL SEASONAL DUTIES

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[ ] Maintain greenhouse lettuce succession; remove poor leaves.  

[ ] Check September‑sown onions in frames for slugs and ventilation.  

[ ] Attend to tomato seedlings when true leaves appear.  

[ ] Maintain order in frames and cloches, guarding against frost and damp.

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                               ✤  DIG FOR VICTORY  ✤

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January 2026

Click on the links to Mr. Middleton's tasks for January below: 

January 1st Week

January 2nd Week

January 3rd Week

January 4th Week

My 2026

 Allotment/Garden/Kitchen Diary below:

1st

2nd 

3rd 

4th 

5th  

6th 

7th  

8th 

9th 

10th

11th 

12th  

13th  

14th  

15th  

16th  

17th

18th

19th

20th 

21st

22nd

23rd 

24th

25th

26th

27th 

28th

29th 

30th 

31st 

December 2025

TBC asap

November 2025

TBC asap