Looking Back on Growing in 2013

Give or take a couple of weeks, it was a year ago I got the call from my local allotments to tell me that I was at the top of the list and there was a vacant plot. I'd been waiting 4 years for that call, and I can't even describe how excited I was. A couple of days later I went to view it. It was plot 59C. And it was mine. It was only a quarter plot, but to me that was 23' x 27' which was mine to cultivate, to nurture and to tend. It was what I'd been dreaming about for 4 long years.

I can't say that the timing was perfect. I had a 3 month old and a 22 month old when the call came. I didn't have either of these when I applied.
When I applied I also had no garden to speak of and all my growing was done in pots or on the windowsill. I'd moved house 5 months before the call (to a place which was luckily closer to the site), and the new house had a decent size garden which I'd been planning to put into use.
None of this mattered to me though. There was so much I could do,  and so many things I could grow. Rather than take things slowly, put in some simple crops and see the year through I hatched magical plans for creating a wonderland of veg.
With hindsight, that wasn't the best idea. Balancing the new family with the plot was hard work. I ended up clearing the plot in all kinds of weather. One weekend even involved clearing snow in order to carry on. I got the plot cleared but I was already behind where I should have been. Then at the end of February I injured my knee; that took me out of action enough for 6 weeks, and when I returned to the plot it looked exactly the same as when I'd started clearing it. So I did it all again. Now I was way behind where I should have been, but again, rather than simplify my plans I went for it.
To cut the story short, lets look back, and ask how did the year go? Quite simply, there were a lot of failures. These have taught me some valuable lessons though. I know the root of them was in trying to do too much. That won't happen again. I planted and sowed much later than I should have. That won't happen again. I didn't plan well enough for successional planting and getting catch crops in. That won't happen again!
On the flip side though I did have some success. Courgettes, Squash, Kale, Peas, Sweet Potato, Electric Daisies, Mooli, Fiesta Popcorn, Globe Artichoke (these were already there), Chickpea Edamame and Borlotti Beans all gave me something, even if the size of the harvest wasn't what it should have been.
I got Strawberries, Raspberries and a few Apples out of the garden, along with loads of lettuce and radish, and a few other bits and pieces, but I was always on the back foot and again I could have done a lot more had I started with baby steps rather than grand designs

So lessons have definitely been learned.
I'm starting growing in 2014 with a new hunger, and I'm going to try to make things slightly easier for myself. I found this post from RealMenSow quite inspiring. I would recommend having a read of the whole site; I've followed it for a few years and have learned a lot from it. I still probably won't make things quite as easy on myself as that, but I can definitely try.
I have a greenhouse in the garden which should make it easier starting seeds off. This also means the windowsills will be clearer in the house this year. It will also give me somewhere to grow a few veg which enjoy the heat.
I have a years worth of experience to help me, and this is something which no amount of reading books and magazines and watching gardening shows can give you.
I have met people on the allotment, ranging from those who have been there for years to those who started at the same time as me, which is a wealth of advice waiting to be tapped.
I now have this blog, which should provide me with a record of what I've done, both the positives and the negatives. Hopefully having one place for all these notes will improve my record keeping, something I was not particularly good at in 2013.
And lastly, I have 2 extra pairs of hands who I hope will enjoy helping on the plot. I'm not saying this will make things easier, but growing as a family will add another dimension to the plot.