It's hard to believe that I finished building the greenhouse in October last year (see above, completed building). Compared to the picture taken three weeks ago life has moved on considerably.

I started a file on this blog called Seed Plan 2008 with the objective of keeping a log of everything I propagated in the greenhouse. This was a mistake because there has been so much propagation that it has been almost impossible to keep up with the detail. Every week since February seeds and beans have been sown. Keeping up with it all has been a headache and a learning curve. For instance, one good plot neighbour advised me to be brutal about ditching surplus plants that I could find no more room for. This was heartbreaking given the pride that I had displayed with my first season of plant production from the greenhouse. But it is true. The lesson learned is that I must sow less and note that which I want to sow more of.

• Everything that I have grown on the allotment or in the garden was sown from seed in the greenhouse. No plant has been purchased during 2008.

Propagation has slowed down since the tomato production began. I have never grown tomatos. Three weeks ago I prepared three grow bags and planted nine tomato plants. Varieties include Brandywine, Ailsa Craig and Tigerella (it has strips apparently and growls when you go near it).

These were all grown from seed and consequently I had some surplus which have gone into large pots to see what happens to them. They are now heading for the sky. I am taking into account advice from Eileen, horticultural expert from Ayrshire, and gardening magazines and observations from my next door neighbour whose tomatos I water when they are on holiday. Their plants are bearing fruit. Mine are not. Their plants were bought from a shop. Mine were not. My plants are strong vibrant and with lots of flower buds. Their plants are strong and vibrant too. This must be a tomato growers thing, comparing size.

One activity in the greenhouse that I do recommend is propagating and sowing in gutters. This is a real boon for succession growing on the allotment. The other great thing is the enormous amount of flowers that I have been bringing on. I have never grown flowers from seed and I am really pleased at how easy it is. If you can find the seeds that is. Take Nicotiana for example. I paid a discounted price of 99p for a packet of these flowers and when I opened the packet I thought there had been an error. I could see nothing other than some minute, miniscule, microscopice bits of dust. These were the seeds. I pretended to scatter them on the surface of some damp compost and hoped that they had all scattered and arrived where they were supposed to. Then I covered them in vermiculite and forgot about them. Three weeks later I discovered that they were all sprouting. They are all ( about a dozen plants) now planted out and growing well with the first flowers appearing this week.