Column: A good time to start planning for the season ahead, says Derbyshire dad and allotment-holder

We have so much to be getting on with, starting off with with getting our beds ready to sow seeds over the next few months.

Over the Christmas period, our allotment has taken a back seat, but now the light hours are going the other way, it's time to get cracking.We have plenty more raised beds to set out and fill and I will be filming a few videos of that and posting them on YouTube and Instagram.

Our old ones need stripping out of any perenial weeds and giving a good layer manure or mulch to replenish the nutrients that have been used last year.

This year I'm going to plan a bit better. I'm going to grow things that we mainly eat and enjoy, rather than trying things on a whim. It's easy to just get up to the plot and go wild with the seed box, but this year I'm going to write what's been sown where and make sure I sow every few weeks to extend the cropping season.

It's still quite early at the moment for most seeds, so don't get impatient, resist temptation for now anyway. If you are craving that fix and want to get your hands dirty in the soil, now is a good time to set off your chilli's. Sow them in seed trays or pots, I like to use Rocket gro's peat free seed and cutting compost (stage 1) and then leave them somewhere warm and keeping them moist. Some seeds take longer than others, so be patient and when they have germinated they will need a sunny window sill to do well.

One job we have been doing this week is mulching our borders in the garden. Now is the perfect time to do this ready for the spring. Adding a good layer of organic material to your soil will give you bigger and healthier plants come the summer.

This can be done with a few different things, but we have used Rocket gro's magic mulch. We also like to use homemade compost, grass cuttings, horse manure and even a good layer of bark. All of these will help the soil by giving it a boost of nutrients as they break down, while also suppressing any weeds that might grow.As you might remember, I was doing the ice bath challenge throughout December, to raise money for a small charity up at the Sheffield children's hospital. We managed to raise £2021 which will go to PACT, a charity who help families like us while going through childhood cancer and leukaemia. I just want to say a huge thank you to all of you who donated towards this amazing charity.