Archive

It took about 8 weeks to get it properly dug and then I spent a whole day putting in potatoes, beans, brassicas (cabbage, cauli, and some kale) and some flowers to be getting on with.

The brassicas were a disaster and I'll probably never bother with them again, however the potatoes partly survived the summer's weather (extremely wet for days on end), and we did quite well off the beans, all things considered!

In 2008 I am going to try with a full range of veg including beans (broad, runner and climbing varieties), shallots, garlic, sweetcorn, maybe a courgette or two and some others like beetroot and radish. I’ll be doing potatoes in buckets on the patio at home.

In the way that it seems to these days, our lovely British summer came and went. I don't recall there being as much rain as in previous years but still, it wasn't exactly great BBQ weather. I am afraid the allotment has been pretty much ignored over the past few months but with the start of the F1/Grand Prix season again I have been going over every two weeks or so and attacking the weeds/brambles/nettles with renewed vigour. I managed to get a small harvest of broad beans, and my calendulas did indeed grow - in fact so much so that I picked several stems and took them home to adorn our breakfast table. A pot of cheery bright orange flowers is exactly what was needed this morning as it was colder again and a light frost overnight.

On the plot I have been spraying with a Natural Weed-killer, digging over the weedy areas, and pulling out dock, nettles, brambles and the odd tree seedling along with the usual rose-bay willow-herb, scarlet pimpernel, pearlwort and various grasses. Then over the top I laid a covering of cardboard which I hope will prevent more weed seeds landing and rooting, and keep the worst of the winter rain off, whilst allowing a bit of frost in to help break up the clods for me next Spring. [Ever hopeful, aren't I?]

My allotment shed has unfortunately seen better days. If there's the slightest breath of wind it sways gently. I strongly suspect it may collapse under its own weight one of these days. I only hope my tools will be still ok afterwards. So, I've got New Shed hopes (and a Shed Fund). I will need to clear ground of perennial brambles, lay a foundation and find some way of getting it constructed in what is really quite a tight spot. But that's a story for another time...

This year I started out by being terribly organised. I tried to critically analyse the successes and failures of the previous year and in making the veg plot plans, keep it simple. I knew that once the baby was born I wouldn't have anything like as much time or energy for the plot as I might like.

I bought seeds early and sowed sensibly so I wouldn't have thousands of tiny plants all vying for my attention. I'd started to dig over and weed the plot. The plan was carefully thought out and all was going well. The baby was born in mid-March and of course we are all thrilled.

But then, just to make life more interesting, I slipped in the bathroom and broke my arm. Over the next few weeks, I sat indoors and watched my seedlings dying in their modular trays due to lack of watering, lack or growing space and finally due to several very warm days at the end of May. I could've been heart-broken - but no, not I (or at least, not for long).

My parents came to visit (to help with the children, not just the baby), and my dad and I spent two days on the plot. I'd like to say "We weeded and dug it over", but really I watched while my dad did it all. We bought a load of seedling Broad beans and dwarf French beans and we (or rather, dad) planted them late one evening. Yes, this means that my plants will be harvested a few weeks after any others on site, and will be generally shorter than the rest, but at least we should get something this summer. And I do love a good broad bean risotto.

A few of my Calendula (pot marigold) plants had survived their enforced drought and they went in too, in a line beside the path. You never know, they might go...

March came and went, mostly with twinges, odd pains and several false alarms. I didn't get to the allotments as often as I would've liked so the plot may have missed my ministrations. It will certainly need a bit more digging over and I know a carpet of annual weeds will have sprung up by the time I get there again.

But then Aaron arrived and suddenly everything seems so much more Spring-like. [Full of optimism, me.]

On the plot, there’s a slice near the path which is becoming too short to grow any veg in a meaningful way. So I decided to turn it over to flowers. The forecasters have assured us in a tentative and ‘don’t blame us if we’re wrong again’ sort of a way that this summer will be better than of late. And as I am permanently trapped in an optimistic frame of mind – at least when it comes to the garden – I actually almost believe them!

So, I’m going to direct-sow a mix of cornflowers, sunflowers, Californian poppies and English marigolds. I’ll do it in lines though, so I have a chance of noticing the weeds when they do arrive. At risk of appearing old-fashioned, I’m also edging towards trying out some dahlias.

Of course, there’s a catch: the ground at the allotment is not exactly ideal for open growing. It can be very windy, the soil is pretty heavy clay and it’s not particularly well-drained. But you know, there’s a small orange pom-pom variety that’s caught my eye and its called New Baby.

Today I spent 4 hours at the allotment, preparing the ground ready for transplanting and sowing later in the spring.

I planted 2 small chard Bright Lights in the permanent bed, so they should start to grow away strongly and provide some much-needed late spring/early summer veg.

I decided a while back that the plot would be better if it didn’t slope so much to one bottom corner. So with that in mind I have added a terrace by means of a scaffolding plank and some careful digging/raking to provide the levels. Handily (but not by design) the plank in question has several knot-holes so these will come in when it rains so heavily that the water needs somewhere to go!

Then of course I needed new paths so laid a few planks across the plot from the top to the new terrace line and then down to the bottom edge. I hope that by not walking on the soil it won’t get so compacted and also it helps when planning where to sow and plant later in the year.

I dug out weeds where I saw them – mostly creeping buttercup and dandelions, and pulled up annual weeds such as rosebay willow-herb which went in the compost.

My tumbling bin is becoming quite full, what with annual weeds, kitchen waste and paper shreddings which mix nicely to make good quality garden compost in a matter of weeks rather than the 8-10 months taken in the ‘heap’ bin in the corner of my plot. The comfrey survived the freezing conditions and is starting to sprout from the base again. I will need to support them a little better this year, which probably means ‘provide stronger support earlier’ but I have plans in mind with regard to that.

I covered the largest rhubarb crown with an upturned bucket in order to force some sweet, juicy stems earlier in the season. I couldn’t believe how successful the rhubarb was in all guises last summer. The family couldn’t get enough of it and the plants themselves grew so huge I had to peg them back from the path or you struggled to get past!

Last week I finally took the plunge and sowed peas and broad beans in modular trays at home. I’ve also planted a handful of garlic cloves and these should start to sprout leaves and roots soon. They will be transplanted when they are big enough and hopefully by then I will have sorted out the rest of the plot…

I was pleased to see my chum the robin singing his heart out and coming very close again as I worked. He is very territorial as is his nature and last spring I saw him smartly escort away a huge blackbird, but he seemed happy to allow a lone blue tit to sit in the tree and even grab a couple of worms and insects.

It is now early Spring and most gardeners are by now itching to get sowing the contents of brightly-coloured seed packets, each with the tantalising promise of a long summer of planting and harvesting.

Now is a good time to take stock of the plot. Be honest about last year’s successes and failures. Were any failures down to you or nature or both?

On the allotment, I’m not sure that I’ll bother with dwarf beans this year as I do not expect to have much spare time to tend my crops. Last year’s potato harvest was dismal at best and I will be sticking to my preferred, tried and tested bean varieties instead of the ‘new’ types I planted in 2009 (and which did nothing!). So I’ve decided to grow only crops that I know will do well even with very little continuing TLC – Scarlet Emperor climbing beans, Aquadulce and The Sutton broad beans, Meteor peas, the hard-neck garlic Early Purple Wight and various salad crops.

This will mean that much of the plot will be in use over several months at a time, hopefully giving me chance to work some more on the edges. Late last year I discovered another gooseberry bush in the undergrowth so by the time the growing season really kicks in that will require rescuing and pruning to shape ready for the next season’s growth.

Summer bedding flowers such as lobelia and vegetables like parsnips and peppers need a long growing season, so these can be sown now, pre-germinating as necessary in a plastic box on damp tissue paper so that seed is not wasted.

Start to chit potatoes now, setting them in egg boxes somewhere cool and light with their ‘eyes’ uppermost. Within a few weeks small purple and green shoots will appear. Watch out for greenfly which can attack new shoots. Don’t worry if the tubers shrivel a little; this is normal. But be sure to discard any that have gone rotten or soft. It’s still too early to plant outside – do this is late March or April – as the ground is too cold but you can start them in pots in the greenhouse or polytunnel for an extra early crop.

I kept some Swiss Chard in pots outside over the winter, ready for planting out in a semi-permanent bed when the soil warms up a little. You can encourage the soil to warm by covering it with fleece or black plastic. Even raising the temperature by a few degrees helps seeds or seedlings establish so they should be growing strongly before any pests arrive later in the spring. Protect them with a cloche, net or fleece and they will do even better!

If you haven’t started one already, it is not too late to make a trench for runner beans. Dig it 2 spits deep and 18” (45cm) wide. Line the trench with one layer of brown corrugated cardboard or three layers of newspaper sheets and fill in with manure, kitchen peelings and compost. Top off with 3” (7.5cm) of soil to discourage vermin. Avoid stepping on it when you build the support frame and then plant out seedlings when they are 6” (15cm) tall (April-June).

This method is good for enriching any area of the garden or allotment. You can fill a small section at a time and keep working on it throughout the year, using any available excess garden waste – grass trimmings, hedge prunings and comfrey leaves are just as good, though be warned – grass clippings on their own will quickly turn to a smelly sludge if no woody material is added.

Sow salad leaves in pots in the greenhouse
Harvest the last sprouts and pull up any plants left in the ground. Use your spade to chop up or mash woody stems and add to the compost heap.
Re-pot shrubby herbs in containers
Pot up some mint shoots and roots to grow on a windowsill
Plant shallots outside if the ground is well-drained. If not, plant into pots to transplant later
Lift large overcrowded crowns of rhubarb, divide them and replant
Choose a sunny, well-drained place to plant new raspberry canes in well-prepared soil.

After such a long time away from the plot, I was concerned about what state I might find it in. But although some of the edges have become slightly encroached-upon by brambles and the meadow has grown up it was much as I had left it in September.

I started by cutting back some of the brambles by the large strawberry trough and chopped them roughly into short lengths ready for a bonfire later in the winter. This will be an annual late autumn-winter job but I find it can be very therapeutic as the end result is always much tidier than on arrival!

The black polythene seems to have done its job very well, whilst not preventing the colder nights from doing their work on the soil surface. I certainly need to weed over this year’s onion ridges and potato patch as these are now showing mostly large rosettes of rose-bay willow-herb, a few clumps of couch grass and some creeping buttercup. Some of the plot beds will need to be lightly dug over as well, but I can do that as I go along.

The blackcurrant and gooseberry bushes will need to be shaped soon too but this is a fairly quick job. I will be aiming in theory for goblet-shaped plants, with plenty of outward-facing buds and an open centre for increased ventilation. In practice they may look different, given that I inherited these plants from an unknown origin and re-discovered them in the wilderness only 20 months ago!

I have new seeds (i.e. not old, out-of-date) of winter hardy broad beans (Aquadulce) and peas (Meteor) to be getting on with, and also a whole bulb of garlic (Early Purple Wight) ready for the plot. Or I might sow them at home and then plant out when I have actual seedlings. I haven't decided yet.

As my parents were visiting, my dad and I took the opportunity to head over to the allotment.

We pulled all the onions from their low ridges. I am pleased because this growing technique worked really well. The considerable summer’s rainfall drained away from their bases so avoiding the onset of rot and yet they were able to take up water and nutrients from the soil with no difficulty. The onions themselves were not very big, but they combined the typical white onion strength of flavour with a sweetness that was unexpected.

Unfortunately the potato harvest was pretty dismal and the climbing beans apparently did nothing all summer but climb their poles. We only found about a dozen potatoes and half a dozen pathetic bean pods so I will not be trying those varieties again!

The sweetcorn produced one or two cobs for us with a few more to come. I would not say the yields are very high but the stalks are useful for adding to the compost later in the autumn when all you have otherwise is green matter and shredded fallen leaves.

Speaking of compost, I cut back to half the comfrey and some nettles on either side of the path and added some to the tumbling composter (giving it a few twirls for good measure) and the rest to the square heap in the corner of the plot.

We quickly weeded the rest of the plot and spread out a huge sheet of black polythene to kill off any annual weeds, weighting it down with odds and ends from the shed, before heading home for a well-earned rest!

I cleared the Chard plants to the compost bin and planted more sweetcorn, covering it with mesh to keep the pests off.

I had some tubers of Jerusalem Artichoke which I planted, hoping for the best, but suspecting they may be too old to be of much use now.

A fellow allotmenteer kindly gave me a small pot of Royal Mint which I planted (in its pot) in the permanent bed. Alas despite its name I have no expectations of extra money floating about my patch!

The Rhubarb next to it has been going great guns all season so far and fortunately everyone in the family (and some of my friends) really likes it. The clump is getting to the equivalent proportions of a mature Gunnera!

In the last week I have planted out a dozen climbing beans, where I had the rocket and beetroot last year. This means that there is no longer any real space for other crops except perhaps a catch-crop of lettuce or radish in the odd space here and there. Everything is growing well and I am finding it all really very satisfying.

The comfrey I planted as bare roots earlier in the spring are now growing well. They are quite short so far but have begun to flower already, encouraging in many different pollinating insects including bumble bees and hover flies. I have other plants specifically for that purpose: Limnanthes douglasii, the poached-egg plant, which are simply glorious now in their carpet of flowers (and are good weed-control too).

I am hoping to use some old pallets to add extra levels to the invertebrate lodge that I began a year or so ago in the wild space beside my plot, and another to make a small seating area between the currant bushes so I can enjoy a quiet moment on my allotment later in the summer.

My perpetual spinach really is that. There are probably 7 or 8 plants still growing well, refusing to give in. Also the chard survived the winter with ease, even continuing to grow when it was covered with a foot of snow in February. So we have these greens to be getting on with during the annual vegetable lull. My leeks seem to be confused at best but are now growing away like mad. I just hope they will be edible after all this time!

In early March I planted broad bean seedlings (Aquadulce) grown in modules at home in 4 wobbly rows tightly packed for an early-ish harvest in June.

This weekend I added string wrapped and tied around canes so the bean plants can be supported as they grow. I also dug over the areas I had spread manure on in late autumn, and planted onion sets (Sturon) in low ridges so they have improved drainage in the bottom corner of the plot, and 3 rows of potato tubers (Belle de Fontenay) in the top of the plot. The potatoes are a French salad type, and as they are a main crop they should be ready for harvesting in about 10 weeks.

Even the meadow/woodland area looks good right now. There are as yet unidentified bulbs appearing in the woods and I have added English bluebells to these. There are primroses and cowslips in the meadow and I have transplanted tiny foxglove, primroses and aquilegia to bring in the pollinating insects.

The broad beans finally ran out of steam in mid-July which was quite impressive given the 'Summer' we didn't have. The family were not great fans of broad beans at the start of the season but by the end I think they had come round to liking them as long as they were young and green and in a risotto!

I still haven't lifted the potatoes on the allotment though they should be fine for a little while longer. However, the ones from the buckets on the patio are lovely - especially the Charlottes which are quite a lot bigger than I expected.

The courgettes (Zucchini F1) did indeed try to take over the world at one point. One of the smaller plants seems set on producing particularly yummy fruits which the slugs always get to before I do - but as they are ignoring everything else over there I will let them off this time. Everything from the other two plants has been huge - I mean ENORMOUS but still courgette-like not stringy (old) marrow-like.

The children particularly enjoyed coming to the allotment en route home from school and eating peas straight off the plants. I will definitely be doing more peas next year as despite all dire warnings of localised pests and diseases the 6 plants I put in did really well, and we’ve had to have pea and broad bean risotto a few times to eat them all in time as the freezer just isn't big enough for it all.

The chard and sweetcorn, garlic, shallots and onions have all done exceptionally well given the adverse growing conditions. I have left the chard and sweetcorn for a while longer. If nothing else they make the plot look well-loved and will provide lots of colour in many meals to come. I am delighted to blow my own trumpet and declare to the world that the children are wonderful - they eat nearly everything we give them and they will always try something different. This has made offerings including assorted produce from the allotment very simple to make and a great 'eating together' experience. The garlic seems to be the smelliest in the world however, so if I do grow this again I shall have to find a less pongy variety.

We had blackcurrant tarts for a while too, and the gooseberries should be just about ready to drop off now.

I got round to planting the other chard eventually, along with the rocket and beetroots but never found a home for the sweet peas which succumbed to minor flooding in the garden at home. The rocket at the allotment quickly tried to bolt but we ate the flowers as well so nothing was wasted. I went to pull up the plants afterwards and they had sprouted new leaves and tried again, so I tend to munch my way around as I do the essential weeding. The net curtains were a brilliant idea (thanks, dad!) working a treat even in the wind. They were also considerably cheaper than the special 'fruit-cage' mesh which is around £1.60 a metre where I needed 8 metres. Instead I saved £9.80 and bought two full-length net curtains for just £3 from a local charity shop.

Over the summer I was delighted to show some friends around the plot and they were suitably impressed - you know who you are!