Finally Back on the Allotment

I finally got down onto the plot yesterday. It wasn’t raining but it was pretty wet on there. First task was to get the greenhouses in order. Some bolted lettuce went to the compost heap and the tomato plants came up. I’d actually got about half a dozen ripe ones and a few green so not bad for mid-December.

The only thing with these really late tomatoes is that they seem very watery and pale, which I put down to the temperature. Still, my own tomatoes beat store bought any day! I’d even got a few sweet peppers left; not many, about half a dozen, but still a nice bonus.

Having got the greenhouses clear, it was onto the leeks. Harvested a few for dinner. I was late getting them in and they’re not very big but it doesn’t matter as we prefer them smaller. I topped and tailed them into the compost heap before they went into the swag bag.

Next it was down to plot 5. It’s not done well from my lack of attention over the past couple of months but it looks worse than it is, I hope. Once it dries a bit I’ll be able to get it dug over and the weeds on the heap where they belong.

The brassica bed was a bit of a surprise. I’d been badly hit by the caterpillars and really didn’t expect much if any crop. It’s a lot to expect any plant to perform when half its leaves have been eaten.

The cauliflowers had actually done well, not very large but nice heads all the same. Some had gone over and really weren’t any good, curses! I should have cut them a couple of weeks ago. Still, some is better than none.

The cabbages haven’t hearted tightly but they’ll be OK to harvest and cook the same day. There’s about 4 of them, so a minor win. The last bit of good news is that we will be eating my sprouts with Christmas lunch. It’s not a bad life really, Christmas will be all my own vegetables and a lovely turkey from Grannie Annie. I keep telling her she’s selling them too cheap, but I suppose I shouldn’t complain!

Incidentally, I used to hate sprouts until I grew my own and found out how to grow them properly. My recipe is online in the recipes section. Cooking Brussels Sprouts

The next job on the plot is a bit embarrassing to write about, it shows how far behind I am. I took down the bean teepees. The roots with their nitrogen were left in the soil, the foliage went to the compost heap and the canes went into storage in the large greenhouse.

They’re predicting some dryer, if colder, weather so I should be back doing what I love – messing about on the plot.

Posted in Allotment Garden Diary
4 comments on “Finally Back on the Allotment
  1. Amanda says:

    Hi – glad to hear I’m not the only one a bit behind here and there 🙂

    To cut a long story short, my patch is on a slope, overgrown and has had bits of junk chucked in it here and there since the 70’s when the owner bought it but I managed to clear some bits to grow some nice veg this year which we thoroughly enjoyed.

    I still have some pepper and aubergine plants planted out so I put used cola bottles over them with the lids off (having cut the bottoms out) to make cloches but they seemed to sweat a bit too much. So I have now used a couple of tyres stacked over them with a sheet of greenhouse glass over the top so they have more air round them. A sort of recycled cold frame I guess. I have noticed an improvement in their appearance already but will this be ok through the winter when we get the severe frost/snow?

    Also – what should I have planted in the ground now for overwintering?

    I have some onion sets which I bought a couple of months ago and forgot to plant the poor things – some of them have green shoots – can I plant these with care?

    I have managed to secure a greenhouse from a lady on freecycle.com but I am moving this a few panes at a time at the mo!

  2. Linda says:

    Its so good to hear that I am not the only one who is behind on their allotment. The weather has been horrendous. I live near Cockermouth so you will have an idea how much rain we have had recently.
    I also found aubergines and peppers when I went for a look last week. Unfortunately my greenhouse door had blown off in the bad weather so will have to replace the glass, but, thankfully the door frame is ok.
    I have booked some days off from work so that when it dries out a bit I can get on top of it all. The leeks looked ok when i was there and I even managed to salvage the last of the radishes which was a suprise.
    My big job for next year is to put the railway sleepers down so that i can put some scaffold boards ontop as decking and have a nice place to sit and enjoy the view as my allotment looks out over the lakeland fells.
    Happy digging!!

  3. richard says:

    Hello John.
    At your recommendation i bought a pollytunnel greenhouse from Warehouse 24.It is a great bargain,it will be good to bring on seeds ect and to shelter from bad weather.
    Best wishes and Happy Christmas.
    Richard.
    ps.Put shelves in after putting cover on.

  4. justine says:

    A bit behind…a YEAR behind in my case. My plot is about 100 sq m and had not been used for some 5 years. A jungle quite frankly. I got it late March and it was too late to do very much of anything.

    I did manage to make 3 or 4 small beds amidst the chaos and had plenty of new potatoes, some onions and a few dwarf beans. All lovely and all felt like they had been hard won!

    Unfortunately I have not got much further, but in the cleared beds I have red and white onions that are coming through nicely and planted some broad beans – the Aquadulce still seem to be alive despite the temparature – the Sutton are, I think, beyond help. Had some pipes to put around things to help ward off the freeze but the ground was frozen so solid I could not push them into the ground!

    Someone as experienced as you being behind makes me feel a bit better about it all.

    Spent lunchtime with the seed catalogues so we will see what this year brings!

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