Allotment Vegetable Growing in December 2004

Halloween Pumpkin

02/12/2004

This December sees me way behind with Plot 5 - but 29 is OK and the onions/garlic are doing well as is the green manure crop of field beans.

Rather than dwell on my failures the first picture is one of a success!

My nieces and nephew celebrated halloween with my giant 35Kg pumpkin (as time goes on the pumpkin gets bigger.. bit like the fish that got away) - they sent me this photo.

Considering the size of pumpkins in the shops at the time, I think I did well. In fact I was seen around supermarkets muttering 'call that big? Its a minature!'

Even if they won't eat veggies they can play with them!

Onions and garlic on plot 29

22/12/2004

The really mild weather has allowed the Japanese onions and garlic to get off to a good start. In the background the field beans green manure can be seen.

I intend to leave them until spring and then dig them in.

Leeks standing proud

22/12/2004

My leeks are standing up well and are really tasty. I hope they will continue for the next few months.

Really are an easy crop, start off in pots then transplant into dibbed holes. DO NOT trim the leaves and roots as some of the old books said. It's no benefit.

How to Grow Leeks

The result of not digging

22/12/2004

My neighbour keeps a very tidy plot, no weed disturbs the surface for long before the hoe arrives. But, he doesn't dig it over and his crops aren't exactly spectacular.

Now you can see the standing pools of water quite clearly as they are frozen. The topsoil is quite thin with a hard clay pan underneath it - so the water just can't drain away.

Leaves turned into a coal seam

22/12/2004

Last year I trenched and then added leaves at a rate of a barrow to each 3 square feet, placing the soil from the following trench on top.

These leaves have compressed into a seam around 1" to 3" high and haven't rotted down as well as the leaves in the cage.

The photo shows the seam indicated by the white arrow.