…for the beans and onions. On the way into the allotment on Sunday, I noticed the alpine strawberries had flowers out, so checked the summer-fruiting ones. Removed the mulch and weeded the bed, and found that all 10 plants are still going (some more than others). Mulched around them with chopped up comfrey and grass. The plot’s looking neater.
Must be something in the air … A low impact woodland home in Wales plus an article on building it, and this week’s Big Issue Scotland headlines a £4000 straw and turf house in Dumfries. Wayne Hemingway’s opinion piece is a little po-faced. He’s right that duplicating the £4000 house will not solve a housing crisis, however he fails to laud the recycling and community aspects of the build.
In allotment news: planted the remaining 21 beans. The first lot didn’t look like they’d germinated, and I wonder whether I planted them too deep. Rhubarb stalks starting to unfurl on all three crowns.
Dug up the comfrey that was growing near my blackcurrants; almost a bucketful of roots. I’ve come to recognise the brittle tearing sound of comfrey roots, and the ensuing search for slivers of root that have broken off in case they regenerate. Am waiting for the horsetails to spring up soon, and then I’ll know Spring is really here.
The chives have growing again in my garden — didn’t spot these down the allotment.
That’s the second Sunday in a row I’ve been down to the allotment. Yes, I know that isn’t a lot :( Once again I’ve been in trouble with the Allotment Officer, and he’s trying to get me to move to a half plot. But I’ve put a lot of effort into the current plot and planted winter onions, so I’m damned if I’m going to move…
With the clocks going back, the daughter was awake at a ridiculously early time so I got down the allotment not long after 9am GMT. The low Autumn sun doesn’t burn the dew off very quickly, and the plot was looking quite blasted. A couple of hours of tidying up made me feel better, though. Added lots of material to the new compost bin: nettles from the path to the North of the plot; comfrey from around the blackcurrants; and a few stray raspberry canes.
Last year’s leafmould supply has now run out, so three of my beds don’t have a mulch on. There may be some cardboard under the stairs, but that might make the plot unsightly. It might also act as a slug hideout, like the mulch around the courgettes.
2 hours this morning. Felt dejected at first because all the plants I’ve tried this year have got problems: beans all eaten, courgettes with mildew, spinach bolted, etc. Also the weeds and grasses are all grown up. But when I got stuck in to pulling up fireweed I perked up. Comfrey cut back and put on the compost heap.
Brought a small punnet of raspberries back. Will head out later today (after the Tour) and pick up rhubarb. Would have liked to make jam today, but I need to buy enough jars/waxed paper circles/etc.
Tuesday: met with the Allotments Officer. Nice to put a face to the name, nice to get some advice, and nice not to get chucked off the plot. His advice is to strim the lot, dig the plot over and then plant a green manure. I should still be able to plant some salad crops for harvest this year in the bits I’ve already dug over. He also reckons that one shouldbe on the plot for about 10 hours per week.
Poured my first comfrey tea around the plot. It stinks! A week ago, I noticed that the courgette leaves were looking pale yellow-green — something I believe is a sign of nitrogen deficiency. It’s a shame, since I’ve planted the courgettes on magic mounds which do contain a lot of B’s hedge clippings (nitrogenous waste), although it may not have broken down yet. BTW, the day after I planted the courgettes on top of the mounds, I read that they should be somewhere concave rather than convex, and there should be a surrounding rill to contain the water. Another lesson learned! Anyway … the comfrey tea went on the leaves; they were alredy looking proud (turgid).
Wednesday: went to the plot for an hour or so after work and team while the sun was still high over the prison walls. Put protection in for the beans, peas and brassicas; picked a few raspberries; blackcurrants still need a week or so. I think I need to make the front of the plot look tidy so I don’t lose the fruit to other plot holders…
Cut some grass by the blue shed in order to make a space As I clear the plot ready for strimming, I’ll need a place to put the planks, poles etc. that are littering the place.
Thinned out the peas when I put the protection in. It still feels wierd to pull up viable plants, but that’s small beer compared to the mouse that I killed at home. When I saw the mouse in close proximity to the daughter, I put the traps down with chocolate as bait. 5 minutes later: snap! Didn’t expect that to work so soon…
When I posted about rhubarb from my allotment on another blog I got loads of comments, so maybe a blog dedicated to the allotment is the thing …
After two years on the waiting list for Saughton Mains Allotments in Edinburgh, I heard in February that I’d been allocated plot 18. The key arrived on 1 March and I’ve been a few times since then. The allotment is second from the right, 4 from the top
Highlights so far
Friday 6 April: single-dug a bed in the allotment — damn hard work for a 4′ x 8′ bed. Met the neighbours and was given some garlic and 2 redcurrant bushes. They also pointed out what was left in the allotment from previous holders: comfrey, chives, blackcurrants.
Monday 23 April: pulled the first rhubarb. Didn’t have to do much work as it was already established in the plot. In March, as the crowns were just starting to waken, I weeded around the sets, watered liberally, and then mulched with some compost from Redhall Walled Garden. Cut back the stems with inflorescences today — perhaps a little late for this though.
My books say I shouldn’t pull any stalks after midsummer or mid-July, so I’ve got to have rhubarb every week. Am also experimenting with freezing it.
