Uncategorized – My Plenty Food Project

The gift of food

My (now adult) children (& a couple of friends) have hit on a sure-fire way to bring a smile to my face at Christmas time – they buy me food (& drink!) So on Christmas morning I had the most humungus pile of gifts as each item was individually wrapped and each little package revealed new delights and in several cases comestibles that I had never tasted before.

Of course I’ve eaten some already – and before I thought to take photographs – so they are almost a distant memory even after just a week (a pack of spicy ramen noodles eaten with the addition of a pack of enoki mushrooms. a pack of vegan kabanos and marmite crackers) but others will provide joy for weeks to come. My eldest had done most of their shopping in a Polish deli whilst my son had opted for a chinese supermarket so there were a range of flavours and future recipes to contemplate – part of the joy.

So from Rowan a pot of jam meant not your regular strawberry or raspberry but sea buckthorn – a fruit I have never tried but is on my list of wants to grow on my plot. Not sure I’m getting the full hit of this fruits flavour in a jam that is so full of apple juice as a sweetener but its enough to keep it on my want list. And despite never having eaten meat themselves they bought me ‘nduja pesto (personally i think pesto should only be based around basil, pine nuts, parmesan and olive oil and anything else is just a sauce or even a spread – but I’m not called a pedant for nothing!). Another new one for me was a jar of sorrel for use in Polish soups. I’ve always grown sorrel but now can indulge my love of its lemony acidity even whilst my plants are dormant. And I can make some more quick but tasty pasta dishes with the roast pepper and chilli sauce and a jar of asparagus spears.

And from Aidan there are some big bold flavours to use (possibly in moderation!) including a lethal looking black bean paste and pickled lettuce in soy sauce (peering inside the jar I wonder if this is actually sliced stems of celtuce which I grew in 2020 and may include in my growing plans for this year too). There is also a pack of dried ingredients containing items that I would not be able to identify by sight and am still not certain about despite having read the info on the back – Glehnia root? Diascora opposita? and Jade bambo all of which can be used to make the basis of a broth for soup. Since I have started growing a wider variety of ‘oriental greens’ including chopsuey greens, mustards, celtuce etc on my plot I have wanted to do more than simply throw them into a generic stir fry so am looking forward to experimenting with some of these products and finding some specific recipes that highlight their individual flavours.

And to wash it all down I have a bottle of gooseberry and elderflower wine – not a flavour combo I have tried before but if I like it I may try to make my own this year.

So although my offspring have once more returned to their respective homes I shall continue to enjoy their gifts for some time to come – and hope they remember its my birthday in just 6 weeks time 😉

New Year – New Priorities

I didn’t make public my intentions for the plot last year so don’t have to publicly humiliate myself with the list of things that I didn’t achieve! But I did make some real – and overdue progress – on a number of fronts. So before setting out some plans for 2022 this is a brief list of the positives from 2021:

Fixed the polytunnel that had been badly damaged in a storm at the end of 2020. Well when I say ‘fixed’ that’s not strictly true – I sacrificed the end section because I didn’t have the skills or materials/tools to salvage it and realised I could simply saw through the bars and reduce the 19ft tunnel by a few feet. Next task was to see if the damaged cover could be adapted to fit new shape and to cut out some of the ripped sections – have to confess that my ex-husband did most of the work on this part. And the result zero expenditure and a useable tunnel once more which helped produce a good crop of tomatoes etc
Built a shed – I bought an old shed in 2018, had it dismantled and the sections moved to my plot where they had sat stacked up ever since! So finally was able to do the prep to level the ground, and over a couple of weekends, and once again help of my ex, got it erected and then fitted with guttering and water butt. And landscaped the area around it.
Woodchipped all around my annual beds – dependent on deliveries of woodchips to site and then managing to get enough shifted to my plot.
Successful crops – did well with kales, chard, spinach, peas, Greek gigantes beans, Borlotti beans, tromboncino squash, salad and oriental leaves, tomatoes – and zillions of asparagus peas! Also fruit – black currants and aronia did v well.
Crop failures – runner beans, aubergines (although better than previous years as had a couple of mini fruit), peppers and chillies ( but am overwintering some to see if have a head start next year) Sweetcorn (yet again!).
So-so crops – garlic (small), leeks (allium leaf miner), kohl rabbi, sprouts, squash & pumpkins (apart from tromboncino),
Acquired a small brassica tunnel or polytunnel – and despite it blowing away twice it is now firmly in place in the right place.
Flowers – cosmos did v well, also some marigolds and nasturtiums
Cleared brambles from small plot – my mini forest garden
Kept up with regular journal/and plan and set up and used database on Notion

So plans for 2022

Mini Forest garden – continue to clear weeds, mulch with woodchips and create guilds around fruit bushes and saplings. Have new trees/shrubs to plant or nurture for another year before planting next year – apple, elderberry, quince, chinese dates etc
Build a hugelkultur mound in forest garden – have the materials mostly gathered now just need to do the work
Construct a herb bed or spiral
Construct a couple of arches over pathway between annual beds – use for runner beans etc
Grow more flowers – both for pollinators but also for cutting and as edibles
Smarter planning – use of reminders etc in Notion so don’t miss sowing or planting dates to maximise growing periods
Smarter harvesting – particularly of crops like spinach, chard which produce more than I can eat but could be frozen for later use
Improve labelling – this is continuation from 2021 when I started to use reusable black plastic labels and white pen. They do remain legible all season – just need to ensure I dont run out and do label straightaway when I’ve direct sown.
Improve recording of harvests – first and last dates and weights – to enable better planning in future
More seed saving – in 2021 only saved bean seeds – plus some hosta and achocha.
Improve observations so don’t miss potential problems or harvests.
Use more strulch – found it worked well to both repel slugs but also as weed suppressing mulch
Make more use of comfrey, nettles etc to produce feeds and soil amendments
Install IBC tank and use for irrigation
Repairs to polytunnel covering and installation of some effective guttering for rain capture
Fix shelving and tool racks inside shed, set up potting bench and paint the outsides
Set targets for particular crops eg produce all vegetables for Christmas dinner, self-sufficiency in potatoes for 3 months July-Sep, self-sufficiency in salad leaves for 12 months(!)
Pay more attention to after care – eg thinning out of seedlings, weeding, staking
And finally the one that I am trying to avoid which is to sow fewer varieties and to avoid overwhelm by having too many seedlings on the go at once. This can result in a failure to spot problems, to leave seedlings in trays and modules too long so they get leggy, and also planting too densely in final destinations.

And a final final one is to try to make the most of the time on my plot: to avoid or limit distractions elsewhere on site (this may mean making decision to stand down from committee or at least role as treasurer); to more consciously plan what I intend to do on each visit; to take time to observe all parts of my plot and the different elements and to take time to occasionally just sit and be in the moment.

It’s Spring and change is in the air

It’s 12 months since I first saw my plot – and an unprepossing sight it was too! I was given the option of taking it on from 1st April 2018 or waiting until it had been rotivated as part of the council’s downsizing works on the site. Not being a fan of rotavation I opted not to wait. And am I glad I did – the works have finally started this week! My plot is still very much a work in progress but I am satisfied with what I have achieved and learnt over the last year and am so much better prepared for this year.

Waiting for the works to commence has had an impact on my plot though. I’ve had to leave the top 5-6m vacant to allow access for machinery to clear brambles from the vacant half-plot next to mine. And also to allow for drainage to be installed – this will also run through my top section. So not only could I grow anything in this area I also haven’t been able to erect my shed – and it also meant that I couldn’t site my polytunnel at the top end of the plot.

Plot east of mine

Plot south across the road

The plots to the east and south of mine have been vacant and completely overgrown. Although this is often thought to be problematic due to spread of weed seeds etc I have actually found it to be beneficial to me. Every time I felt a bit down about my progress I could look across at the next plots and see what mine would look like were it not for my interventions. Also as a first time (not counting a half shared plot 30 years ago!) and slightly experimental grower I have quite enjoyed being tucked away in my little corner with no-one sucking through their teeth and telling me they wouldn’t be doing it that way if they were me 😉

Contractors came onto the site on Monday this week to start the full programme of works which are scheduled to take 5-6 months and will include the installation of stone roads, improved drainage, more water taps, car parking, community room and trading shed and fully-accessible raised beds. I had anticipated that work on the plots may be the last on the schedule but was delighted to discover that they are actually first. First chance I had to take a look was yesterday afternoon – appropriately a very sunny first day of Spring. And there parked next to my plot was a massive digger – and those vacant plots have been cleared, along with the brambles at the back and side of mine. I wish I could have seen it happening but am very pleased with the results.

Something’s been digging my plot

Brambles gone

So as I prepare to start my 2nd year on the plot not only is the Spring energising me but also the changes that are taking place across the whole site and what I hope that will do for our community of growers.

Garlick maketh a man wynke, drynke, and stynke

Having only taken over my plot in April I didn’t have much time to research garlic varieties last year & being in a hurry to get something in the ground I just picked up a bag of an unnamed variety in my local garden centre – I did have a crop but nothing to rave about and chose not to save any cloves for replanting. Of course I now realise that I should have had them planted out much earlier and am much better prepared this year.

So back in the autumn I gave it a little more thought although also gave considerations to cost (which I’m not slightly regretting!). Anyway, for a named variety I opted for Lautrec White, a hardneck type, because I’ve never eaten garlic scapes and decided the best way to get some were to grow and harvest my own. Why Lautrec white? Simply because it came across as being one of the best tasting garlics – and taste has to be top of my list of desired features for any crop. I am a little concerned though that it isn’t partial to damp conditions being as my plot was pretty sodden when I took it on – hoping the raised beds I’ve put it will keep it out of the worst of the flooding! My economy purchase was a 500g bag of assorted softneck varieties from Simply Seeds. I thought this way I could sample a number of varieties without being completely overrun – but the downside is I may not be able to identify my favourite post harvest, hence my slight regret. And although not a true garlic I have also planted Elephant garlic – some from Simply Seeds and some other cloves I picked up at the Malvern Autumn show although I omitted to make note of the seller/grower. And finally I have purchased for planting in spring some wilder types of garlic including Crow garlic, allium vineale, from Norfolk Cottage Gardens and Ransoms, allium ursinum, given to me by a friend, Other garlic flavoured plants I already have include garlic chives Allium tuberosum, and society garlic, Tulbaghia violacea.

Society garlic

Lautrec Wight

Ransoms

Crow Garlic

Elephant garlic

I’m looking forward to seeing how they all turn out next year but meanwhile have been reading a little about garlic heritage.

“Garlick maketh a man wynke, drynke, and stynke” – or so said Thomas Nashe in The Unfortunate Traveller first published in 1594. It seems that garlic has, in the UK, waxed and waned in popularity over the centuries. The fact that the name by which it is widely known originates from the Anglo Saxon word gārlēac, suggests that it was known in Britain from ancient times. (If you are interested in more on the etymology of this and other herbs and spices I can recommend Gernot Katzer’s Spice pages but don’t blame me if you lose yourself in it for a few hours!) Another disliker of garlic was John Evelyn who described it thus in Aceteria: A Discourse of Sallets

Garlick, Allium; Whilſt we abſolutely forbid it entrance into our Salleting, by reaſon of its intolerable Rankneſs, and which made it ſo deteſted of old; that the eating of it was (as we read) part of the Puniſhment for ſuch as had committed the horrid’ſt Crimes. To be ſure, ’tis not for Ladies Palats, nor thoſe who court them, farther than to permit a light touch on the Diſh, with a Clove thereof, much better ſupply’d by the gentler Roccombo

But despite his objection to its use in salads he is apparently credited with being a promoter of ‘enriching salads by rubbing garlic around the dish as the Brahmins did’.

Luckily garlic seems to be undergoing a renaissance, helped by growers in the UK and North America (& elsewhere) who are once again introducing us to the wide range of varieties available to both grow for ourselves or to consume. I’m certainly looking forward to discovering more for myself about the nuances of flavour from those I am trying out in 2019.

PS I came across a great piece of writing about garlic and its cultural and emotional associations in a essay by Stephanie Susnjara published in Creative NonFiction in 2006. It’s available to read on the Jstor website which you can sign up to for free and read a limited number of articles.

Jan/Feb sowings

When it’s cold or wet outside there’s a limit to the amount of time I want to spend on the plot on preparation of beds or other infrastructure projects. And lack of forethought and loss of my polytunnel in the autumn mean that I don’t have a lot to harvest – now limited to cavolo nero, celeriac and parsley! So what other gardening related tasks are there that I can use to distract me from work?

I spent some time cataloguing my seeds (I’m a tad nerdy!) and then decided the best way to store them would be in order of their sowing dates. So I made 12 dividers that would fit into my storage box and dropped in the seed packets in the appropriate month for first sowings. For crops that I want to succession sow as soon as I’ve made a sowing I can just refile the packet in the following month and then it’ll be good to go again.

Last year I didn’t take on my plot until 1st April and had only known for certain a couple of weeks before that I was getting one so my early sowings were both not very early but also a little haphazard and not planned. I was then somewhat thwarted by a very wet April and a badly drained plot so didn’t get the best start. I’m hoping to be more organised this year and ready to go just as soon as I can.

I am a tad nervous about starting seeds in January and February in case they end up too far advanced before the weather is kind enough to plant them out. But hopefully my polytunnel will be finally in place and will provide a temporary home even for those crops destined to be grown outside in my raised beds or borders. But as I’m also nervous at my ability to successfully germinate and grown on young seedlings by starting early it gives me time for second sowings if/when the first ones fail. But one of the main reasons for wanting to start early is simply one of logistics – I don’t (yet!) have any heated propagators so my seedlings live on my kitchen windowsill and my spare bedroom. If I can get some of them ready to move on into the polytunnel or my garden lean-to before the main sowing months of March and April it will ease the pressure on limited space.

So what did I sow in January and have planned for this month?

Peppers for sowing in February

Babingon Leek Bulbils

Broad Beans – Karmazyb

Flowers too

Trying out nursery bags instead of plastic pots

Seeds for February Sowing

January sowings:

Babington’s Leeks
Leeks – Musselburgh, Stocky F1
Aubergine – Rosa Bianca and Black Beauty
Goji Berries
Kale – KX-1
Caucasian Spinach/Hablitzia Taminoides
Peas – Kent Blue, Charmette

February sowings:

Peppers – California Wonder, Unicorn, Grueso de Plaza, Bendigo
Chilli Peppers – Padron, Early Jalapeno, Hungarian Wax
Tomato – Brandywine Black, Purple Ukraine, Chadwick Cherry, Iraqi Heart-shaped, Green Zebra
Hops
Peas – Kent Blue, Roi des Conserves
Broad Bean – Karmazyn
Red Orach
Broccoli Raab
Celeriac – Monarch, Giant Prague
Shoo Fly Plant
Tiger Nuts
Parsnip – student (trying these in loo roll inners)
Welsh Onion
Crow Garlic
Beef & Onion Plant (Toona Sinensis)
Asparagus
Flowers – Aquilegia, Hollyhock, Echinacea, Cosmos, Zinnia

Most of the above are destined to be grown to fruition (hopefully!) on my allotment plot but some will go into pots in my garden. My front garden is very neglected and is mainly covered with small slates so not much growing. I’d like to get some more pots of flowers and maybe even some edibles out there too.

When it comes to sowing seeds I am still unsure as to how many to sow. I am still (overly?) enthusiastic about trying out lots of different varieties and hopefully giving myself an all-year harvest. So I may only want to grow small numbers of each type of plant but it seems hard to only sow 3 or 4 seeds of each type. So I’m not going mad with vast numbers of seeds but am probably growing more than I need if they do all germinate and grow on to suitable plants for planting out. But my intention would be to pass on to fellow allotmenteers & other growers. I may even get some swaps – and then have to try and squeeze them. But all that’s looking ahead. For now I’m just feeling content starting to see my windowledges filling up and the first few shoots from my January sowings.

Garlic chives

Aubergine Rosa Bianca

A growing addiction?

Laid up with a bad back recently (an unfortunate cycling-related injury – something went twang as I stood up after locking it up!) I decided to have a go at sorting out my seeds. Before I knew it I had opened up Access and was putting together my very own seed inventory and database – how nerdy is that? I was somewhat horrified to discover that I had over 120 types of seeds – is this usual?

I did only take on an allotment in April last year so I seem to have accumulated these packets in a fairly short space of time. And they don’t include the empty packets from varieties that I grew and used up all the seed this year. So where did they all come from? And what am I going to do with them all? Surely I can’t find space to grow that many varieties – and if every seed was viable I would have enough for a large market garden.

In my defence I didn’t buy all of them. My neighbour gave me quite a number of packets surplus to her requirements – many of them ‘free gifts’ with various gardening magazines. They were either varieties she didn’t like or types of vegetables that she had no interest in growing. I’ve had a few given me as presents – including a couple from my son after visits to a Cornish garden and Kew gardens. And they do include some seeds I saved myself last year – including two types of tomato I grew in the garden, pepper seeds from a green pepper my neighbour gave me to taste, french, runner and field beans I harvested on the allotment and several types of squash from fruit I’ve purchased from my local farmers’ market. But the majority I have bought myself either online from a variety of seed companies including small independents such as Real Seeds, Incredible Vegetables, Tamar Organics and Norfolk Cottage Gardens; or from garden centres and some bargains from the Malvern Autumn Show. Plus my six choices and a surprise freebie from my first selection from the Heritage Seed Library.

As I’ve added each type of seed to the database I have also been allocating space to the crop on my garden-planner. And adding the particular variety and any notes about it to the plant list. I intend to use the growing chart the planner produces as I probably couldn’t produce anything as good, let alone better, from my own database.

I’m reconfiguring some of the layout of my plot to allow for the hopeful restoration and resiting of the polytunnel and in the hope that I will finally get my shed erected. And I am trying to use the data about planting and harvesting dates to make some sensible decision about succession planting to make the most of the space and number of beds I have available. But trying to find suitable spaces for the sheer numer of varieties I really want to try is proving challenging! And I do have a nagging question at the back of my brain about how many vegetables I can actually eat! And fairly soon I will have to face the very vexed question of just where am I going to find space to get these seeds started – they’re not all going to fit on my kitchen window sill 😉

Is this normal – or am I becoming a secret hoarder of seeds? Am I making a newbie error behaving like a kid in a sweetie shop? Will I regret the error of my ways when I start looking closely at the sow-by dates? Answers on a postcard please….. 😉

2019 Belated (!) Gardening resolutions

I drafted this on New Years Day – and forgot I hadn’t posted it! Life has got in the way for a few weeks. Just as well I didn’t include a resolution to regularly write (& publish!) blog articles.

I took on my allotment last April so 2019 will be my first full year – assuming I make it through to the end! This seems an appropriate time, as I plan my plot (or plot my plan!) for the year to make some gardening resolutions. So here for 2019 are my 19 resolutions….

Reclaim and reconstruct my Polytunnel – had great plans for this winter but would be happy to get it back in place in time for Spring sowings etc
Continue to develop and fill my lasagna beds so ready to plant in Spring.
Complete layout of paths with addition of wood chips and add more chippings to existing paths
Sort out seeds into monthly sowing order (today!) and resolve to keep tidy and organised throughout the year
Complete garden planner and check measurements etc as I finalise positions of beds and paths. Resolve to maintain the planner and update with any changes of locations of planting – I lost a few plants this year 😉 Use to plan second crops and intercropping.
Resolve to accurately label seeds and plants – at all stages of the growing process. All brassicas look the same to me until they start to reach maturity!
Reduce use of plastics – reuse any existing plastic pots, seed trays etc but do not purchase any more or (difficult one here!) purchase any more plants in plastic pots. Maybe take planting bags if attending a plant sale? Continue use of wooden plant labels. Not sure how to address issue of plastic cover on polytunnel other than ensuring longevity by repairing any tears speedily and using heat protectors on framework (have some old rubber bicycle inner tubes to try rather than purchasing tape which may contain plastic derivatives but also costs money!)
Reduce costs by recycling as many materials as possible – scrounging and foraging for plant stakes, timbers for structures, window frames for use as cold frames etc. And of course composting any food waste, cardboard, leaves etc generated at home and also from friends and neighbours.
Reduce long-term costs and workload by planting as many perennials as possible. Develop an area of food-forest on the plot and try to source as many plants from swaps and cuttings as possible.
Save seeds from as many crops as possible – beans, peas, tomatoes etc Reduce the number of new seeds purchased so saving a few £££
Erect shed – make functional for storage of tools etc
Encourage more wildlife including pollinators, natural predators etc by growing flowering plants, companion plants, bug hotels, and a wildlife pond.
Use Garden journal regularly to keep track of what sown/planted etc
Record weight of harvested produce – to enable tracking and comparison in future years
Make home-made pesticides from soap etc and use regularly against pests
Sign up as a mother garden with Food Forest Brum and pledge to share cuttings of perennials I am trying together with surplus annual veg plants.
Volunteer regularly with Stirchley Fruit & Nut Village – to learn skills, contribute to planting trees and forest garden in area and make new friends.
Photograph plot and write regular blog articles about my allotment and other growing activities
Take time to sit and enjoy the sound of the bees

Giving peas a chance…

For someone that doesn’t normally eat a lot of peas I seem to suddenly have a lot in my seed stash for planting in 2019. I do have childhood memories of eating peas straight out of the pods on my Mum’s allotments and enjoying them this way much more than eating them cooked and served with my Sunday lunch a couple of hours later. In later life shelling them seemed to be a bit of a faff and why bother when you could either have mange tout or sugar snaps – or frozen peas. And I do like a tub of mushy peas with my fish ‘n’ chips 😉

I didn’t have much success this year – possibly due to the hot weather – with the varieties I grew: Charmette (dwarf petit pois), Rosakrone (tall) and Golden Sweet (Mange tout), all from Real Seeds. The latter was particularly attractive though and did crop for a long time even though I indulged my inner child and very few pods made it home 😉 I still have seeds of all these varieties left over and will give them all another try.

Roi des Conserves

Kent Blue

Charmette

Rosakrone

Doug Bray of Grimsby

Parsley Pea

To these I have added Roi des Conserves from D T Brown. This is a tall variety and as the name suggests is for canning or for saving as dried peas. I was also taken by a couple of varieties on offer through the Heritage Seed Library: Kent Blue, which can be eaten as a mange-tout or allowed to mature; and Parsley pea, which produces a mass of tendrils and so I will be growing primarily for pea-shoots. And then to add to my collection the ‘freebie’ surprise packet of seeds from the HSL was yet another pea! Doug Bray of Grimsby is another tall variety producing regular peas.

So a variety of types which should give me a continuous harvest for several months – and will also provide some beautiful flowers to rival some of my neighbours sweet peas with the bonus of an edible crop too 🙂

STOP PRESS:

My first order from Hodmedod came this week and I must have had peas on the brain because amongst the items I ordered are a selection of pea related lovelies: Tinned and dried Carlin peas, Kabuki marrowfat peas, roasted peas (horseradish flavoured!) and yellow pea flour. I shall probably have a go at sprouting (& possibly growing on ) the marrowfat and Carlin peas just to see what happens. Watch this space!

Late Autumn happenings on the plot

Hard to believe we’re into November already! Where does the time go? But even though the days are shortening and the temperatures dropping I’ve been finding lots of opportunities to visit my allotment plot and have been reaping the rewards of earlier plantings whilst getting lots of prep done for next year.

I’m still harvesting lettuce – Morton’s Secret Mix from Real Seeds – taking a few leaves at a time from each plant. Throughout the summer I’d had no success at all despite several sowings but by September my last sowing had germinated and despite a slow start finally produced a decent crop and the plants are still going strong. This mix includes Reds, greens, brights, darks, splashes, blushes, crisps, butters, leafs, heads, and tongues. The mix is really attractive in a salad and all of them are tasty.I’m harvesting a bag full of leaves about once a week. Surprisingly they last really well in the fridge – much better than a commercial bag of salad despite them probably being in a protective atmosphere (at least until the bag is opened!).

I’ve been able to supplement this late summer crop with oriental greens – particularly mizuna and with some mustard greens too. I was intending to make some successional sowings but haven’t gotten around to it (yet!) But if the mizuna keeps producing as well as it is at the moment maybe it’ll keep me going all winter….

I’d originally planted it in a bed in the polytunnel but once that had blown away I just put a fleece over it. I can’t quite believe that a thin fleece can do much to stop freezing temps – I’d need one more than a few microns thick! – but it will keep off pests including the local pigeons. And the plants are supposed to be frost hardy anyway.

The beans and tomatoes are almost a distant memory now although I do still have some from my garden ripening on the kitchen windowsill. I’m not a huge fan of chutneys (have to confess I prefer Branston pickle) so will wait for them to ripen gradually. I do fry some of them green and have with a breakfast fry-up.

Although not a huge radish lover I’m hoping to be converted by different varieties, especially not I’ve discovered that cooked in a stir fry they actually taste quite pleasant. So I’ve tried some Spanish black radish

I’ve not had a huge success with my brassicas although some are now coming on. Despite being netted they have suffered some insect damage and now seem to have a whitefly infestation – do they not get killed by the cold?

I’ve had a couple of small broccoli spears and one slightly manky cauliflower. But the Cavolo Nero is looking good and I’ve started harvesting it by taking a few leaves each week. There are a few cabbages which are starting to heart up and I even discovered some tiny sprouts starting to form – maybe they’ll be ready for Christmas? 😉

It was Halloween this week and I had managed to grow one pumpkin! I’d picked it a couple of weeks ago whilst still green and had hoped it would ripen and go orange by 31st but it was still mainly green. I did do a very last carving to put outside for trick and treaters.

But my daughter’s creative skills put my feeble efforts to shame – and will provide a much longer lasting autumnal decoration.

I’ve planted garlic and elephant garlic together with onions to see how they overwinter. And also field beans as a green manure on a couple of beds. Not too worried about the cold but am concerned about how wet it might be given that my plot was very sodden when I first took it on. I’m hoping that using raised beds will keep them out of the worst of the floods.

But I am disappointed about my leeks which have been infected by the dreaded allium leaf miner. The green leaves showed no signs so I was unaware of it until I harvested a couple of stems last week. So I’ve now harvested them all and disposed of any infected material. And so instead of a crop that I hope would keep me going over winter, I’ve been left with a few usable remnants that might just be enough to make me cup-of-soup! And of course, I am also a tad worried in case the bugs get onto my young garlic or onions. I’d planted elephant garlic in a gap in the leek bed but following the discovery of the ‘miners’ thought I should move them before they got too established. But furtling around in the soil to find them as they don’t have any green growth yet I was surprised to discover how much root growth they had put on. I didn’t feel I wanted to disturb them as they were doing well so decided to take a chance on leaving them in situ and will cover them with mesh to prevent any later infestations.

So all in all a bit of a mixed bag on the production side but I am pleased with the progress I’ve made on prep for next year already. I’ve set up several more raised beds using the lasagna bed methodology. Layers have included cardboard, horse manure, semi-rotted compost, green and kitchen waste and leaves. I’ll top up with a layer of compost when I’m ready to plant them. I’ve sown a couple with a green manure mix and another with field beans which I’ll possibly chop as a green manure but may be tempted to leave to produce a crop.

And I’ve planted a few perennials – currant and gooseberry bushes, Daubenton’s Kale and asparagus and moved the strawberry bed. So a productive month in many respects.

Will be concentrating now on prep for my first full gardening season in 2019; getting my shed built and hopefully salvage the polytunnel. And sorting out my already large seed collection and filling the gaps from the ever-growing stash of catalogues piling up by my desk.

The Polytunnel Saga – a salutary lesson

When I first took on my plot the only structures I’d envisaged were a shed, raised beds, a compost bin and a wigwam for my beans. But surveying the neighbouring plots I soon discovered that almost everyone had numerous other structures – hoop tunnels in all shapes and sizes, greenhouses and polytunnels. And very soon my shopping list started getting longer. Which was a bit of a problem as my earnings – and hence my budget – seemed to be shrinking rapidly.

But as luck would have it our allotment association was organising an auction of unwanted items from plots that had, or were being, vacated as part of the downsizing programme. And I had my eye on one of several sheds – and then my heart skipped a little beat when I discovered that there was also a polytunnel up for grabs! I was actually out of the country during the auction but my neighbour had offered to bid for me on anything on my wishlist. And when I got back I discovered she’d managed to get everything on my list (shed, polytunnel, water butts and canes – and I had money back too!

Polytunnel

Shed

I then had many sleepless nights trying to work out how to move the shed and polytunnel several hundred metres across the site to my plot. The shed has actually yet to be moved although I have had help to dismantle it and if we can get the allotment trailer mobile this task should be accomplished next weekend. But a few weeks ago I was able to get the critical mass of people together to shift the tunnel without having to dismantle it.

So a mix of family and new allotment friends all grabbed a bit of tunnel and with my brother-in-law directing us we set off around the site like some giant green caterpillar. You can see what I mean by watching the video – and, as I find it far too upsetting to write about (boo hoo!) do watch to the end to see what happened in high winds, just a few weeks after the triumphant installation of my new pride and joy 😉 The joy was definitely short-lived although I am still hoping to be able to salvage something from the wreckage.

And the lesson to be learned? Take note of your neighbouring plotholders who warn you how strong the winds can blow across the exposed site – and always dig in your polytunnel covers before there’s a storm warning!