This month is more of a case of what we haven't done at the allotment. It has simply been too cold and far too wet to do anything constructive. The snow passed us by but we did suffer with the high winds. I found the top of a water butt on our plot and when I told one of the chaps across from us about it he said it came from two plots down from him. Upon inspection of our plot I noticed the lid of one of the compost bins had blown off. A quick scan about and I spotted it next door and I was able to retrieve it easily.
We have still been eating
off the allotment with our crop of leeks and sprouts doing us proud
in these winter months. Although most of the cauliflowers have turned
yellow one has survived. The new year has awoken the rhubarb with
three crowns showing the soil. We couldn't cut these last year as
they were new crowns but we will certainly be taking advantage of
them this year.
Whilst we haven't been up to
much at the allotment unfortunately we had some uninvited and
unwelcome night time visitors. A couple of days before Christmas my
husband took a call from the council's allotment office to be told
that eight of the plots had been broken into. I feared the worst for
our shed. We have nothing of great value in it but collectively it
would cost quite a bit to go out and buy new spades, forks, trowels,
wheelbarrows etc. I couldn't bear to go down myself so I waited until
Mr JibberJabber was able to go down and inspect it. It seems that
they broke into one shed and had a rummage but our collection of dirty
tools and plant netting was of no interest to them. They tried to get
into the other shed but it defeated them. After speaking to several
of the plot holders it seems we escaped mainly intact except for one
allotmenteer. I won't say what was taken but I hope he has learnt his
lesson!
Such an event could easily
have dampened our spirits and made us think again about renewing our
tenancy in April however the arrival of several allotment themed
Christmas presents followed by allotment grown sprouts and leeks for
dinner put us back in the right frame of mind. My sister-in-law gave
us (or me as I have claimed it for myself!) a lovely and very sturdy
trug. There was also three books all designed to help us grow and use
our produce. We've already found out why our cauliflowers went a
funny yellow through reading one of the books (we should have tied
the leaves up to stop the sun discolouring them.)
We've also had our potato,
onion and garlic delivery from our allotment society order. In is is
a selection of potatoes to see us through the year as long as the
dreaded blight doesn't strike again. Our first early is a variety
called Casablanca. Apparently they can be planted as soon as next
month but most people wait until March. Time to start chitting!
I'm with you on the allotment struggles. Every time we have a spare morning/afternoon to do some work there it's either tipping it down or the ground is frozen solid. I noticed our rhubarb coming back to life, seems a bit early to be happening just yet?
ReplyDeleteit's been such a crazy winter. we have had such warm temperatures i feel guilty for not working in our garden but it feels unnatural to be out there in december or january.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed you've been there at all, it's been so flipping cold! What a bugger about the break-ins (you know I am terribly nosey and NEEEEEED to know what was nicked from that chaps one!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining in again lovely x
i wouldn't have thought the sun on leaves could turn the cauliflower yellow, funny how these things happen, glad your plot wasn't affected by the break in
ReplyDeleteWhen I clicked on your post I thought you'd been good - and you have - because I haven't even been over to my allotment. The struggle is real :)
ReplyDelete